I used one of those cardboard cutting tables many years ago when I lived in trailer with my former husband(he died from cancer) and my mother , we cut out our projects in the bed and sewed on TV tables in the living room and the kitchen bar, set up a serger and sewing machine , bought material from a dollar store in Bountiful Utah, those days are long gone , tricot for a buck, polyster from the Pykette factory for a dollar a bag in Salt Lake City, Mom learned to make nities and panties as well as shirts and pants for all my sisters :-P