Now that my sewing/guest room is set up and ready to be used, I discovered that I have a little problem. I don't have a cutting table!

I've been sewing and cutting in the dinning room on my dinning table on the first floor. My sewing/quest room is now on the second floor.

What cutting table do you have that you would recommend? Please be aware that I have limited space and the sleeping/sofa couch doesn't help either.

thanks for any recommendation!

Could you store a large piece of plywood under the bed and put it on the bed as a cutting surface when needed?
Rose Hall

I have one of those folding tables too. the white speckled plastic ones. I got it at Sam's, it has adjustable legs, so you can make it standard countertop height so your back doesn't hurt from standing at the cutting board all day. I also got a piece of thick plywood that I covered in batting and muslin and just laid that on top of the table, so I can use it to iron, or put the cutting mat on it and cut with it. Works great in my limited space.

I got mine at JoAnns. It folds up to the size of an ironing board. And that is what I use for my ironing also.

I bought a "Sew Perfect" table. It is exactly what I wanted. The company is very nice to deal with. If you want to read about them, here is the link.

http://www.sewperfecttables.com/sewi...uilt-pro.shtml

Thanks for all the suggestion, keep them coming.

I have a folding drafting table that was my husbands, it is great. Good height and is 40"W x 31 D.

draft table? didn't think of that!

I bought one of the adjustable height folding tables. I would like something a little more studier but this is working fine for now.

You can raise the height of a folding table with PVC pipe cut to about 6 or 8 inches depending on how tall you are. This works for the style of table that has legs on each end, not a card table. Pipe about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter works really well.

The drafting table is a brilliant idea!. Because of the way they tilt you could use it to display a piece of art when company comes. It would be much prettier than most kinds of tables.

I had an old 9 drawer dresser, and my DH got a hollow core door for about $25 and glued it on top of the dresser. It makes a GREAT cutting table, and just about the right height!! Very cheap way to do it. Plus you gain all the storage in the drawers.

Holy cow! I have a drafting table... and use my 1951 oven's smooth prep top as a cutting table. lulz I am a dolt.

Very creative! I love this idea!

I love all the creative ideas. I have a folding cutting table that is on wheels. I can open it up to use it, and then fold the "wings" down and push it against the wall, or behind the sofa for a sofa table! I like not havng to bend over. Saves so much stress on my back! Also good for bastng. The counter height is WONDERFUL!

What a great idea!!!!!!

Thanks! Here's a picture of it. Sorry it's such a mess, but that's how I work!! Projects everywhere!! LOL :lol:

Thanks for posting the picture. You sure have lot of storage now! It looks great!

looks like my sewing room....good idea

my cutting table bought at Jo-Ann's is about 15" X 36" when it is closed. The sides fold down. When it is completely open it probably about 36 X 72. I use it for cutting and basteing. My sewing room is also the guest bedroom. It has a hi-riser bed and a bureau in it.
It seems to work for me. I have to move this around so I can cut, but it works.
peel

I have the same cutting table and it is only 59 dollars on sale at Joanns.
I love this table and use it also for pining my quilt layers togather. I do have to move larger quilts to get it all pined but cannot get on the floor to pin.

I got a foldable 6foot table from Sams club that works great you can get them at 4 and 5 ft too. I use it and then fold it up and put it in the closet. It has come in handy when having parties too.

I have two of the 4' tables, right next to each other. One I sew on, the other is for cutting, etc. I'm more on the lazy side, this way I don't have to get up to cut, sew, or iron! lol!!!!! :wink:
I use the dining table, when quilting on the frame DH made me.
:D

I'm quite sure that my cutting table is too big for your needs; it is a 4' x 8' piece of 1/2" thick plywood, with the same sized cutting mat on it. I have it raised to a height of 38", which is both low enough to reach almost across the table, but high enough to spare me back pain. Underneath the plywood is a heavy duty shelf unit that I acquired when a book store threw it out. It has open shelves all along both sides, so that I have storage space on either side under the table. The shelf unit, however, is NOT 38" tall so, for support, I've stored some things on top of it, snugged up against the bottom of the plywood (out of sight, but not out of mind). I also have a "safe spot" under there where I store my very, very large acrylic rulers. On either end, I used to have sawhorse "legs", but I kept tripping over them so my son made me two shelf units for end supports, just the right size to store fabric which is still on the bolt (and no more tripping over sawhorse legs!) The shelf units he made have just enough indent on the bottom so that my feet will fit under the edges while I work.

It is perfect for me, but I have it in a basement room that is dedicated to sewing/cutting, so not a space problem.

I have a cutting table I bought at JoAnns, but also have the folding tables. I was teaching teen girls to sew and needed more than the one cutting table. You can get the folding tables with adjustable legs that raise the table to the same height as the cutting table and then folds in half (about 4 inches) when you're done. It takes less space than the cutting table. I can't bend over a dining table or bed without suffering with back pain, so both of those were the best option for me.

Love the dresser/door top idea - lots of storage space. My sewing room needs something like that - actually a room stretcher would help! I don't have much room left - a Janome 11000 Embroidery machine, Janome 4880 sewing machine, Janome Compulock and 7034D sergers, Janome 1000CP cover-stitch machine, Elna serger, 2 Kenmore machines in nice cabinets and several machines in cases. I started rearranging the room to set up my quilting frame (Hinterberg Stretch) and Janome 1600 machine. If the room could be about 10 feet wider and 15 feet longer - I'd be just fine!!! :lol:

Hi sew-lulu,

If space really is a problem, look at your ironing board.

A fellow in our area makes pressing surfaces to fit over ironing boards.

I looked at it really closely and went home and made my own for about $35.00 in materials, tops. Most of them I had, but included the loss/use of them in the cost.

Measure the length of an extra folding ironing board, and the widest width.

1. Use an ironing board with individual feet, not those pipe across the floor T-shaped feet. They wabble.

2. Cut a 3/4 inch thick piece of plywood a foot or so longer than your ironing board is long. Cut that piece of plywood a foot or so wider than your ironing board is wide.

3. You will want a piece of batting big enough to fold under that plywood.

4. and 5. You will want two pieces of cotton woven, each big enough to fold under and cover the edge of the batting you are going to staple under the plywood.(muslin?)

6. Eight feet (8') of 1"x1" or 3/4"x3/4" lumber/board/stick. Old mop or broom handles are fine if you are good at drilling holes in round sticks. Me, I hate that stuff.

***Cut two pieces off of that lumber, each one about a foot long (12"). Cut the left-overs into two equal sized pieces. Sand all these cut edges real quick to get the burrs off. Drill holes equally spaced so you can use long wood screws to attach these to the bottom of your plywood when you are finished upholstering it. These will hold your pressing/cutting board on your ironing board and keep it from moving around when you apply pressure.

7. Throw that wood on the floor with the worst side up. fold-up your ironing board and lay it surface-down on that piece of plywood. Center it up the way you want so it will balance nice.

8. Take a marker or such and draw the outline of that ironing board on to the plywood.

9. Now throw that ironing board out of the way or set it up again to use as a work table to upholster your new pressing/cutting surface.

10. Grab a piece of cotton batting big enough to wrap under that plywood and true-it up to the right size rectangle. Staple/tack it in place to the underneath, nice and tight.

11. Grab one piece of muslin and do the same with it, but give yourself 2-4 inches extra length and width for folding, covering the edge of the batting, and tidying up edges when you pull the edges under and staple it to the plywood underside (the side you drew your ironing board outline on).

12. Now, take the second piece of fabric/muslin and cover the board again, giving you a double covered pressing surface. Staple that under and clean up the edges by folding or what-not. (You can use 7# heavy muslin or even 10# cotton canvas if you like.)

**I used two layers of fabric and stapled each layer on independently, putting the muslin on first. After the muslin was tightened and stapled, I then covered it with an interesting cotton woven fabric from the stash.

When the top layer gets too worn and dirty, pull the staples for just that layer and you will have the first layer of muslin still holding things together. That makes it easier to put on a new top layer.

13. The tricky part: put the two long pieces of stick lumber on the outside edges of the outline you drew on the underside of your plywood, evenly spaced and balanced. Screw them on, but don't tighten too tight till you try to slip this over your ironing board. If it slips over the original ironing surface of the ironing board OK, then go ahead and tighten them.

14. Screw the two short pieces of stick lumber on the ends of the outline you drew of your ironing board. Testing to see that it will slip over the ends of the original ironing board surface before you tighten them down good.

That should do it.

You now have a padded surface suitable for pressing, and it should be somewwhere in the area of 30" wide by 40-45" long. Enough that you can put a nice size cutting mat on one end and press on the other.

When you have guests, pull the pressing top off and throw it under the bed, chase that with the folded ironing board. Best of all your guests have an ironing board if they need!!

Here is a drawing of the construction idea.

Just be sure you have something at a healthy height for your back. I am blessed to have two discarded base kitchen cabinets with a piece of counter top on them. I love it. I do all kinds of crafts on it, as well as using as a cutting table

I bought a cutting table at Hancock"s that has two fold-down sections, and it becomes a slim 36" long X 14" wide. I have to keep it in the bedroom....not in my sewing room. I don't use it a lot, so I keep it covered with a beautiful antique quilt of my mother's. I fold the quilt around it and pin it to fit the table, like a tailor-made cover. For my sewing room, I bought an antique buffet with huges drawers, just the right height. I refinished it and I placed a small cutting mat on the top , and it serves the purpose for my rotary cutting for quilts.

Thanks for all your suggestions and inspirations/creative ideas.

I'm now lending towards getting a folding cutting table at Hancocks. The good news is that it's sale. The bad news is that they don't have it stock nor on line purchase. I have the manager order it for me. It won't arrived for another a couple of weeks.

I have the IKEA Galant wood table with slanted legs. It is 63"x31.5" and I do all things quilting on it. When I need to cut, I push the machine aside. Works well for me.

Thankyou. I have seen them for sale also . Very expensive. I have never seen one up close to know how it was done. Your directions are wonderful.

My husband cut a piece of plywood the same size as the purchased padded mat from JoAnne's. He put a slider (like on out-building doors) underneath to go under the ironing board frame so the plywood would not wiggle/move. I have it on top of my ironing board and IT WORKS GREAT !!! Nice place to put my cutting board ... pattern lay-out..... WONDERFUL !!!!!

I have a ping pong table, and I love it. I imagine there are used ones to be had.

Hi,
What I did for an inexpensive cutting table is I went to Ikea and bought 4 table legs at $5.00 each and a table top in the size I needed, which is small, 23" x 29 1/2" for $15.00. It is sturdier than my folding table and looks nicer and is a size that fits in my space. As long as your cutting table is larger than your cutting matt, you should be OK. Also, it is easy to unscrew the legs and store the table in a closet or behind a door. Hope you have an Ikea near by. If you don't, perhaps you could mail order the table legs and then attach them to a flat interior door as some one else suggested.

Good luck.
Marlice

Sorry, duplicate posting. I just joined and I don't know how to delete.

I bought an unfinished gathering table which is a bit higher than kitchen counter tops. Great for the back. Use a bar stool at it too, so comes in handy for other things to.

I love the wall paper in your sewing room, very vintage looking and would make my old treadles feel right at at home!!

Billy

Here is one my husband made for me. He bought 4 unfinished kitchen cabinets at Lowe's and we painted them white. He then put them together like this (the other 2 are on the other side) and we ordered the top for it. I love it because it is kitchen counter top height and since I am tall, it works well for me. The top is 50 X 72".

Now that is the "cadillac" of cutting tables!!!!!

Wow... this would be a dream table! Unfortunately I don't have the space for it.