RonieM

You've given me some great suggestions and things to think about. I really appreciate it!

Onebyone

Don't let the electrician do anything wit out you being there. I had a devil of a time convincing one that yes I wanted that many plugs and yes that is where I wanted them and yes all those overhead lights. He even went to my husband to double check, which didn't go over well at all. We ended up with another electrician.

Peckish

Behavior like that absolutely frosts me. We had a salesman approach us as we were in the yard, he refused to take my "no" for an answer, said "Ma'am, I was talking to your husband, not you." I wanted to be SO rude to him in return, but he knew where we lived and my husband traveled a lot for his job at the time, so I bit my tongue. Regretted it ever since. 🤬

Gay

I have started making scrappy crazy blocks to use up those little scraps, and wish I had a couple of moveable units to place either side of my sewing table - one for the iron, the other for a cutting board to trim all the bits.
Also would like a table/bench with a drop side to extend when more space is needed. If you're not planning on a quilting machine on a large frame this will be handy for sandwiching quilts.

Still Sew N

Wheels on the cutting table and on my ironing station. This has been such a great idea. My husband created such a great space for me to sew in. It was a bedroom (15' x 22') with some interesting aspects but we worked around it. Getting to my point here - my husband built a cutting table 78" x 33.5" - very sturdy and he put sturdy wheels on this cutting counter. The ironing station is 26" x 51.5" and it also has wheels. Both cabinets have drawers and shelves and cubbies and both are 36" tall. I really questioned the need for wheels but that feature has come in so very handy. I have wheeled them together and I have wheeled them out of the way. I even wheeled the ironing station out of the room when I needed more space! It's just odd how many times having wheels on those items have come in very handy. Another unusual aspect of this room was that it was L shaped. We ended up putting in counter tops in on both sides of this "L". The counter tops are 98" x 25.5". This is where my machines sit and I'm able to place 2 sergers and a sewing machine on one side, while a larger sewing machine, a smaller sewing machine and my embroidery machine take up the opposing countertop. I have a chair "on wheels" in the middle of these countertops and can easily go from one machine to another. In another area of the room, I thought I'd like wall to ceiling storage but my husband suggested a break with a countertop. This is the best idea. This unit is located behind the cutting table and I have a nice long area where I can place cut fabric, instructions, you get the idea - but it isn't taking up any space on my cutting table. One more great idea he did - he added a breadboard to my ironing station for my iron to sit on - so the entire ironing surface is just that! It also has shelves for added storage. I really thought this room was huge and I couldn't possibly outgrow it. With that being said, another suggestion would be to go as big as you possibly can! I wish I could upload photos. I'd love to share pics but I just get frustrated with the process and give up . Hope this helps!

juliasb

We built my sewing room for this sole purpose more than 20 years ago. The room has a space for my computer several sewing machines and most importantly a bathroom. I know that is something that you may not think of with a sewing room. When I am on a roll with my sewing I don't want to stop unless I absolutely must. The bathroom is a necessity.
A lot of cupboard space for fabrics and notions. I have specialty drawers in lower cabinets that have 10 pull out drawers for notions and supplies.
The only big problem is that after 20 years I have run out of space and now have to go through things and decide just what I may need to give up. I have enough fabric to out live me by x3 and every thread and now 14 sewing machines. All the machines would now be considered vintage or close to it. Someday I will purchase a new machine.
I also do not have the space for a design wall. I can put one up but I would be giving up something else. I don't want to do that so I use the floor for my design wall and that works ok.
Cabinets, cutting table, computer area and bathroom. Those are the primary for me.

maryb119

You will need separate circuits for you sewing machine and iron. They should never be plugged into the same circuit. The iron can overload the sewing machine and cause the motor or mother board to burn out. Also, have a separate circuit for a space heater if you need one. I learned this from a sewing machine at work. I was a seamstress at a large bridal shop.

FoggyButFocused

Here's my two cents. Get as many outlets as you can. Be sure to stagger which circuit they are tied to so no two are in a row go to the same circuit. Why? Because I work with multiple devices at the same time. Take for example my sewing machine, my iron, my cricut and my computer. If the plugs are staggered, I can still have them in the same area, but no worries of overloading a single circuit. I wish I had done this in my kitchen so I could easily have my coffee maker and electric griddle working at the same time.

I hope this makes sense and helps!

Onebyone

. It is not a good to have an iron on the same circuit as the sewing machine. The machine is constantly getting high and low power going to it like a wave as the iron heats, stops, heats again to maintain the temp setting. Especially the irons with no auto shut off that sit and go off and on constantly to heat. I don't think any machine has a power regulator installed.
The machine will be harmed before the iron will. This is important if you plug a iron to the same ext plugs at a class as your machine.

Peckish

My friends and I take retreats at a hotel on the coast. A member of our group is part owner of the hotel, and when they bought it, they remodeled the conference room specifically with quilters in mind. 😁 The electrician put in dedicated outlets just for irons all over the floor, they're easy to locate because he installed red receptacles. This hotel is nearly always booked 100% full, which is amazing for that industry. There's a local woman who hosts retreats and classes at the hotel almost every weekend all year except during summer, when they are full with weddings and vacationers. I wish more hotels would get smart and do this!