Before I had a dedicated work area (HURRAY!), I had to make do with whatever space I could find. I purchased a piece of cheap wall paneling and had the hardware store cut it at 6 feet (making it 6' x 4'). I slid it under my bed for storage and would put it on the bed with my folding cutting mat on top of it for laying out fabric. This provided a stiff barrier for my scissors so I stopped cutting bedspreads! I also purchased 2 yards of very thin vinyl ($2.99 a yard at Joanns) to lay on the bed for protection when spray basting. I used this for quilt sandwiching but also for apparel sewing all the years of my kids growing up. I got this idea from a friend who had a similar idea but she covered the backside with a big poster of blossoming cherry trees and had it sit against the wall when not in use.