I'm relatively new here so please forgive me if this has been discussed before:

I'm about ready to get my new quilting room together. I know what I want in a sewing table, although I haven't found it yet, but I was wondering about the size of a cutting table.

Should it be big so I could fit a whole (almost?; queen size) quilt on it or smaller? What would good dimensions be.

The sewing and cutting tables will be separate entities.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

Wow thats a big cutting table. Mines about 5' x 3' but Im thinking a little bigger would be fine. My specific tip though would be to place it so you have walking space around the entire table. I love that I can cut from any side.

I have the cutting table from Joann's it folds down so it doesn't take up alot of room when I'm not using it. when it's completely open its a great size. (and with the coupons the price isn't so bad either)

I would not make the table any larger in depth than a large cutting mat. I have a queen size bed & even though I can walk around it, I don't think I could do much in the center as it is not readily reachable. For sandwiching queen size, you can use the binder clips to secure the quilt to the table & do the pinning/basting in sections. I think storage is a bigger issue than a very large table. My sewing table/cabinet has a hindged drop down leaf on the back side that does not have to be up & taking up space all the time.

Now - I disagree with donnajean. I have a sliding closet door ($15.00 at a recycle place) on 2 2-drawer file cabinets ($5.00 ea at garage sale). DH just cut it down to 36 x 70. I like the extra room for laying all my fabrics out ---- and my pattern, cutters, rulers, marking pens --- and my JUNK! The size should be determined by how much room you have!

My cutting table is about 5' wide and 7' long and I would love to have it wider and longer. I also think that one of the most important things is the height, everything I've read says that a cutting table should be no less or more than 3" below your elbow. I also have a ton of storage underneath it.

I found two vintage drop leaf dining tables at thrift store ( at different times.) I have them side by side for a space about 6 ft x 7 ft with leaves down. When I need more room to layer a large quilt I put the leaves up, all or how ever many I need.

We were just looking at Keepsake Quilting site and they offer cutting table plans I believe the measurements are 6x4'. The pattern is $15

Not sure what you disagree with. My "large" mat is the width of a door. I think it is 36x48". I only said "I" would make the depth the size of the mat. The length could be as long as the room if table was agaist a wall.

Thanks for all your responses so far!
I've been using the dining room table (too short!) up till now which is 3'6" X 6'4".
I'd like it to be just a touch wider I think. But Donnajean has a point of not being able to reach in the center of it. I do like to lay tools and cloth on the top as I assess and reassess my quilt.
Yes, I am planning on being able to walk all around it with anti-stress mats on the floor.

Did you make them higher? My dining room table is too low and hurts my back to cut on.

Okay - 2 cups of coffee later and I see what you're saying. I was thinking of a small mat....and thinking a 3 foot mat with no extra space for laying junk would drive me nuts. :) sorry

My cutting table is really a steel door sitting on a book case and a cut down chest of drawers. Height is about 32" so it does not hurt my back when cutting and I get good leverage. size is about 80x30. size is good since I have lots of room for large cutting mat and room for patterns, extra material, etc. You may not need wider size since most fabric is only 12" wide when being cut even though it may be several yards long. (which is why longer table is nice) I have a larger surface for my sewing machine made out of foan insulation that fit around machine. Also I have a large sheet of plywood setting on a brown banquet table to be used but sandwiching and other laying out.

Yes, this was basically what I was going to do: make cutting table out of MY old dresser and my mom's hooked together. But my son took them to NC with him. Ah, a mother's love.

I just ordered the cutting table patter from Keepsake. I really liked the size of it and the compartments it had under it. My son is a carpenter and I think I can bribe him into making it for me maybe for Christmas. I wanted something bigger to set my sewing machine on so I could try machine quilting my own quilts in a basic stitch. Anxious to get it done. Plus really need the organization compartments - that will be an added bonus.

I use a 6ft folding table with adjustable height of 29 or 36 inches from Costco. Easy to take down and light enough to move on a whim.

I love mine fro Joann's. The height is perfect for me - I'm 5'3". Like someone else said the coupons make it real affordable. I use three banquet tables when I want to pin large quilts. They are easy to take down to store out of the way. My cutting table is up all the time with room to move around. I usually have one end stacked with "stuff".

I would love to have a cutting table that was long enough to put two "24 x 36" mats together. I would actually like it to be bigger. My ideal way to make borders would be to use the length of fabric, not width. But my cutting board size (and the cost of fabric) make this hard to do.

Am I missing something? The table from Joann's is 34 1/2" which comes way below my elbow. I am only 5'3" also. Shouldn't it be higher?

Mine is about 5'x7'-- I love it! It fits the giant cutting mat (40"x60") and leaves me places to stack stuff!

HTH,
Marcia

I have my cutting table on bed raisers. You can get them at Walmart for 7.50 for a set of 4, or if you have a Big Lot near you, they are 5.00 per set. Well worth the cost to save back pain.

We use these at guild to raise the tables for cutting and pinning also. Easy to slip under at the meetings.

I use a drop leaf table for my sewing machine..then have a folding picnic table 4x6 next to it for excess quilt holding while sewing....I use a drafting table for cutting and ironing...because of it's height...
I also have a rolling folding table from joann's for cutting...along with the cutting mat they sell for that

All good ideas! Thanks so much to all.

Not only should you be able to reach to the center but you should be able to work comfortably at that distance. You just know that if something is going to require extra work it'll be where you can't get to it without hurting your back from leaning over..

My husband recently purchased a cutting table that has two leafs that fold down. When it's open all the way it is 5' x 10'. There is a mat that fits over the whole thing that I keep rolled up. I complained it was too big until I used it on my last quilt and I have to say it made things so much easier. The best part is that it is on wheels so I can roll it away when I'm not using it -- which is never!

I guess my first question would be, what do you have room for? My sewing studio is in the basement so I have lotsa room. I have a table for cutting that is 36"X60" to fit my large cutting mat. I also have a padded ironing table that is 60"X80". This also has a large cutting mat on one end that I can lean against a wall when ironing a quilt top and assembling backing and batting. Both of these tables are on wheels and can be moved together if necessary. The cutting table is usually stacked with UFO's and WIPs so I use the large table for most active projects. I also have countertops and small tables for sewing machines.

Is it a table that is massed produced or a special find by your husband?

I knew someone that used a ping pong table for her cutting table. When she wasn't using it it would be folded and wheeled out of the way. We used to have a group meeting at her house and sew. She had the whole basement as her sewing area. It was a fantastic working area but I wouldn't have room for something this large.
Ann in TN

I have two 4x8 tables pushed together. But I find that up to one half of it is usually covered with stuff! I suppose that might be true if it were smaller as well.
MK

Mine came from the old Cloth World years ago. It's 4" x 8" and is the best I've ever had. Most important is bring able to move around all four sides.

Second best thing is all the space I have under the table for those three drawer cabinets from Wally's. I can store scads of stuff and they are on wheels so easy to get to. They only take up the floor space that is already in use from the table.

After reading some of the replies, I'll chime in. I think the height is the most important thing. Too low, back hurts. And size should be maybe what fits in your sewing space best. Hope all of our comments aren't too much.

I have a big rectangle table in my kitchen,i put my big cutting mat on the table where i pin baste my quilts.Then i store my big mat under my bed.Connie in CO

Not too much! I'm enjoying reading all the comments. Thanks.

If you have the space then go for it. I have a cutting table, etc that is 46" x 46" with a leaf that folds down that is 46" x 22". I ordered a custom cut mat for the large side and had then ship the left overs and my DH cut those to fit the leaf. It is great. I would post a picture but not where I can get to the file.

PM me is you want a picture and I will send it later.

I recently spent $20 at a garage sale for a ping pong table. I can raise it on concrete blocks for cutting (my sewing room is in the basement), I can fold it up out of the way if I want, and the grandkids can play ping pong when they come to visit!

And how much cutting and sewing room you need! Also, do you want to be able to fold it away? I use an old dining table that expands out but can be folded up to take up less space. It's sturdier than the sewing tables I've seen (altough I'm sure if I looked harder, I could find better ones) and since it was grandma's old dining table, I got it for the low, low, cost of FREE! But you may be able to find an old dining table for less $$$ than a similar quality sewing table.

You might also consider a free standing kitchen island. They come in various sizes at places like Big Lots or Ikea. Mine is about 4ft long by 21 inches deep (fits my space). It holds my 36X24 mat (yes there is a little overlap but I can work with it) and a smaller mat if I need it. It has 3 drawers, a center cupboard with shelf and door, and storage on both sides under the top. I like the storage spaces and I have those sliding furniture movers under the feet so I can move it out from the wall when I need to get around it to cut or to reach the wall above it, which is my design wall. And it looks nice, too.

It was made by Arrow. All wood. He purchased it at the estate sale of a quilter.