Help, please!
 

I am currently using our smallest bedroom for scrapbookking. It is about 14 x 15. I am using the next smallest one, 14 x 18, as a guest/sewing room. Both are pretty cluttered. I am thinking about moving my scrapbook stuff into the larger room with all my sewing stuff and using the smaller one as a dedicated guest room. The problem with that is that the smaller room doesn't have an attached bathroom, but does have one just outside the door in the hall. OK, question is, what should I do? Keep everything as is, or combine scrapping and sewing. I have a LOT of both kinds of stuff and it would be a challenge to combine, but it would be nice to actually have a nice clean guest room, where you weren't looking at shelves of fabric, a cutting table and several sewing machines. What would y'all do?

I lost a guest bedroom to two sewing rooms. I love my sewing rooms but hate loosing guest bedroom.

I would use the larger room for your craft/quilting room. I would put my sewing machine/table in the middle of the room and put all of the "storage" areas along the wall, using bookshelves or bookcases to take the items "up" towards the ceiling so you free up the workspace and flooring. Some people put drapes/curtains up but I prefer shutters or blinds so you can open them completely during the dark and dreary days. Have as much good light as possible, one ott over the cutting area in order to match up the good colors. Go for it! You owe it to yourself. We all need that at times in our lives.

I would move everything into the larger room.

Biggest questions to me are: How often to you have guests? How long do they stay? Are they mostly family? If you are saving the room with the attached bathroom for company that doesn't really come that often--why don't you use it yourself? I would probably take the larger room.

Heh, I have a guest room where you look at very colorful shelves with fabric. Which I try to keep as neat as possible, since the room in small. Everything must be able to be put away to leave room for the bed if guests are here.

Purging is a very good idea, as I have found I will never have enough room to keep absolutely everything. I have rarely regretted purging. My rule is if I have not laid hands on it in at least 1 year, then I really didn't need it anyway. Things do accumulate and I have to re-purge after a time. I found an excellent book, Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter by Carolyn Woods - this book inspired my last purge and organization and I cannot tell you how happy I am with what I accomplished. I think it would help you a lot.

My guest room is now my sewing room. When grandkids come to visit, we sleep either on the couch or an aero bed in the family room. I hate to give up the guest room but that's just the way it is.

i would use the smaller room as a dedicated guest bedroom and make sure to hang a guest bathrobe on the back of the door for those trips to the hall bathroom.

How often do you have guests using the room? I say combine all your things into the larger room and put the guests in the smaller room with the bathroom in the hall.

You make a good point, how often do you have guests? I think people keep things for others when they should be enjoying it themselves. My SIL always had a very nice car (usually a "collector" type) but her husband would never let her go anywhere (to save the car). What's the point? Not to say you need to run the wheels off but if you're not enjoying it, why have it? Same with a house. You're the one there using it everyday, why not enjoy it ALL?

I would move everything into the bigger room.

I would have a dedicated guest room. This is the one room in my house that I manage to always keep clean and orderly.

I have my scrapbooking and quilting combined in one room along with all my genealogy. I don't scrapbook much anymore, but I still have all my stuff for when the mood hits me.....and it will.....sometime :) I love having all my "things" in one place. Here's a view of one wall, but it might give you an idea. The closet has tons of scrapbooking plus a two drawer file cabinet with the genealogy files.

Leave it as it is so the guest won't stay too long unless they quilt or scrap book. Sorry. LOL

No attached bathroom?? What a disaster! I'll bet they come to visit you and your home. I'd use the larger room for myself. If your guests can't visit the bathroom next door, they ought to stay in a hotel.

Take the larger room. Guests are occasional and temporary; you live there, full-time. Enjoy your home!

I agree wholeheartedly!!

We do not have a guest room or any bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Unless you count the RV which does have a toilet and is often used by guests.

There is a sofa bed in dh's office and guests have the choice of sleeping there or in the RV.

Mostly guests are the kids friends coming for a sleep over. They choose the RV.

It is your house and you have the right to use it as your please. There are several here who have turned dining, living, master bed, rooms and more into sewing spaces. Some have converted garages (the car can live outside) or built dedicated rooms, buildings for sewing. Do what works best for your situation.

If this were my concern, I would have the smaller room as a sewing quilting room, and the larger room as a guest room and scrapbooking area. Vice versa if your scrapbooking takes more space and time. Purge what you don't want or need anymore. Spend more quality time and space on what you do love to do. In your case it just may be both are equal. Could you put a wall unit up that has doors on it to enclose the scrapbooking items? One with a fold down desk/table area as a work space? Have a fold up table stored in a closet or under the bed. Would a closet be useful for shelving to put your scrapbooking items? I think it is important for guests to have their own bathroom. More comfortable for them and no one is intruding on anyone's personal space. That way, the other room (it is only 3 ft difference, which is a lot per se but the bathroom is a factor here) is dedicated solely to sewing and quilting. Door can be shut when guests arrive-you don't need to move anything that you are working on.
I took 2 extra bedrooms when all kids were out of the house, and made them into sewing rooms. One with fabric, cabinets, sewing machines, etc., and the other as a cutting and ironing room with storage in closet for batting etc. My other extra bedroom is an office and toy room for the grandkids. We don't usually have guests except the grandkids. So I don't feel guilty not having a place for anyone to stay. Our families and friends prefer a hotel room because they are free to come and go and visit as they wish.

I don't have a guest room personally by choice. I am here 99.9% of the time, grandchild rarely. He loves the option of an air bed and the big tv all to himself. I wouldn't sweat the small stuff, make it your own and enjoy.

Yes! I would totally take over the bigger room for myself and dedicate the smaller room to guests. I have a trundle bed for guests in my quilting room and the day my son leaves for college in two years that bed is moving to his room! Of course he will sleep there when he is home (I'm not THAT heartless!) but guests can use it the rest of the year. And, hello large design wall for me in the quilting room.

I AGREE totally. Enjoy it. My Grandaughter had to live with us for 5 months. Her house flooded. She slept on a bed, on the floor, behind the couch upstairs. It got to be a song. ha. Her little son slept on an air mattress. He loved it.

Does the small room have a comfortable bed? How often do you have guests? I enjoy having guests and being a guest. So long as the room has a comfy bed who cares what size the room is. Have you ever been to Paris?

I vote for the smaller one for a guest room. You can close the door and it is one less room to heat and cool too.

piney

I think this idea is a good one, by providing the bath robe it won't matter that the bathroom isn't attached. It is nice to have one room ready to go. If you don't always put everything away, then when you have a guest you have to put it somewhere while they are there. If every thing is in one room then you can leave it as is when you want and still have a place for a guest. you could always work in the small room and just put everything back in the combo room when you are finished for the day.

That's what I would do too. I love having an uncluttered room solely dedicated to my guests.

OK! You guys have made my decision! TOMORROW, I will start the big move. Bedroom furniture to the little room and everything else to the bigger one. My brother recently lost his job, and could use some work, so I'll make him a honey-do list of things hubby doesn't have time to do, and we will get busy. Entire inside of house painted, laminate flooring in 3 rooms, moving furniture around--including piano and large aquarium, painting the front porch, oh my! I can keep him busy for quite a while! Thanks for your help

Awesome! I'm glad you have your brother around and you can help each other out. What will you have him tackle first? :D

I would use the biggest room for a sewing/craft room. And use the smaller one as a guest room.
Sewing definitely is more important and needs the most space. Combining the rooms will give you a chance to
orgainize your things and get rid of excess stuff that you have accumulated.

I took the bigger room for a sewing room and my little guest room barely holds two twin beds! I enjoy my sewing room every day and only have guests three/four times a year.

it's certainly okay to be a little bit selfish and take the larger room with bath for your dedicated craft space. Your guests don't care about the size of the room they sleep in, just that they get to spend some precious time with you! Have fun organizing the larger room to suit your needs - you'll be a much happier lady!

You live there full time, make it work for you. :) if not having a bathroom attached is a deal breaker for your guests, they should find somewhere else to stay.

1st How often DO you have Quests? if its really only 1 or 2 time a year I would Says So what if they have to go out to the Hall to go to the bathroom or Can you have a small door put into the wall between so the bathroom and the small quest Are connected? Then combine your crafty stuff.:)

Most of us remember that old adage about not saving our "nice" lingerie or sleep wear for another day; wear it now. So, use your room and don't save it for "nice". Guests usually don't stay more than a few days so don't worry if they have to peruse your shelves of fabric or your books, etc. They might find something interesting to look at. Enjoy your own space.

I agree with this very practical answer. I'd also add that in most average houses where we live, especially newer ones, 14 X 15 is a generous size for a guest room. You should be able to have a piece of furniture, such as an armoire or bookcase, that would attractively house some of your supplies, unless you have guests in there so often that it wouldn't be convenient to get in there when you need the stuff.

True true I've seen Some Living rooms that are only 14x15!!!

I would and don't keep a guest room. I live in a small house and barely have room for us. Our oldest Granddaughter almost 26 lives with us and has the past 7 years. She has the largest room (lots of stuff). When she moves that will be my sewing room. She is trying to get through college on her own and working. She is getting close. She goes to school nights and weekends. Had gotten wrong information before and that set her back a bit. I'm patiently waiting.
That being said I think you should use your house to the fullest for yourself and use it all. Let guest worry about themselves.

Compared to what your rooms are; mine are really tiny. One is about a 12 x12 and the other a little smaller. The smaller room has a full size bed and dresser in it and my small gracie frame. I almost made both of my rooms my sewing/office but my daughter and her family often spend at least one night every week or so. Plus, my bedroom is upstairs and sometimes I don't feel like going up the stairs, either due to being really tired or when my back or legs act up so it's good to have it. The other room is kind of crowded but I have room to do it all. My sewing table has the one end up against the wall in the center of the room and goes right out into the center of the room. Everything else is around it. The wall in front of it has the cubes from Walmart, the ones with 9 cubes each, I have 4 and they are stacked 2 high, some with canvas totes others not. I put pictures on the totes as to the contents or projects so I don't have to pull them out each time to see whats in them. I also have my small TV in one cube. Beside that is one of the tall wood look bookcases you can get from Office Max, etc. The center shelf doesn't move but the rest do. I went to HD and had them cut me more shelves so they are closer together and I could fold my fabric to fit each shelf and could separate the color and type of fabric better plus the stack isn't so tall that when you need something at the bottom it messes up the whole stack. On top of that I have the plastic zippered bags that my comforter came in which has Christmas fabric in and other fabric that I don't often need to get into but with the bags being clear I can easily see whats there. Under the bed in the other room I have put bed risers and long under the bed totes with my large pieces of fleece. My friend sent me boxes of it and I only have fleece in there so I won't forget whats there. Before I set up my bookshelves with my fabric I always forgot what I had. I wouldn't worry about an attached bathroom making the decision. None of my rooms have an attached bathroom, they are all out in the hall close to the rooms. You could always make one room for all of your fabric, cutting table ect and then set up your machines or even your backup machines in the guest room. Then if you have guest it wouldn't take much to get it ready. If you have a certain machine that you do most things on then keep that one in your sewing room so if you do have company you can still sew.

Use your wall space, like Ragamuffin suggested. Go up!

I would make a big decision about cleaning up scrapbooking & sewing. Combine the two together. Maybe add some cabinets & shelving on one end of the room for scrapbooking & the rest for your sewing. Shelving on the wall from top to bottom for fabric. This is what I did. On some walls I have cabinets below shelves.
Keep the guest room neat & clean, just for guests.