Basement Sewing Rooms
 

I am new to this board and want to ask you all, how many of you wonderful quilters have your quilting/sewing rooms in the basement? There is a possibility in the not too distant future that we will be moving from California to Washington and the only logical option for my new creative space will be the basement. Thank you.

I have seen pictures of some awesome basement sewing areas. In Wasington, you have to remember basements can be damp, so be very careful about the house you buy if you plan to use the basement for sewing.

My currrent house has a great daylight basement -- it is dry. In our old house the daylight basement was very damp and we were constantly trying to dry it out.

I'm lucky enough to have my own space that is not in a basement and I love the sunlight I get. I'd suggest that you prepare to invest in some good lighting....maybe even an Ott light or two and some extra lamps if you can't add overhead lighting. The other suggestion is to paint the walls in pretty colors so that it's not too drab. I've seen a couple of blogs where quilters were thrilled to have basement space, so it can't be too bad. Good luck and enjoy the west, where ever you end up.
Mary

It is not a daylight basement, but appears to be dry for now. Thank you for responding with great advice!

I just don't want to have to go to the basement to sew. I want to be upstairs with everyone else. So, consequently, I don't have a big sewing space.

Yes, this is my worry as I too want to be with everyone.

Not all of Washington is wet. On the other side of the mountains, heat and dryness in the summer and cold in the winter are issues to take into consideration. I was talking to a lady at open sew early this evening and she was telling me about a friend who's LA was in the basement. Apparently the floor was not exactly level and over time had an effect on her quilting frame and never could get right.

So many things to consider. I definitely do not want to cause any harm to my quilt frame. :) I will just enjoy the space I have for now and worry about my future quilting space later. Thank you.

I live in Eastern WA., and it is dry here, and cold in winter. I do have my LA downstairs, but also use a small space heater when needed. I don't have any issues with this set up, as I have a sewing room upstairs too. :)

I'm the same... our walkout basement is finished with a "MIL apartment"(which ain't happening) with a living/TV room/ a pool table/ a 2nd laundry room/a kitchen/a Master bed and bath... but I use the second bedroom on the main floor for a craft/sewing room. I still have three more bedrooms on the top floor, so we didn't need to use it for a bedroom. It's been my craft room since we bought this house. I love it, I can just pop in there in the morning with my coffee and sew and then again in the afternoon or evening.. and back out to the kitchen or whatever. I wouldn't walk up and down the stairs that many times a day either.

I love my basement sewing room. It's nice and cool in the summer. I use task lighting so each work area is nicely lit without blinding myself. Plus I don't have to worry about the sun fading my fabrics!

Our family room is downstairs so hubby is down here too.

I have mine in the basement as it was the only space in our downsized home. It's not perfect. I get cold after a few hours either because of the air conditioning (cold air sinks) or the inefficient heating ( warm air rises.) But it's all mine. I do have a couple of ceiling height windows but I do lose a sense of time down there. I'm a sports widow so it is my, albeit imperfect, sanctuary.
MaryKatherine

That is wonderful that will be getting your own space....no matter where it will be in your own home! You will love it!

I have my sewing room in the basement, but I keep a sewing machine upstairs in an extra bedroom. With plenty of light I do not mind sewing there. It is also quiet and I can really enjoy doing my thing. But if I want to be with my husband, I sew in the upstairs bedroom and can be near him too. Of course all my children are gone and we have the extra room, and it is really nice with all my fabric, patterns and books out of sight.

I live in Northern Wisconsin and have my quilting space in the basement. I have a dehumidifier running all summer. In the winter, I run a humidifier.
I do have a walk out basement, so I do get lots of sunlight. Even if I didn't have the sunlight, it's a great space for me. I am in the process of reorganizing and I am having a ball. I got to move my frame into another room and am really excited.
We put track lights in for extra lighting in my studio, and they work out great! I love just going downstairs and having the space to myself. It is just my husband and me, but I really do like going downstairs and spending time there with my sewing machine and fabric.

I would love to have the walk out basement with natural light or the extra bedroom for my sewing room, but I don't. I have mine in my windowless basement that has painted block walls, then insulated and dry-walled. It's well lighted, has heat and/or air conditioning, vinyl floors (easy to run dust mop) lots of outlets, a small sink and shelving. When we painted the block walls it cut down the natural dampness of the basement and in my dry-walled room, dampness is not an issue at all. I keep the door closed (no cat hair!) when I'm not in there and it stays nice and dry. I don't have a long arm but do have a Viking Mega Quilter on a grace frame in the main part of the basement. No problems with that either. Your basement sewing area will work out fine as long as your basement does not have water issues.
Also the stairs are good exercise for me!

I sew in a corner of our basement family room. We have a walkout and my machine sits so that I look into the back yard. When we finished our basement a few years ago we painted the concrete walls with some sort of water blocker (check Lowes and Home Depot) before the framing and insulation went in so I feel quite secure about no water, esp in our drought this summer. If you don't have space for a family room maybe you can have an extra chair and a TV for "visitors" to keep you company while you sew.

In our old house, my sewing room was in the basement. It had no windows, and the ceilings were pretty low (8 ft) but was painted white and had 4 flourescent lights with 2 bulbs in each so it was very bright and not at all damp. In the summer we would run a dehumidifier in addition to the A/C. It was away from my family, but it's all I could do. When I was garment sewing, I would sew some things down there, then bring it upstairs to do some pinning. I also knit, so I did that upstairs when I needed to be with the family.

We moved last year and my sewing area is in our new basement. It's not finished, there are very few outlets, so I run stuff on power strips (probably not the best) and, due the 9 foot ceilings and the single bare bulb, it's dark. I can work OK on the sewing machine, but cannot make color matching decisions. We are brand new empty nesters, so I am thinking about having a secondary space in my son's old room with just a sewing machine and ironing board. Then I'd be upstairs. I'm not a fan of having half my stuff downstairs and half up, but whatever. It will be awhile before the basement is finished. Gotta keep sewing!!!

I have my sewing room in the basement. I keep a dehumidifier running all the time. I have only had one issue of water damage and that was because out hot water tank died. So I learned a valuable lesson either keep things off the floor or in rubber made containers! I have my washer and dryer down there so I can do the laundry while sewing. I am on a cement floor and have those interlocking rubber mats, the one that look like puzzle pieces, under my feet at my machine, cutting table and on either side of my quilting frame. Some days I wish I was upstairs sewing in my sun room with the view of the lake, but we can't have it all.

Any space can be fine for sewing. I'm an RVer and my friends who sew have all sorts of setups. One has a corner of her dining room as they usually eat out when with friends, lol. Another has a tidy set up in a guest room that is used for guests once a year. When I lived in California I had a basement sewing studio. The doors opened out to a garden that we built. I miss that space but now I have a portable ezi table (with inserts for my 3 machines) and an inexpensive fold-in-half 4' table that I set up in my motorhome. I cut on a credenza and I iron on a small folding surface. It's really a great space considering my views are whatever I choose, wherever I'm parked. You'll create the perfect space when you arrive in your new space. Best of luck to you.

My 2 sewing rooms (2 small bedrooms turned into a sewing and fabric room, and a cutting and ironing room) and family room are in the basement. In WI, the summers can get hot and humid so the AC runs fairly often. Even with the central air on, I use a dehumidifier in the family room as the system is older and not as efficient. Anytime there is dampness, a dehumidifier should be running. Anyone with asthma, arthritis and/or chronic conditions may attest. And us sewers know to treat our quilting stashes and investments like we would ourselves, right?

If dampness is a problem you may have to run a dehumidifer all year long. I don't have a basement or I would use. I share my sewing room with four cats. I have to keep it neat or the cats would lay all over everything.

I sew in an extra bedroom that I made into a sewing room. Make sure the basement doesn't leak. I store fabric in my basement and run a dehumidifier during the spring, summer & fall. I live in northern MN and it does get humid. In the winter I am lucky as I also burn wood so the basement stays warm. I do cutting and pinning and layout quilts in my basement. I guess the most important thing is a DRY BASEMENT!!

I have my sewing space in the basement. I got rid of the pool table which was not used very often and
I am sharing my sewing space with the family room. Just make sure you have a de-humidifier running
at all times to take care of the musky smell that all basements seems to have. I have attached
a few pictures of my basement sewing room. Hope this helps in your decisions

I live in Illinois-a raised ranch that has a finished basement.....except the area around the "guts"
of the house.........that is where I live.........one half is "my sewing spot" and across the room is the longarm home.......there are two large windows so sunlight is not lacking.......the fact that the furnace/a/c are in the space with me make it cozy warm in winter and cool in summer......and when I want a break I walk into the finished area and watch tv or go into the office and check computer, but let me mention that before we bought this house we had it tested for radon, since I had planned to use the basement, and yes it had high levels so the previous owner had to have that corrected...there is some kind of gizmo in the garage that does whatever it is supposed to to keep level in safe area.......I don't know if radon is a problem in other parts of country/world.........Oh, and by the way, I did paint the concrete outside walls a soft butter yellow and I love my world........

I am so happy I asked you all my question and even happier with your responses! My DH and I have been empty nesters for a few years now and I currently have a combination quilting room and office, with a corner for my elliptical. We never thought we would consider moving, however a one-story house is what we have been looking for and what we were able to find. We will be downsizing is so many ways. If all works out we will be moving from our 3,400 square foot home to one that is just over 1,900. The excitement of cleaning a smaller home is just positively overwhelming to me! None of my friends sew (unbelievable, right?) so asking them sewing room questions would have been fruitless. Your ideas make me look forward to whatever comes my way with my future sewing space(s). Thank you.:)

I love going to "my" basement. Our daughter left for Grad school a couple of months ago and now my Husband and I each have our own space. I don't have to worry about my projects being in somebody's way or having to put them away when somebody comes over. Our basement is very dry and I have my TV and computer down there too. I know we will have to downsize the house at some point but I know he will always make sure I have my sewing world as a separate space.

Our house in the Turtle Mtn's on the farm, I was in a walk out basement, lot's of light, and when I went to do laundry, I did my sewing/quilting. Then we moved to SW North Dakota, and the first place was small and I had the 2 largest bedroom - no way could I get everything in, course after 2 weeks, I quit un-packing and my DH agreed, we sold that, we moved into a larger home and I am more than happy to be in the basement, course like before, I do laundry, I stay and do my sewing/quilting. Loads of light and I have half of it with a door to close off to unwanted visitors. Just moved in over New Years, and yes, I am still unpacking and re-arranging as I go. I plan on purchasing some cedar chips and other things to help with any dampness that might occur.
And my childhood friends and I have dub it "the Henhouse" and my DH has is extra large "Mancave" with Tv on wall, and I wouldn't be surprized if doesn't get carpet in his TV area this fall.

When I read your post and then noticed where you live, of course the first thing that popped into my mind was of course earthquakes. I'm weird that way. lol

I have my space in the basement and I love it. LOVE IT! It is never too hot or too cold. My laundry is in the basement as well so we will finally have laundry done on time since I am in the basement all the time. THe only thing that worries me is that my other hoby is also in the basemet - pottery. I better be careful not to spray muddy water on my UFOs. All the fabrics are in plastic shoe boxes, just in case. My husband's hobby area is also in the basement so we are pretty content to escape to our sanctuary when kids drive us crazy.

I have lived in California for 27 years and NEVER worry about earthquakes. I have only experienced short - minor to intermediate quakes during all these years. You are too funny! However, it is always interesting to see how people from other states view California.

Being in Texas, I have never seen a basement. But I do have to have windows to see out. Each morning I go about the entire house and open all the blinds to let the light in. I think I would get claustrophobic in an enclosed room. My house isn't large enough for a dedicated sewing room, so I have commandeered our guest room for setting up my quilt frames, they straddle the guest bed, and a card table set up against the wall holds my sewing machine. When I need to iron and cut, I use a table in my utility room. I get great light there as the back door exits that roon and it has a glass storm door on it. This also enables (forces) me to get up and down frequently when I am piecing which is better than setting for long hours at a stretch. I hope your basement works out for you.

Would it be possible to put another 'room' in the basement, and you take one of the rooms upstairs for your sewing room? Just a thought...

It appears that everything is possible. DH is looking at building a shop with an attached quilting studio. :thumbup:

My longarm studio is in the basement....sewing studio is on the main floor. I am blessed with huge windows in both. What I prefer about the basement is that there is more wall space to hang finished projects and keep me inspired and surrounded by the things I love!

You may need a dehumidifier in a basement sewing room. Probably let it run for a few weeks before moving in a sewing room. Probably a carpet for the floor for warmth.

I would recommend making sure there is no dampness. I knew a lady whose sewing machine started getting rusty because of a closed in damp basement. I don't know what metal the internal parts of machines are made of.

I have had my sewing room in our basement for 5 years and just love it. I painted the walls a soft yellow and have good lighting in the ceiling. (No windows) I have speakers from the "Man Cave" area so I can listen to the CD's whenever I want. I always sew my bindings on by hand, so I do that when I am in the main living space with DH. I love being able to just shut the door and not worry about my organized mess! I hope you love your sewing room no matter where you put it.

Mine is in the basement and i love love love it, no one will bother me, but its just me and the hubbs anyway, he installed a bunch of flouresent lights for me, and i do have two windows, i would say the basement is about 3/4 underground and is very dry. I like it to because in the summer its the coolest place to be and in the winter is the warmest, even the floor, which has no carpert, but i like it that way. And all the room in the world.

I had a basement sewing space in my last house and loved it. No worry about cleaning up - ever! and the dogs liked to hang out with me there. Though I had a window, added one big florescent light over head, and it was fine. I use an upstairs bedroom now, but it's carpeted and I really prefer the basement spot.