Oh, what a situation!
My Toby is a husky/shepherd mix (80 lbs). The one thing I used to be able to count on was his companionship while I spent long restless nights piecing blocks.
He never tried to take anything. He spent many hours under the sewing table near my feet while I sewed.
He was and is jealous of my time playing with the noise-maker threadbanger. However, he can no longer use the stairs down to the basement sewing room. I quit sewing because I could hear him stumbling about upstairs looking for me.
I ended up getting an inexpensive second portable machine to sit at the end of a small table in the livingroom where he can visit me often, even if only for a few minutes at a time. The saleslady laughed and looked at me funny when I said I was buying a sewing machine for my dog. I am a 6ft. 2in. tall, 200 lb. guy with a beard. Made an interesting image in her mind, I guess.
It has been a hard winter for us both, he just tottered in to check on me for a minute. I am going to miss him.