Hello! :D

I'm trying to make my sewing room nicer & thought I'd look for suggestions to make life a little easier without buying every little trinket available.

I have to have my scissor sharpener, acrylic guides, and laptop....what do you absolutely have to have or REALLY REALLY want in your sewing room?

Thanks.

I have to have music. I also have my quilt, sewing and embroidery books and magazines in my sewing room.

Thanks, Sondray...music would be nice. Do you have a radio, CD player, or am I just old fashioned and you have an ipod? LOL. I'm thinking if I had a cd player, it would interrupt me when I had to change it....maybe not, though.

It's ALL about the iPod! Mine is like a little time machine, all the music I've loved my whole life. I have a mix of old and new, and play lists for different moods. You can get speakers with a remote control so that you don't have to get up to change your music. And you can download free podcasts, which I love to listen to while I'm quilting--kind of like chatting with a friend! I LOVE my iPod!

Hubby visits me about every hour - will bring a coffee or juice. Music - I have the computer just outside sewing room so listen to radio on that. When I have a problem or want to check a technique I can look it up on the PC. In hot weather find a large oscillating fan good - being careful to aim it high or all the pieces will fly!

a HUGE cutting mat
IRON
a TALL ENOUGH work surface

I work at a homemade 'table' - it's 54"w 85" L and 36" tall so no leaning over and killing my back

I took a board about 3/4" thick and about 2'x2.5' and "upholstered it" with batting and duck fabric

I have the huge cutting mat on the 'table' - when I need to iron I lay the board on top of the mat and use it as an 'ironing board'... much sturdier than a regular ironing board plus I don't have to try to figure out where to have an ironing board set up. ..... if you can't or don't want to mess with making a usable board, you could just use one of those already made up in the traditional shape of an ironing board like for college dorms or such...

A VERY important thing is do NOT let the cutting mat get HOT - it will warp.
I picked one up at a garage sale once for a dollar that was really warped and tried the iron and wet towel method to flatten it out but it didn't work - so I use that warped one to set my sewing machine on.

Lol I hit the repeat all button...it goes on and on and on, you gotta select a cd your really love first :roll:

My most favorite new, inexpensive gadget: Command stick-on, thin metal hooks. My main sewing area is on a computer desk with bookshelves/lateral file units on each side, and I put up one of those hooks on the side of the bookshelf facing my machine area. I can get 5 acrylic rulers hung on it; they're out of the way but handy in a very unobtrusive way. I's been 2 months and the hook hasn't budged. I have a couple on my computer unit to keep camera cords and microphone/headsets out of my way. They come right off without leaving a mark too. All for under $3 at Lowe's.

Next favorite: a canvas type bag with clear pockets all around, kinda like a gardening tool bag. I keep it by my machine, and it holds all my tools like tweezers, seam ripper, ruler, point turner - all in one place. I got this one as a gift, but I've seen similar ones at the hardware store. No more hunting through a drawer to find what I'm looking for!

I'll post a pic later; DH is on the other computer with all that stuff on it and I'm on the one hooked up to the tv.

Here's the pics!

all of the typical stuff, plus the radio and tv and a window! i like to listen to older romance/comedy movies! so i'll pop one in the DVD that i've seen so many times, i don't have to watch it! really helps my productivity! so far i haven't had to put the air conditioner in the window and we're getting a wonderful breeze (bonus room on the third floor).

also, if table height is an issue, get a $10 set of bed risers. i love my cutting table in the middle of the room! it is a smaller recycled kitchen table!

Janeen

I warped my cutting mat and found I got it flat again by laying it flat in the sun and when it got hot again it then "warped" flat

thanks, I'll try that with this one.... it's not like the ruining the $60 one!!

it's really warm today and a perfect day to try it...

Patty, could you please tell me what the bed risers are?

sure Barb - here they are

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...5L._SS260_.jpg

here they are in action under a bed (the white square ones) -

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...5L._SS260_.jpg

they go under the legs of your bed/table to make it about 6" higher.

i got them at linens 'n things. this link is for target. they're about $10 most everywhere (unless you have a coupon, like for linens 'n things).

target bed risers

I have a tv/satelite hook up in there, I like to watch old black and whites while sewing, but I also get books in audio and play them, those are the least distracting!

Ruth! It worked!
I just tossed it out on the walk (after sweeping the gunk off the walk 8) ) and left it out there for a few hours - and it got flat!
I brought it in and put it on the table where it would stay flat and laid a board and weight on top of it until it cooled off - looks great...
thanks a million - as I said, I tried the 'wet towel and iron' - probably didn't get it hot enough or something....

:-) My sewing room is in three rooms,one for sewing,one for storing,one for cutting until I can get a good workspace into the spare room. One thing that I can't do without is my design board. Hubby made it for me from simple foam core that is 3 ft. wide by @ 5ft high. It is covered in that fabric that has all the 2 in. squares and lines for triangles. Don't know what it is called but I got it at a quilt shop,they would know about it. Very cheap to make and helps me lay out my projects for sewing piecework. You can make it any size you want. It is like a big cutting board,only just for layout. Post some pics of your room when you get set up,please?
judee

I agree, I cannot do with out the bed risers. They save my back by not having to bend over when I am cutting out my fabric blocks. I purchased mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Marge

Things I never let disappear from my sewing room: eyeglasses on a chain that hang around my neck, very important. sharp seam ripper, recently bought a new one and was surprised at how easily it ripped my threads. small bathmat under my foot control, I have hardwood floor and this keeps me from having to chase it around. A good lamp. My sewing chair has wheels, I can move between machine and cutting board, sounds lazy , eh? No interruptions and a nice cup of tea beside me. Life is good.

I just can't get anything done without my worktable with the fold-down leaf & casters. Also my small ironing pad & iron is a must. I too enjoy haveing either movie or music but occassionally I like to let it just be quite, very soothing. I'll be looking forward to pictures when your done organizing. For some reason I can organize (straighten) but it just doesn't stay that way. :lol:

OH MY GOSH! You ladies are wonderful...my list of goodies is growing quickly. Luckily my husband is a sweetheart and will gladly help get this mess in order.

This week I'm taking inventory of my material, washing & ironing all that needs it so I can find a way to set up my shelves...and hopefully go shopping for a few items, including some new baskets/containers to store all of it in.

I feel bad...my hubby bought me an ipod and I told him I didn't need it (about 3 years ago) and asked him to return it. Do I dare tell him I changed my mind? LOL. :lol:

Keep the ideas coming, please! All input is welcome.

Oh thank you Patty for showing me what the bed risers are, very good idea :)

Guess what i got today everyone? I have a large cutting mat, but i've been wanting a small one to have beside my sewing machine, so i dont have to get up to trim as i sew, and i found a small one 6x8" at the dollar store today for a buck! So i'm happy. So i would say this would be a mu7st have. I think a design wall, which i dont have yet, is a must have, so im gonna get a flanel baqcked table cloth for me to design on. And i think another must have, which i also havent done yet lol, is a small iron and board right beside sewing machine. I also think an ironing board with printed measuring grids on it is a must have. The ones i have seen at wal-mart are very expensive, and where the fabric cover is stretched, the lines are stretched out too, so im not going to pay that kind of money for one that is stretched. Right now, i lay a ruler down on my ironing board, so when i iron, i can tell if i need to stretch the fabric a bit bigger while i iron, or do no stretching lol. I think me and hubby will make me a small ironong board, and then i will use a perma pen to put a grid on it, i think that would work great :) It's also very important to have a stash of chocolate and coca cola nearby :) :)

Barb,
You crack me up ~ yes, I forgot Coke as a must have LOL.
Absolutely.

Thanks all for your thoughts...washing, drying and ironing didn't go as quickly as I expected....still more fabric to do (not that I'm complaining, mind you).

I showed my husband the hook pics and can't wait to get some of those little goodies....I thought having a hook for my scissors right next to my machine would be nice. I'm always setting them down somewhere and then forget where and have to get up for another pair. Oh the disorganization!

I'm thinking if I tried living my life slightly more organized, I'd have more time to quilt LOL. Just a theory, though. We'll see how long this project takes. It's got to be quick because it's already taking away precious quilting time.

Janeen - I am so glad it worked!!!

I must have my good scissors, bits of fabric for starting and stopping stitching so I dont get threads everywhere, my fabulous new iron and ironing board - Hubbie and kids bought me them for mothers day was so happy.

Also need my cutting mat, rotary cutter, needle threader for hand sewing, glasses to see, music to sing to (when no one is around except the dogs who love to join in) or to dance to when the muscles get tight or the brain get exasperated with unpicking. Need tea to drink to aid contemplation how I will fix the mess that I have just made. And chocolate to celebrate when it goes right!

Oh nearly forgot my Bernina Aurora 440 - my baby - another present from Hubbie & kids ...

I know this sounds crazy, but you can NEVER have enough empty altoids tins - I keep quilting pins in one, regular straight pins in another, safety pins in a third . . .and at one point when I was using shell buttons for fish eyes on a quilt top, I had an altoid tin full of shell buttons! The wonderful thing about these is that they are recycled, so I get to think I'm doing something green LOL

Well I might as well admit that JUST today I discovered the benefits of spray starch...now you know I am a newbie tee hee!! - How much easier does it make squaring up when you have cut on the bias!! :shock: I am doing another crumb block quilt and it has made such a difference, don't think I will be without a tin by my side now!!! :lol: :lol:

I have two Play School wooden sewing baskets--very old. I picked them up at antique stores for a few dollars. Hold lots of odd stuff. :D

I really like my quilting calendar in there.

My room is tiny--so everything has to be useful.

It's funny--I never listen to music while I sew--or do anything actually. I love the quiet.

I couldn't do without my photos of friends and family, my design board (I made it from an old bunk bed mattress frame), the window, the couch, or my notebook so I can jot down ideas or just doodle...

I like the idea of the bed risers - maybe I could use them on my sewing table...

Oh i'm with you Karla, i LOVE quiet too, and if i had to listen to music, and think at the same time, that would just multi-task my brain lol seriously...anyways, we
re in a small 2 bedroom apt, but our bedroom is huge. So in bedroom is bed, two clothing dressers, a fabric dresser, two bookshelves, one for hubby, one for me, our computer, and, a big ol kitchen table with my sewing machine on it. under sewing machine is more boxes of fabric lol, and closet has boxes of fabric. The ensuite bathroom is also MINE lol. Have small ironing board, and my cutting mat, on bathroom counter. Love having sewing and computer all in the bedroom. Above my sewing table are some shelves, with two lamps, and containers with all my threads and bobbins and things. I use my bed as my design board, and for sandwiching quilts, but thats a back breaker, so new plan coming for that. A pad of graph paper is a must for doodling and designing. piece of maskig tape on my machine gives me my exact 1/4" inch, and i always always use a cheater patch to start and finish seams now....so much easier doing it that way! And saves a ton of thread

:D Oh,Barb,yes to the chocolate! A bowl of Dove wrapped treats would be great! I have the ironing board cover with the grid. I got it on sale/or with a coupon,don't remember which so it was a deal. It has helped a lot. Use your JoAnn or Hancock coupons to get it. It is worth it. Your idea for the flannel board,using the vinyl tablecloth is great!
Happy quilting,
judee

Let's see....
I have of course, my machine and 2 cutting mats. Don't know why I have 2, since I only use one. The other is "lost" under a pile of fabric.
All my little sewing dittys....scissors, tweezers, paintbrush (cleans the dust out of the machine really well), rotary cutter, small bowl that holds my pins.
I have my ironing board and iron.
My tv, so I can watch MY shows or just listen to monotonus (sp) noise.
My stereo, actually belongs to the oldest child, but it's in MY house, so it's mine. Don't listen to that much.
I have my yellow note pads with pens.
A little plastic drawer thingy holds all my extra seam rippers, fabric pens/pencils and what not.
I also got smart and bought one of those thermal coffee urns with the pump on it. I can make coffee the way I like it, put it in there and it stays hot for hours! Don't have to worry about having to run up and down the stairs to get more.
Oh yes, and the bathroom is just 10 steps away. lol
I also have my own little vacuum cleaner used ONLY for my room. It's great to pick up the messy stuff I leave on the floor. lol
My bin for fabric cuttings and my little waste basket for the papers from the paper piecing when I do it.

And last but not least,,,,I know I'm forgetting something......
I have my cats in there "supervising" so I don't get bored or lonely.

DreamXer,
I'm so glad you mentioned pictures. I thought it was just me. I made a giant french message board and I update pics in there all the time. I have pictures of my great great grandmother (a quilter, of course), grandmother & mom (also quilters) and lots of fun pictures of everyone else...it's like having a generation of quilters with me. I put really cute material on there but it's so covered in pictures, I can barely see it! Maybe time to downsize a few. LOL

tlrnhi,
LOVE your list! I'm shopping in my head right now :lol: SO glad that you mentioned the vaccuum....Hubby just picked up one of those dyson ball ones for me...it's WONDERFUL! I kept tracking threads out onto the carpet in the hall and my hoover didn't pick any of them up. I kept bending over to try and pick each one up by hand....not any more!! :D This thing gets everything in it's path and even has a switch to pull the brush out to clean very easily. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! Highly recommend to everyone~especially fabricaholics.

Barb, I so need more shelves!!! Thinking right now about that useless half wall above my cutting area....hmmm. Looks like a honey do list in the making.

My room is not large but quite compact...I have a table my husband madefor me which can be 4'x20"..or open on e size and get another 4'x2'2'" and ten again open the other side and gain still another 4'x2'2"........giving me a 4'x6' work area. I have my computer desk and the
tv in there also........can't miss my soaps!!!!!
He also made me floor to ceiling shelves for books, fabric, etc......even my ironing board with a 4'x1.5' ironing board on it, fits in place.
Needless to say, one doesn't have much extra space in the room when all these necessities are in place but they sure do help.

Good luck on your seing [email protected]

Roben~
Thanks SO much for the suggestion about the 3M hooks. I bought the large multipack and have put all of them to good use.

I have pictures up of the sewing room to get a better idea of where all this fits in under My Little Slice O' Heaven, if you'd like to check them out.
Thanks so much to each of you for your input, it was very helpful.

I'm so glad that the hooks are working out well for you! It's wonderful to me when something so small (and inexpensive) saves me mountains of frustration, but its even better when it can help someone else :D

Here Here! Isn't that the truth! I resisted an IPod for the longest time, they're wonderful! I bought one of those Bose speaker docks for mine, and it's like the world's most fabulous juke box, all loaded up with every song I've ever loved... podcasts are awesome! :mrgreen:

My Serger, rotary cutter and books. Can't possibly do without those!