Cutting table / ironing board size?
 

I have seen HUGE cutting tables / ironing boards down to small ones. If space WERE NOT an issue what size would you have?

I am really wondering why I would need one cutting table any bigger than 22 in wide if I always cut my fabrics when it's folded? WOF is only 22 in.

As for the ironing I understand that it might need to be a bit bigger for larger quilts HOWEVER if you iron the blocks before they are added together and get big, shouldn't at ironing table same size as the cutting table be enough?

Please help me understand the reason behind the 'need' for. Larger area than the typical cutting mat size.
Thank you.

My works well to iron the backing as a larger area when it's pieced together. I don't have a design wall, so the larger area gets used for that. Saves on the back and knees! Larger area is support which prevents the pull of larger pieces if they don't fit on a regular ironing board. My table is one that folds down on two sides and can fit in a closet for storage when visitors arrive. I have a 24 x 36 mat and an ironing cover for the top when the sides are extended. Love it. Got it on sale at Hancock Fabrics. Other stores carry, too.

I am new so i'm still figuring things out but i love my big table and wish i had more table space. I use more than 22" of table when cutting so i can cut from large pieces without the fabric hanging over the edge of the table. A few times i've had it try to pull itself away and it wasn't easy to cut straight. In the past i would have to cut large items like curtains by setting things up on the floor. I used to have 2 of the square restaurant type tables side by side for cutting and ironing and it was perfect but my space doesn't allow for it anymore.

As for the ironing space, i use my one large table and have a small ironing board that i set up on the table as needed. I can't do the entire quilt at once but like you said, i can iron the blocks as i go and then do the final seems in rows easily on the small board. I've also discovered that i like ironing right on the table top without the ironing board. I throw a large flannel bed sheet down first and haven't had any problem with it harming the table.

Last night i glue basted and ironed a quilt sandwich together right on the table top and it worked great!

i have two dressers connected back to back with a [kitchen counter type] laminate cover over both. i have my largest cutting mat on one side and a table top ironing board on the other. for me, the surface should be larger than the mat in order to set your fabrics, rulers, cutters, etc while you are working with them. i use that entire surface

I wash and press all my fabric as soon as it comes in the house. A larger ironing surface would really help with that. I do press each seam in the block as it is being sewn, but each seam of the top must also be pressed as the top is assembled. A larger ironing surface would help support the top while those long, long seams are being pressed. During quilting I have found that those long seams are the ones that need pressing the most, since the shorter seams in the blocks are generally held down by stitching.

The batting and backing have to be cut off the quilt after quilting and before binding. A large cutting surface is necessary for that, and the wider the better to help support the quilt.

I do find that I use my large cutting surface (with multiple mats) far too much as just another horizontal storage. (In other words, stuff gets put on it that doesn't belong there.) As a result I frequently have to clear it off so I can use the whole thing for its intended purpose. Occasionally I need to cut pieces of fabric that are pretty large. Backing fabric, background for applique, corner and side triangles for on point designs - these are just a few. I also use my cutting table for assembling applique, for tracing with a light box, for laying out fabrics for consideration in a quilt.

So yes, bigger really is better.

If space isn't an issue, then you can pretty much design what you want. I would love to have a bigger cutting/ironing surface.

What I do have is plenty big enough to put my ironing surface on and press my material. I can remove the ironing surface and use my rotary mat. The best things are that I can easily walk around all 4 sides so I don't need to reposition my fabric/blocks for cutting and it has locking wheels so that I can easily move into a corner of my studio when not in use [not that I do that except for when i have friends over.]

To me the ability to cut from all 4 sides without stretching is the best feature, along with its dual purpose.

I have a work table that is 4' x 6' with two cutting mats. My ironing board is large being on top of two of the large Sterilite drawers that I bought on sale at Walmart.com last Thanksgiving. Being in a small apt, I have to get the most bang from the limited space I have.

I use my cutting table for sandwiching quilts so I'd go as big as possible for myself. Mine is 3 x 5 because that's the size that fits well in my room. If I had more space I'd go with 4 x 6. My ironing table is about 17" wide by about 60" long.

I have found that the more space, the better. I use two banquet tables on bed risers to bring them up to a comfortable height. I have my 24x36 mat on one and it then leaves plenty of room for scissors, cutters, rulers, etc. It's also great space for sandwiching my quilts. I have ironing space on the other table, on which I have a 2x4 sheet of plywood covered with foam and layers of muslin on top. I like that so much better than an ironing board.

I, too, have one of the tables that the flaps fold down for storage. Not that it ever gets put away, mind you. I have a mat about the size of one of the flaps at one end and I use folded over towels on the other end for ironing. If I have a large quantity of yardage to iron, I simply remove the mat and add more towels. And if I'm cutting from a large quantity of folded (selvage to selvage) yardage, I can lightly fold that at the ironing end and pull to the cutting end as needed. It's all I've got room for. I also use it for sandwiching. Center the top over the entire table, clamp all my layers as needed and start pinning or thread basting from the center out. Shift the completed basted section, re-clamp as necessary and repeat. I'm short so I would really like the table a few inches shorter but I can live with it as is.

My husband made large rectangular ironing boards, 24" x 60", for quilters in my area. This is a good size. This size fits on top of a regular ironing board.

I use mine for basting quilts and I have lots of storage underneath so I wanted it big - mine is 4' x 6' on wheels.

My cutting table is 4' x 6'. Now my next wish is for a cutting mat to cover the whole thing.

My cutting table is a rectangular IKEA dining table that is raised on bed risers. I have a 30x42 cutting mat on it which seems to be the perfect size for me. There's enough space left on the table for me to stack fabric waiting to be cut and also the pieces as I cut them out.

I'm working on a new sewing room; at this point my plans include building in a 20 x 48 ironing surface. I can't WAIT.

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to glue down the last binding fold using the ironing board, but that is so clumsy. The quilt has to dangle onto chairs or the floor and it is very hard to handle.

I put my ironing board (folded) at the end of my queen size bed. The quilt went on the bed, and I turned it as needed. I glued a section as long as the ironing board, held it down while I ironed it, and went on to the next section. It went so fast, I didn't even have time to get a backache, which I am prone to do. So in effect, my ironing board was as big as my queen size bed. I loved it!

I have a 6 ft table that is used for cutting some things. I have a 4 ft table that is beside my machine to cut while sewing blocks. I have one of the JoAnn's foldable tables that has an ironing over on it for big things like ironing backings and quilt tops. I also have the cutting mat that goes with it so for trimming up quilts it's great. I have a small pressing mat that is on the left side of my machine and two ironing boards that I use for various things. Like keeping my quilt from hanging over the side of the table and the back when doing bigger things. I have an entire basement so space has never been the issue. If it were, I would get the biggest I had room for. That's just my opinion.

I'll take a big cutting table over a large ironing board.

I have the biggest work area my room would allow. I have a pressing board and cutting mat on one side and my sewing machine on the other. I move my iron when I am ready to quilt. I love the space.

I have a 4'x5' cutting table and a 3'x4' ironing station. I love the large space for laying things out. Both have cubeicals storage units as the bases, so they also give me lots of room for keeping things neat.

If you have a large cutting table available, it can double as a layering station when you go to baste the backing, batting and top together in preparation for quilting. It's also helpful to have a large table when you go to trim the quilt when it's ready for binding. This saves you from having to perform either one of these steps on the floor, which can be hard on your back.

A large ironing surface is helpful when pressing an entire quilt top before layering. It's also great when ironing yardage after prewashing. Unless you're into miniature quilts or dedicated to small wall hangings or table runners, bigger really is better!

My cutting mat is 24x36 and seems large enough for me. I cut on the penninsula bar area in our basement, so there is extra room all around it. My DH made me a topper for my ironing board that is 24x 48 so I can set that on top of my ironing board and press yardage WOF. I love it!

I have a table that I got at Sam's that is 24X48. When not in use I can fold it up and it stores very compactly. It has three different heights for the legs and the tallest is just right for me to work standing up for pressing and cutting. I also have some 2x6 that I can put under the legs if I want it a different height. On one side I have my cutting mat and on the other side I have a pressing mat. When I want to sandwich a quilt with glue basting I take the cutting and pressing mat off and have the whole surface to use for sandwiching. By using the glue method I can easily do it in sections so I don't need a huge flat surface to work on. I have an ironing board but rarely use it because all the pressing I need to do I can do on my pressing mat. My sewing room also doubles as a guest room so I need to be flexible in what tables etc that I have.

I use my counter top between my kitchen and sewing room, ex living room. The counter is about 36 x 60". It's my cutting and Ironing board. Works for me. My sewing room was at one time my living room, which I never used anymore. So I threw out the couch and chairs, pulled my sewing stuff from my bedroom and set up a real nice sewing room. and since I eat dinner all over the house, lol. Mostly in my bedroom where the big TV is. I turned my living room into my sewing room. If anyone comes to see me, they sit in sewing room and talk to me or watch the TV I have mounted on the wall. Now that I have more room to sew, it's not so messy anymore. I have a place for everything.