I will look into the pegboard idea, Tartan. I'm not sure I can get the family to let me cover the window, but I can see.
To make a long story short, I have to work around the shelves and the content. In my head I am treating the shelves as basically the walls of the room, something that is already there that I cannot change. The only difference is that I can't hang things on these walls, lol.
Right now I have to use the space that I have, which is in the middle of the room. I am looking for layout and storage ideas so I have room to sew, press, and cut fabric in the same space without any sort of vertical storage. It will all have to sit on the floor in the same footprint as my table, or on a section of shelf I can hopefully claim as my own.