No more sewing room for me,:( , help!!!
 

We sold our big house and moved into a smaller one (paid for, yay!!!!) and I lost my sewing/craft room. I now have to share a small sunroom with hubby's computer stuff and a futon for guests. Right now everything is still packed up from moving in tupperware crates and there's no way I can do that! I'm used to leaving my stuff out and working on it as I get time, you know? Ughh.......why did I do this!!! I miss my room!

Hubby says he will add on to the room this summer, but until then what do I do?

I'm a messy quilter,and I hate having to put everything back up every day. Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with organization in small space/out of crates?? I'm thinking maybe I need a hutch or something?

At least I'm getting some work done on my entirely by hand quilt that I've been working on for 2 years now!. I keep it in the living room on one of those portable stands and rather than pull everything out, I just stitch on it a while.

as far as storage goes, can you use some of the "under the bed" storage containers under the futon? (I don't have a futon, so I don't know the clearance space under one).

Also think vertical storage. Behind the door shoe organizers work great too for small stuff - notions and/or patterns, etc.

Some quilters have the sewing desks that fold up into a cabinet. That would give you more storage but you could close it up when done. (and at least in the cabinet not have to keep stuff too picked up).

Also - make use of a design wall (flannel backed vinyl table cloth works great, just tape it to the wall or use pushpins) and/or bulletin board to keep some in progress designs visible.

Til then, keep your eye on the prize.... "(paid for, yay!!!!)", and when he adds on this summer, you get to design everything from the ground up, incorporating storage, etc, per your own liking. Congratulations!!!!

I agree... I know it's sad loosing your space.... I too am a messy quilter... I HATE putting this up each time.. I love being able to simply close the door... but as kountrykreation stated.... loook at the positive.. u have plenty to do just getting unpacked and setttled in.. summer isn't that far away.... start planning and looking thru design plans .. this is a great opportunity for u.... set ur sewing areas up like U want not according to the room. Think of all the fabric and things u can buy with no house payment!! wooo hoooooo...... congrates on your move.... I bet ur hand quilted piece is lovely....

I've already told my DH that i'm not moving to another house unless it has a nice sewing room! I'd sooner do without a kitchen!!! Just kidding- well sorta, most times i would rather be quilting than cooking. I hope you can get a workable solution.

I feel your pain, as we basically did the same, about 3 years ago. I started keeping my craft supplies in lots of large Rubbermaid and Sterlite bins, stacked along several walls. Earlier this year, dh finished the inside of a large shed, so I now have a "sewing/craft shack." Invest in plastic bins. Lots and lots of plastic bins. Excellent incentive, to get that extra room done! ;-)

Oh Nessie, do I ever feel your pain. I moved back to CA from Mass. last summer and my oldest daughter moved in with us. I have three bedrooms and my son and grandson get those. So my daughter has the entire living room as her bedroom. I live in a townhouse and so the downstairs is an L shape arrangement. My huge sewing table is downstairs and when my daughter moves out that will also be our dining table. Her packing boxes are everywhere stacked high. My couch is buried with boxes on it. I look at it and think about those people who are hoarders. LOL The only space I have is my sewing table and upstairs in my bedroom where my computer is. I am a messy quilter too and so with all the projects I am working on it looks terribly messy. I have no storage as my daughter has boxes in the storage closet too. My garage is full of all her furniture. Sigh, whenever she gets a job and moves out......I will do a happy dance. I love her dearly but I sure do miss my space. You will be happy when your Hubby adds on to your space and you can breathe.
Barb

Get one of those big storage houses that go in the back yard, insulate it, cover the insulation with paneling or sheet rock, hang an air conditioner in the side and have fund!!!! Probably be lots cheaper than builting on, too.

Good luck, delma

Me I have a gidget table in my bedroom and my walk in closet is full or totes, and artbin boxes with supplies, yes you do have to put supplies away as you use them but its not that hard. The keyy is to have everything really organized so its not a pain to get stuff. However I don't have a ton of fabric only 1 tote full

My sewing room is an 8 x 10 'extra' bedroom. Has queen size futon; chest of drawers; antique dressing table; 2 end tables. My cutting table is one of the fold down types that JoAnns sells set up in the center of the room. I have a small table for my sewing machine. There's a very small closet that's about 1/2-3/4 height. I do also have a smaller plastic rolling cart with drawers and a reasonable sized plastic tub. Can you read that there's virtually no room to move in this room! Have to suck in the gut to get around the cutting table (which I also use for ironing - double layer towel on 1/2 of top; cutting mat on the other half). Don't really have a stash per se as obviously no room for one! BUT, I have all my fabric/books in either the chest of drawers or the one plastic tub. Readily used notions in the tiny drawers of the sewing desk. All manner of stuff pushed into the miniscule closet. Hanging coat rack on the back of the door where I have stencils on a round belt hanger (along with out of season jackets) and other things. Roll of batting standing between door/futon. Stuff under the futon. Stuff piled on top of the rolling cart and tub. My only saving grace is that rarely do we have overnight guests. When we do it's the mad cleaning frenzy. Can fold up the table to put behind the futon and cram anything left over in the drawers/closet - once it's labeled, of course. I don't think any of us are 'neat' sewers/quilters. But having a small space does require one to be a bit more organized and do things step-by-step.

thinking the kitchen might make a good sewing room....keep the fridge.....ditch the stove and put the sewingmachine there......plywood covers for the drainboards with cutting mats on top.....ironing board blocking the door....all that cupboard space when you discard all the dishes and cooking stuff.....take out menus on the fridge door

fly these ideas across hubbys radar and see how quick that extra room is built !

I agree with Sunliten! DH will get the message real quick!

hubby is going to 'add' on a room this summer and you're fretting about what to do until then......gr'fren......get out a pad of graph paper and D E S I G N Y O U R N E W S E W I N G S P A C E!!!!!! (yes I'm SHOUTING!!!) figure out all you'd need in the way of cabinets, a cutting table w/under storage, ...... oh girl....just go C R A Z Y !!!!!

I use the kitchen table to sew!

Ideas: get some shelving, hutch, or a sewing cabinet.

I don't have a dedicated sewing room, but most of my sewing stuff is hidden- usually!-- all around the house. Wherever you have a decorative object, think of it as an opportunity to fill a container with sewing tools or supplies. I sew my clothing in addition to quilting, so the fishermen's creel hanging on the hook by the back door is full of zippers and elastic. The old wicker picnic basket sitting on the bench nearby holds all of my serger thread, sorted by colors into ziplocs. Baskets under the mudroom bench hold interfacings. One end table has lots of drawers filled with sewing supplies. The space under the guest bed has all of my cutting mats and oversized rulers. My grandmother's wicker pram usually has bagged projects hidden under the bottom pad. The padded ironing table is covered with decorative cotton twill and can serve as a luggage table. I have command hooks on the closet doors in that room to hold other sewing supplies. My goal is to be able to tuck everything away, except my sewing table, fairly easily when we have a party or overnight guests.

I had to move most of my sewing things out of the guest room last fall when my MIL was staying with us following orthopedic surgery; she was using a walker and wasn't very steady on her feet. During that time, I found that I prefer to sew in my master bedroom next to the picture window and I like to use the serger standing up at the breakfast room counter. DH hasn't complained yet that my rolling drawer carts are still living in his study, long after his mom went home. Last week I moved my ironing station board to the kitchen bar area with a high counter to prevent neck pain. Until my family complains, I guess I'll continue to sew all over the place.

I designed my dream house. It has one bedroom and a humongous quilting room so I can put everthing in it that is scatterred all over the house. Dream dream dream.

I'm so glad I posted, you guys always make me feel better!!! I've been so stressed with the move and everything, I can't see the forest for the trees!

Everyone has great ideas! I'm making a list of everyone's suggestions. This thread could so be a chapter in a sewing book! Chapter 7: How to quilt in a small space! You guys are so knowledgeable!

I actually have an "extra" bedroom that my son moved back into....with his fiancee and baby! Honestly, though, I'll lose that space anyday to have my first grandbaby here everyday. He's a joy, even with his stuff everywhere. It's been 20 + years since I've had baby stuff around and it's really nice in a way. Plus baby quilts are a breeze to make so I can bang out several and feel like I really accomplished something, hehe!

We decided that instead of the new room being a well, "new" room, we will add it to the sunroom instead and have a big room. The majority of that will be mine, just have to leave the futon and perphaps a chest or something. Even with sharing it will be way bigger than I had, or need.

It is exciting planning it!! I love the sunroom feel, I also am a amateur phtographer, and the light is awesome for that and for quilting! I will still have one long regular wall that is going to be entirely cabinets and shelves. Storage!! And I want a "U" shaped sewing/cutting/ironing space so I can do it all without having to get up.

I also am having a yard sale to get rid of some of my scrapbooking stuff. I still scrapbook, but not like I used to, so a lot of that can go. I do feel like a hoarder somedays!!! I hate watching that show, I have to go clean everytime I watch it, LOL!!!

Sunliten, that's a great idea! LOL! Actually, I think I will do that in the garage, that's his space, he could care less about the kitchen. I could use his worktable as a cutting table, his pegboard would be great for tools, ........hmmmm....this is sounding great! Alas, no air or heat out there, though, I'd die of a heat stoke!

Thanks everyone, so much! I guess I partly just needed to vent and have someone understand, you know? I feel selfish griping about not having a dedicated sewing space when there's people that don't even have a home. You guys help me to stay focused on what matters, and that I am lucky enough to have all my stuff and to sew at all! Even if it's not perfect!

I have heard about three women who all went together and bought a long-arm quilting machine, but instead of deciding which house to put it in, they rented a climate-controlled storage shed (you know the ones, right?) and set it up in there. Within a year, they have rented the two storage spaces next to their original space, opened the walls between them that separate the units, and have moved in their sewing machines, irons, all their material, sergers, embroidery machines, and they've started their own business of quilting - in a climate-controlled storage shed. Who would have thought!

I am with you on the "sooner do without a kitchen" and I am not kidding! LOL

I have two sewing rooms and if they were taken away they would have to put me in the "funny farm." Hope you get your space back soon. I love to make quilts and I would leave a mess anywhere I had to to be able to quilt. Guess I'm just not that anal about mess versus quilting.

We downsized too and I felt like a hoarder while everything was stacked in boxes waiting for a place to be. I think I've implemented all the suggestions here for living and sewing in a smaller house. But I would still like to have more space. I'm happy for you being able to look forward to additional room. Show us pictures when you've got set up.

Was just thinking about when my daughter first went off to college. She and a friend shared a very small room and tiny bath. To store their personal toiletry supplies, I made them a hanging storage, for the back of the bathroom door. It had various sizes of pockets (roomy pockets, with elastic at the tops), to hold anything from TP to a hairdryer. You could fashion a similar thing, for your sewing supplies. Theirs was held up by two "over the door" hooks.

I emphasize with you too. I have a pretty good sewing area, because our bedroom is too big (Yes, it's possible). At first, we fell in love with the room but since we have to cool it with a single window a/c, or heat with space heaters, we have decided it's too big! Besides, we are the opposite of hoarders and the room is kind of empty-ish. Or at least it was until I started quilting!! One side of our room has the bed and the other side has a big sewing desk and cutting table and ironing boards and the dresser. And there's still emptiness!

Anyway, sounds great, doesn't it? Problem is, we have cats. And they love laying on *MY* stuff. And puking on *MY* stuff. yuck.. So I keep the sewing machine in there but everything else gets hauled from another room that the animals are not allowed in. I'm seriously considering getting rubbermaid involved. I think one big one would hold all my projects and it would be easy to fold up the one I'm working on at the end of the day and put it on top. Might help me concentrate on one project instead of three!

One way I do keep them away from my hand-quilting project is put it in a beach bag and hang it from a hook. I could, in theory, get several beach/tote bags/back packs, etc... cheap from thrift stores and hang each project in one and hang them. That would get them up out of the way but they'd probably get pretty crinkled.

I do enjoy having a lot of room to stretch out while quilting, so it's worth it!! When my son leaves the nest, we'll probably move back to our 2-bedroom house and I won't have room to quilt so I'll be back here, trying to see if you found a solution!!

Oh I know what you are goin thru...Had sewing room but Mom moved in so that took care of that! Fab storage is the worst. Have 16 or 18 66 quart containers stacked in our bedroom. They USED to be sorted by color. Sewing table in corner of dining room. Luckily its large so I can store my rulers and notions on top.
Can you claim a closet? Get rid of clothes that you haven't worn for a year? Get rid of DH clothes he hasn't worn in a year?
I used to look at pics of quilters sewing rooms and don't anymore. But when I was looking, I liked the idea of taking beautiful curio cabinets and storing fab! DSs are young adults so we are more flexible w/meals and one son works nights.
Good luck w/this. Remember, quilting is therapy. You will get this under control...eventually.
My family got used to the fact that my sewing machine is up all the time and our dining room table is usually my design/cutting table.

I know your pain-since my move across country my little bedroom has all my sewing tables-collapsed against the wall- fabrics and tons of misc quilting treasures along with the bed -dresser and a lg TV so in order to be creative its just to much work so all I've done is make curtains (at the dining room table)
since being here and it was easier to buy the fabric then dig through dozens of totes and being in a rented house I have no options of adding on a room or nice shed. And I decided to make do til I find a place to buy. Althou I hate the thoughts of moving again but I believe with a lot of patience the wait for my own creative corner with a door will be so worth it.And of course I pray to the Quilt Fairy for any assistance she can give

If the futon is too low, buy bed risers and then you have under-bed storage--hidden, of course! I could have a 20 x20 room, and it would still look like we'd had an earthquake!

How about moving DH's computer stuff to the garage or bedroom & claim the room all to yourself for now. Bet your new room would get done lots faster that way. (A devilish giggle.)

I sew in my kitchen. In my living room I have two computer armoirs without the shelves and have storage bins with my fabric separated by color and the small slots hold the other items. I use my built in stove top for my ironing board, unless I have large pieces and then I bring out the ironboard. I use my kitchen table as my cutting board and sewing area as we eat in the living room every day anyway. It is a bit messy but you make do with what you have. When I get company I put everything in the armiores and close the doors and no one sees anything.

I think you should just work on your hand quilt and spend some time drawind/designing your new room. That is fun too!

BTW, if anyone wants to store a bobbin and spool together, there are many, MANY other ways. Years ago, I discovered a certain sized dowel fits perfectly into a wooden "wheel" (from the hobby section of HL or WM). You can cut the dowels to the length you want, long enough to hold both spool and bobbin. The wheel allows it to stand. Easy and cheap, to make.

Can you put "risers" under the feet of the futon for more space? Put a door over the arms of the futon for a table??

I use the nice Rubbermaid shelves, the nice sturdy ones. I have found that if I use my hutch, I can't find anything, and most of my stuff doesn't fit then. I live in a very tiny one bedroom apartment. I use half of my big bedroom as my sewing area.

I also have the same problem of just moving and no space yet , just keep doing your hand sewing until you can work out a way to have more room. :thumbup:

Can you sew in your bedroom? Put bins under the bed and fabric in the nightstand.The top of the bed is a great place to lay everything out.

If you can have any type of table for a work surface, you can store stuff beneath it. I did that for a long time. Dee in CA

Because I seemed to have fabric etc in every room I decided to buy a portacabin and move everything to do with crafts out to it. It is great, I can just walk away from whatever I'm sewing and it remains the same until I go back. I have plenty room for machines and cutting table, ironing board and hubby has made me a design board that I have hung on wall. It is terrific no more plundering through bags of fabric to see what I need. All on shelves and tidy.

Wow, that's interesting. Please give us some information about the building. What size is it and how much do they cost?

My thought is you might want to check for a used camper. All the comforts of home and plenty of storage. Then when your room is built you could resell it.

Now that is a great idea! Or if you do not have one yet you could get a long arm and keep it in the trailer. Hehehehe