Our family lived in a small farm house, and Mom's sewing machine was in her bedroom after the last baby moved upstairs with the rest of the kids. It is amazing how much easier it is to talk to your mother when you are on her bed, and she is sewing facing the wall. There is something very non-threatening about that arrangement.
A story in our family is that my grandmother had a maiden aunt who was a seamstress by trade (1895 timeframe). Her task as a child was to remove the basting thread from her aunt's projects and wind them up on a spool, so that they could be used again. Recycling to the extreme!
Dayle