Sewing room design ideas wanted

Hey dragginbutt: I might can help you with this, maybe. My wife is also into sewing, big time. Has been for 32 years. Sewing of all kinds. We took one of our bedrooms and turned it into a sewing room especially for her. I built an 8’ sewing center out of oak, and a couple of extra tables for all her machines. It has 9 pull-out drawers with full extention drawer slides, is 26” deep, and I drilled a 1 1/2” hole in the top to run the cords down to the power strip. I made it in two boxes so she would have an opening to sit at(about 24”, I think), and put a 3/4” solid top all the way across for machines, cutting cloth, etc. I have pixs of it, but can’t find them in photobucket. I’ll post them asap. Might give you some ideas. If not, toss them!! I’m looking—don’t give up.

-- " Don't ever wrestle a pig in a mudhole....he'll be having more fun than you..!!

Years ago we built my mom a great sewing table for her sewing room. It was a full sheet of ply and solid edging with a cutout in the far right corner for the sewing machine cabinet. The cabinet had one of those sewing machine lifts, so she could lower the machine and use the entire table area for cutting or layout pieces. About 2 feet from the end, we put a small piece of angle iron into the top, mounted like a ‘v’ for a cutting guide. Go check out Joanns or a fabric store if you don’t know what I mean. She already had shelves for all of her patterns that we had built. She liked putting them in shelves, said it takes up less room than drawers and easier to find things. If I can find pics, I’ll post them later.

-- Karen - a little bit of stupid goes a long way

I don’t have any specific design but I can give you some points to consider when you do design that room. I’m sure it matters what kind of sewing she does. My wife is a quilter so she sews big, spread out projects. Her sewing table is white melamine 40” deep x 72” long. She would have loved it longer but the closet dictated the length. On that table she has spool racks and a couple small shelves set to the back. I put a stick-on tape rule along the front edge. She uses that a lot. Her cutting table is 36×60, “store bought”. A friend made an ironing board top that is 22×60, padded, cloth covered and sets over a standard board. She has mentioned two things she would like: a layout table for pinning (something big like 4×8 or a ping pong table) and a sewing machine elevator / lift mechanism so she can use her sewing table for layout when not actually sewing. And the last block of advice: don’t use kitchen base cabinets. A friend of mine (same friend) did that and made a very elaborate setup for he wife. The problem is the counter is way too shallow (my wife’s is 40” deep) according to my wife. Remember lots of light (Ott lights are a good touch $$$$) and lots of accessible outlets/power strips.
That’s it. Good luck.

-- Pete - "To every thing there is a season Turn! Turn! turn!" [Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger]

Hey Rick / KayBee, I’d like to see what you did also. Post pictures public OK?

-- Pete - "To every thing there is a season Turn! Turn! turn!" [Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger]

Hey Burg: You mentioned your wife is a quilter. So is mine. I built her a quilting rack to go in her sewing room, also. It is 8’ long, and tilts so she can angle it down to reach it. It will make a king size quilt. It has 3—
1 1/2” galvanized rollers that set in the frame, and she attaches the quilt backing, etc, on these rollers, which are padded. She then stretches the material around these rollers and starts tightening it up(?). It has 2 half-moon shaped things(?)on the outside with “cogs” like a gear. And everytime she turns the rollers, the catches jumps down in between the cog tooth to hold it tight!!. It stays there til she gets ready to roll it, and jumps to the next one. I know it’s hard to imagine, without seeing it, but it works kinda like a ringgear and pinion. I’ve got pixs. Got to get them out of the camera, and into photobucket. I’m working on it right now.

-- " Don't ever wrestle a pig in a mudhole....he'll be having more fun than you..!!

Why not ask for subtle suggetions from her?? might take a while to get it without spillin gthe beans if its a surprise.

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

Hey draginbutt: Hope the pixs come through ok of the sewing center.

Berg and 3fingerpat: Besides the sewing center, I also posted a quilting frame I made for the wife. It works pretty good—so she says !!

sewing center: http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/sewingcenter.jpg http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/sewingsideofcenter.jpg http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/embroiderysideofcenter.jpg
quilting frame:
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/quiltframe.jpg
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/quiltframegears.jpg
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/quiltframeside.jpg Hey guys, hope these come through ok.

-- " Don't ever wrestle a pig in a mudhole....he'll be having more fun than you..!!

I have built several sewing tables, some resdidential, most commercial and I have seen dozens that others made. I’ve gone with the “other half” and seen the sewing rooms that “teach quilting” so my 2 cents.

the bigger the table, the better. Seems these tailers prefer a table,like a kitchen table where access can be on all 4 sides. Often they have an internet jack/USB port for downloading the fancy stitches and they have an electrical outlet. The sewers each get a station and on one side there are drawers. Sewing can be a social event where all the sewers gather at one anothers house…........mostly gossip, and do a bit of sewing so its nice to have a table big enough to sit a few folks.

And then theres the fabric, bolts and bolts of fabric…....floor to ceiling built in open cabinets makes it easy to find the fabric, saves money too?

threads spools are put on 1/4” dowels on staggered shelves

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Thanks guys, these are all great ideas. Currently we have a corner desk unit in place that allows her to have two work stations, but I want to complete the horse shoe and add another workstation so she can just turn and burn so to speak. It is working OK, but this time around, I want to go all out with built in cabinets. I am going to ask her how high etc. It is not a secret either. It is something I have been promising for many years now and we have the room so why not. I also have a large folding table that rolls out of the way when she doesn’t need it for layout and cutting. That will probably continue to be used. Also already have Ott lights over the work stations. Been thinking about the lifts for each workstation, but in theory with dedicated areas, she shouldn’t need to put them up and down unless she just wants to tidy up.
I hear you on cloth storage. In my younger days, I shipped almost 1500 lbs of cloth back from Europe. Nuff said there. (She used to sell sewing machines for Phaff when I was stationed in Europe, so she has a lot of their equipment.) Still the lifts sound good. I’d like to have some drawers, and maybe some doors that open and slide away like you see on TV cabinets. When she is done, she can close it all up… Also, She hasn’t really any opinion of thread storage etc. I have seen and used the thread racks with dowels etc, but again, I ‘d like to design something within an upper cabinet that can close up when not in use. Possibly with slides internally. I have seen some wood shop cabinets like that.
Anyway, thanks for all the comments. Keep them coming.

Rick,
Nice quilt rack. Looks like a fun project. My wife is a quilter but she doesn’t quilt. She “pieces the quilt” then sends it out to be machine quilted. I tease her that it’s like me cutting out a project and sending it out to be assembled ;)

Here are pic of her work area. Someday something more formal like DB.
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx355/bourg2649/STH70984.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx355/bourg2649/STH70985.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx355/bourg2649/STH70986.jpg

-- Pete - "To every thing there is a season Turn! Turn! turn!" [Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger]

Thanks guys for the nice comments. I made a q.r. just like it out of cherry for a lady customer. She showed me a pix, and my wife had to have one, too!!!

Berg: looks like your wife has plenty of room to do hers. We took an extra b.r. for my wife’s room.

Pat: I did the same thing. I ordered a “starter” kit from Hinterburg. It was just the 1/2 moon thing that rotated, the cogs, or sprockets, etc. About $40 for the kit. That was for the other lady. Then I duplicated it in the shop to make my wifes. It was fun cutting all the cogs on the bandsaw!!! It’s a big sucker—8 ft.

-- " Don't ever wrestle a pig in a mudhole....he'll be having more fun than you..!!

If she’s a serious seamstress/quilter/etc, and you’re not, then you probably need to involve her in the project. You’ll feel like a total tool if you build something useless or inefficient. My wife is a very good quilter. She knows what she likes. It would be folly for me to try to surprise her.

She’ll probably like talking to you about her new space anyway. I bet she’ll have some really good ideas.

-- Tony

Tony Ennis. .............That is the best advice, the wisest advice ever!

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Hey guys: Aftrer posting the story/ pixs of my wife’s “quilting rack”, I was informed that it’s not a rack—it’s a quilting frame. She says a rack is something you display the quilts on. Sorry honey—I’ll try harder next time to get it right !!!!! I’ve been married 33 years, and I still like Army life better!!! lol lol. Don’t tell her.

-- " Don't ever wrestle a pig in a mudhole....he'll be having more fun than you..!!

Here’s a dead simple quilt rack I made for the wife last year.

http://tony-stormcrow.blogspot.com/2009/10/quilt-rack.html

-- Tony