Prissnboot

Hi! I recently found myself in a unique (to me) position where my boyfriend and I are planning on buying a house (in about 18 months so there are a lot of unknowns right now) and if there's not a big enough room in the house, we're talking about converting the garage to my sewing space. This is me doing the happy dance!!!

I currently sandwich my quilts on the floor, which I hate, but he's suggested either having a murphy-bed style table that folds up and stores against the wall, or else suspending it from the ceiling, which I think would interfere with the lighting but he says we can get around.

It would also be nice to have some cabinet space for storage - currently my stuff is on those chrome wire kitchen racks (the fabric is in the closet though) and it just looks junky.

I also want a 5' long ironing surface to accommodate uncut fabric, and it would be nice to have storage underneath that - I've seen people here convert an old dresser to an ironing surface, which is pretty handy.

I only have one sewing machine, no serger and no plans to have one.

That said, does anyone have any suggestions on what should be made priority? It's difficult not knowing the exact dimensions of the room, I realize, but I'm starting from scratch and am a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks...

Watson

An L shaped sewing table so you have space to your left to put the majority of your quilt.
And, while you are at it, an in-set sewing machine into the desk makes a huge difference.

Watson

Cari-in-Oly

I'm in a similar situation. I'm having a new house built to my specs and have to decide what things will follow me from the old house to the new one. Lots of decisions to be made.

Cari

ManiacQuilter2

What size of quilts do you make?? I use to go down to my LQS and I was always welcome to use their classrooms when there were no classes scheduled. I use to have a 4'x8' table top that I would use for pin basting my smaller quilts. I use to quilt for others for about 10 years.

TexasSunshine

When DH finished out my sewing shop (he enclosed about one third of a large shop we built when we built our house) he installed a lot of electrical outlets all around the room at table height instead of lower. Also plenty of good lighting.

zozee

My priorities :

1. Natural light
2. All tables the right height and as large as possible. But height is more important to protect the shoulders and back.
3. Lots of outlets
4. Comfy office chair on castors ( easy to swivel from sewing table to ironing table ( my ironing table is that same height as my sewing table for that reason. If I need to iron yardage I go down to the basement and iron it, but I stick with mostly half yards or less for my projects). My guest bed is also in the sewing room so I swivel to put my feet up on it with my iPad or laptop.
5. Storage I can close (dressers are my favorite-- fabric is filed front to back in ROYGBIVLY way, so I can see it at a glance, it doesn't topple, and I can prop a lamp on it).

As as a bonus, I like having all white furniture in there (with the exception of a dresser that's not yet been repainted). IKEA dresser, Janome sewing table, JoAnn craft table, headboard I painted white. I can change accessories on a whim, white looks clean and bright, and I like uniformity. I had to wait 24 years till my DD moved out and I took over her room. Lucky you to get a large space now!

quilting cat

You are REALLY starting from scratch, not even knowing how big! I am planning my sewing room in a house we just bought, so the room size is determined (and not so large.)

tessagin

My son's room is now my sewing room. He and his family want to visit this summer. I have to make room so I'm trying to minimalize. My neighbor has 4 machines, one doesn't work. She has an old secretary desk where it looks like a chest but the writing desk is actually a pull down. She uses that to piece and has storage above for her notions and cabinets below for storage. When you walk into her living room you really can't tell that's her sewing room. Her furniture doubles as her work tops. Wish she would let me take a photo but she won't. Her spare room is where she does her quilting. She has a murphy bed for company and a trundle (doubles as a seating).

eastslopequilter

For cabinets, go to a RESTORE or talk to a contractor who is replacing kitchen cabinets for someone. Sometimes you can get them cheap or free and redo them. We bought a whole kitchen for $75.00 and I stripped and repainted them for our basement. We took our old TV cabinet and cut it down for a big ironing board for the top and storage on the bottom. The VCR drawer makes a great pattern storage drawer. I store my extra sewing machine in there. I have seen them in a secondhand store for as little as $10.00 for a nice sturdy cabinet that can be cut down and put back together at the right height.

Diane C.

My local library, where I lay out and pin baste my quilts has folding 18 inch wide tables. I can easily adjust to width of quilt frpm table topper to queen size quilt. Although heavy this tables are easy to fold up and store out ot the way. Diane C.