Good Morning!
In a few years, if the plans materialize (so to speak), we will be snowbirds. I'll be loosing the spare room here and we'll be in a condo. My mind is already planning how I'll be able to use the smaller space we'll have. I've searched and read some old threads here but am interested in getting some new ideas.

One thing that I am glad about is that it'll force me to be neater. I think it's like that saying that nature abhores a vacuum. (Hope I spelled that right). Give me a space and I'll fill it right up. Also, as a friend reminded me at quilt group, I'll have two spaces to split my stuff into. It just won't be convenient to go get the things I forget so I'll have to really put thought into it.

So, bring it on. What are your ideas?
I appreciate your thoughts!

Think vertical. I love my pegboard wall and shelves fill every wall. Maybe use any air space with a drop shelf or cupboard?

My DH made my shelves 25 inches hight 6inch wide for the top one and the lower was 60 inches high. I use fromboard that was acidefree from Wally world. Cut them 23 inch hight and I made three of them out of one board, the other I use 48 inches. A little tip every few feet make a divider the fabric will get heavy and will be hard to move to the side to pull out your fabric roll. You can get ten time the amount up on the shelf. If you would like a picture I will be happy to post one. :P

I would love to see a picture!
My sewing/craft room is very small (12x12) and I would love some ideas. TY!

12 X 12 would be a big room to me. I have a very small space and ppl tell me all the time how on earth did you get that much stuff in such a small space and make it functional. LOL!! If I remember later I will post a picture of it.

utilize youe wll space w/ shelves and etc
find a sewing table that has drawers for storage
get a sewing table that folds
do get a good comfortable chair
utilize your closet and maybe put your machine in there'

If I get the nerve I'll take pics when I get home from work tonight and post pics.. eeek.. the thought of people seeing my space makes my skin crawl.

It's really not that bad, I don't have much stash. I have way more scrapbooking paper than I have fabric :D

For awhile I used under the bed plastic boxes to store fabric under my bed. Now I have taken over my master bedroom which is smaller than most masters, and Im running out of room again. Im not married so a smaller bedroom to sleep in is just fine for me. I bought a small cubby hole shelf unit to store all my books and magazines. It is now full. Never enough room for quilting.

I have my sewing machine and all of my stuff in my "shop". I'm a painter and that is where I store my hundreds of quarts and gallons of paint (scary thought huh-having all of my sewing stuff and my beautiful fabric in the same room) Anyway- I've learned to hang virtually anything I possibly can on the walls and compact as much as possible. I wish i knew how to post pics.

Here is a picture of my small sewing space. It is right behind my couch in the livingroom.

My sister is a Canadian Snowbird ... and we had this discussion recently. She sews here as well as when in Florida.

Plastic tubs that she can tuck away out of sight have been her friends! She doesn't keep a huge stash.

And somewhat reprimanded me about my UFOs and PhDs (gggrrrrrr sisters!!!!... she doesn't have the space to have a full complement of them, so tends to do one project and finish it before moving on!

Oh what a bore that'd be! :)

Good for you for thinking ahead ... this way you can look for things that will work, and max our your more minimal space to the best!

Look at a post from the last couple of days about making a small ironing board out of TV tables. It would fold flat when not in use--a great space saver. Think mini-iron. Plan on a good lamp or near a window, so lighting isn't a problem wherever you end up.

Sue

my snowbird girlfriend took over the garage and she is very happy

We are planning to become 3/4 time RVers this summer. I've already begun to fill the RV with the things I'll need to continue quilting while traveling. I made a list of everything I use on a regular basis while sewing and quilting, then I removed all of those that I have duplicates of and placed them in the RV. Now I have a list to work from that I can take with me when I shop or as I stop at quilt shops, I can pick up those things that I still need in the RV.

I've also packed up kits from my stash and include the patterns, thread, etc. that I'll need to complete each project. I've saved room to store any new fabrics I may buy on the road as well. I have designated the under-bed space as my sewing storage area. I have plenty of closets for everything else that I need in the camper so this space was a bonus area which worked out perfectly. Since I am storing everything as kits with everything I need for a project in each tub I don't really need any of the traditional methods for storing things other than sewing notions and even they fit mostly inside a storage bin. I store my cutting mat under the mattress and my long rulers as well.

The only thing I am debating about is whether I will be bringing my LA with me or not. I do have enough space that I can remove my sleeper sofa and place my LA frame in it's place, I am carrying a PVC quilting frame with me however so I may just decide to leave my LA at home and just plan to finish all my quilts during the winter when I'm at home. It's still up in the air though as I KNOW I'll end up wanting to finish one up in a hurry and don't really love FMQ on my standard machine. We do have a set of comfy chairs as well as the sofa so the sofa will probably not be missed if we decide to leave it at home.

I use my dinning table for sewing on and do my cutting on the counter top and my ironing on the cover of the stove with a towel laid down over it. That way I don't have much to move when we need to clean up after a meal. We do most of our cooking outside though instead of in the RV.

You've all been a big help. I suggested to DH that we get beds with drawers under them. I'm thinking of a little corner hutch for more storage in the guest room. I'd love to splurge and get a vanishing design wall when the time comes. Already have two featherweights so one can go and one can stay. My retirement gift for myself will probably be a sewing machine with a bigger throat - hopefully there will be more options for these in four years.

It seems silly but I really don't want what I have now which is a very cluttered sewing room. I'd like a tranquil space where everything can be tucked away out of sight. Maybe that's because it's much smaller than what we are used to.

Quilt shops are nearby so I won't have to collect a lot of stash. Hard habit to break, I'm afraid.

Any more ideas? Keep them coming!

We own a motorhome but won't be snowbirds EVER. My husband can't tow the garage! HA

One friend makes kits while she is their 'regular' home so that when she is a snowbird she can do hand piecing. She love it because she can sew while he drives and it is so portable. She also hand quilts while on hiatus. She machine quilts when she is home in the winter.

Remember this is Arizona. We go North in summer for our respite and live the other 8+ months down here.

ali

My sewing room is 11x10 plus a closet..the closet is totally full of fabric, I have a large cabinet on one wall that is full of more fabric, magazines, buttons (I have a large button collection) some craft supplies, and more. I use the space under my sewing table for more storage in plastic totes, have another shelf in room full of projects in progress, and rolling cart full of sewing supplies. Also a cutting table, again with storage below(mostly patterns). I have to admit that I do also have a room upstairs with more quilt supplies. I have way more than I will ever use, and am trying to sort out and let go of what I know I will not use. Definitely not a one project at a time person, and have a stash to last a few lifetimes at least.

I had to down scale when we moved when my husband was waiting for a liver transplant and I was sewing window treatments and do embroidery then. I found a wall in my bedroom and purchased two tower cabinets with doors on front from walmart, Put on on each side of the wall. 2 short file cabinets and placed wood over top. This made a wall console in a small section on the side of my bedroom. I stored all my equipment in the cabinets and I made a fold up thin plywood work center covered in lining and would pull it out each day and store at night. I had places to store under bed also. It worked great. I sewed everything on my Baby Lock sewing machine . Now i sew with industrial machines and i moved out into the garage, added an inexpensive wall air conditioner and heater, insultated the outside walls and door. It was a budget job but works great. Good Luck it can be done and can be done in a decorative setting also and look great too.

cjomomma....you are so organized for the space that you have!!!

I have no special room. I have some material hanging on hangers in my closet and some in four plastic containers stack up against the wall. I don't have a big stash. I buy what I need at the time and put the left overs in the plastic containers. I have two sewing boxes with thread and misc items to sew with. I sew by hand mostly but my sewing machine is in the basement with all my husband's junk. I just try to keep the area around it clean and when I need to sew take my thread and material and go down and sew. I cut material on my kitchen table in between meals. I set my ironing board up in the living room/Tv room. I live in a small ranch that we opened up so we lost a bedroom. It really isn't that bad. I just have to put my things away more often.

We just spent our first winter as snowbirds in Florida, and I have tried various things, and have come up with what works for me. I have my newest Janome 6600 here at home, and have left my older Janome 4800 in our condo. I have a small folding table (Costco) in Florida that is stored in the guest bedroom closet which is height-adjustable. My DH made a removal wooden surface with rounded corners that I can place on the folding table to make it a little larger so that it exactly fits in the corner of the room between the wall and the dresser, and my sewing machine with acrylic quilting extension fits exactly on it.

I use a chair from another room with a cushion on it, so that when we have company and I'm not sewing, I can put the chair back, take down the table/wooden surface, pack them away in the closet, and put my sewing machine in its case and put it away. When I am sewing, I leave the ironing board up in the guest bedroom, and do my cutting on the dining room table. We also have a kitchen table, so that's not a problem for eating.

There's a perfect spot on the concrete floor outside our unit near the external elevator, and where there is open air (for fumes) where I spread out a large flannel sheet, and do my layering with aerosol basting spray. I haven't had anyone complain yet (actually, I don't think anyone has even see me do it!).

I have two sewing machine travelling cases on wheels (bought one of them at Joanne's on Black Friday) which I don't often need to use for my machines, since I'm leaving a machine at each residence, so I use them to pack fabric in when we drive back and forth in the fall/spring.

I place a flannel sheet on the bed in the guest bedroom to use as my horizontal design wall.

This setup seems to work for me, but you do have to plan your projects more carefully, and stick with one project till it's done. Hope that helps........ C9P

Where there's a will, there's a way. I spend a lot of time in a 32' fifth wheel, with a husband hangin' around! I still manage to quilt. I think the answer for me is to be organized - I'm able to put things away at the end of my sewing session in a very short period of time. I sure can't give up the quilting!

I find that I often have doubles (triples, etc.) of items, so I pack my travel sewing suitcase with all the essentials and just leave them in it all the time. When I leave, it goes into the car along with a sewing machine. Don't know if something like that would work for you or not. It has room for some fabric/projects as well.

I bought a shoe bag for the back of my door, I also have space problems I can hold most of my smaller templates, rulers, rotary cutter, thread, pins. I also save perscription bottles to put pins, buttons, and needles in. Sometimes even spools of thread.

We are snowbirds (MI/AZ) and we're in a condo. I actually find my smaller space more efficient, plus it forces me to be more organized. (I'm in a laundry/furnace/water heater room, about an 8' x 6' space to work with). I sold the big W/D and bought a stackable set. DH moved the laundry cabinets out to the garage. I have a craft table from WalMart (Cost $125) that has storage drawers/shelves and 2 "wings" of tabletop that can be put up when working. However, it's difficult to get to the garage when I'm working! lol I store notions and thread in the drawers, at easy reach, fabric on the shelves and in plastic stackable drawer bins that are stacked in the slim space next to the W/D stacking set. Books & patterns on top of the W/D set, cutting mats between the wall and W/D. DH also put up wire shelves around the top of the room, out of head's reach, and I have all the rest stored in fabric lined baskets on that! Sorry, wish I had a picture, but we're back in MI.

Hmmm...I dream about it... LOL

http://theoriginalscrapbox.com/

mine would have to be bigger than that. that would be nice to have to store smaller pieces and also threads.

We have been living in our 40' motor home full-time for just over two years and I quilt all the time. My first rule has to be - one project at a time - No UFO's!!!! Sometimes things would be easier if I had some of my other notions with me, but we are loving our life style, so I get over it. I have done some Quilt as you go patterns and they are the best for the challenge of space. I am currently machine quilting a 60 X 60 quilt and that is where space get tough. Sandwiching the quilt and then trying to quilt and have space to "Live" besides without cleaning up every night. I save money because I know that I don't have any room for "extra" fabric just because I like it! Internet has been my best friend for classes as well as getting my supplies. I also have a Wonderful DH and that is the key!

For years my sewing room was a regular depth (not walk-in) closet with bi-fold doors. Inside was a small desk with my sewing machine on it. My hubby always planned to hang a light under the closet shelf, but that never happened. I used a bright, clip-on desk lamp for lighting. The drawers in the desk and boxes on the shelf stored lots of supplies in an organized way. The space at both ends of the desk that went all the way to the floor were good places to put things like packages of quilt batting. With limited space you can't let your fabric stash build up. Buy for projects and get them finished so things don't build up too much. I don't think space is so much an issue as learning to be organized. There was room to slide my ironing board in beside the desk and space in the room to set up the ironing board which was used as work space as well as ironing. The best part is I could close the closet doors and the clutter of my current project disappeared!!!

I'd love to see picture also. I have a very small room too and my biggest challenge is how to story my fabric. I use the closet for coats and non-season items, so it doesn't leave much room for fabric.

I have 2 large totes and 2 shoe box type boxes for storage of projects, stash and scraps and I won't allow myself to collect any more than that. I store the lag totes under a daybed my husband built in my sewing room and the 2 sm totes on a bookshelf. I limit because 1) I don't want to tie up too much money in fabrics I may not like in the future and 2) We will be becoming snowbirds next year and i want to take quilting supplies with me 3) We may have to move to a smaller place when we're older.
I do have a couple rolls and some folded batting on the top shelf of my sewing room closet.

Wow, your husband must be a real doll to allow you to have so much space in the RV! Sounds like a real keeper!

Been a snowbird for many yrs and yes it is challenging ! This week looking for my pumpkin fabric to make casserole carrier and think the fabric is sitting in tote in Fl. while I am in Ontario. Don't collect a big stash like me .

I have 2 small areas but try to make list of what is where.
Keep basic notions at each place as it saves transporting. I have some thread/fabric that has travelled more miles than people. We bring 2 machines back and forth but belong to a group in south which helps when sandwiching.GOOD LUCK

We downsized almost 5 years ago and are now in a 2 bed room condo. The second bedroom is for sewing and guests. We decided to get a murphy bed with cabinets (for stash) and bookcases on either side. So one wall has all that storage plus a bed for guests. When there are no guests, the closed bed looks like a paneled door. There is a fold down table on this door which serves as my cutting table. There's a good size closet, packed with more of my stash. My sewing cabinet sits either in the corner, or pulled out and used in front of the window. It has worked out very well. Good luck with your transition.

We have been snowbirds for six years now. I have been hauling my big, heavy embroidery machine with all its thread, etc. as well as a good supply of my fabric stash. This last trip I decided this was becoming too difficult. I realized I was not using the embroidery part of my machine as much as the quilting part. I decided I would leave the embroidery machine where I did that type of work the most. As a replacement, I purchased a featherweight that will work well on a small folding table. I loved the T.V. tray idea for an ironing board so will plan to do that also. I have always keep all the sewing necessities in an old satchel type purse that works perfect for keeping all the smaller things together. Also, I have organized the majority of my UFO's and fabric by putting my "projects" in clear XL zip lock bags. When it comes time to pack I will only bring the projects I plan to work on, not everything I own. My hubby will be so happy when he goes to pack the truck.

We use to travel around in a 35 foot fifthwheel. my husband made a table that had an addition that folded down in the trailor for space, that I could put outside in my screen room and I could set up there it was great to work outside when the weather was nice. I also made a pressing table out of the wooden tv tables that could be folded up and set out of the way. I also had one that I qlued a cutting mat to I could set them on both sides of me to work on or put them away. I had to put my fabric in tots no room for shelves. I don't know what you will be snowbirding in but study what space you have for everything that you will need. you have to be org. everything in it's place. then design around that. also it matters if you are going to do it full time or just in the summer what you carry etc. we were full time, its lots of fun.

How about one or two of those three-tied wire hanging baskets you can hang from the ceilinb? I would think they would be great for rotary cutters, small rulers, a pin cushion, etc. over the cutting area and other notions over your sewing machine.

[When I was spending summers in another state purchased a large fishing tackle box to carry all my needles,bobbins,scissors, seam ripper, thread...any other sewing notion I thought I would need for the summer worked very well for me.

quote=lots2do]Good Morning!
In a few years, if the plans materialize (so to speak), we will be snowbirds. I'll be loosing the spare room here and we'll be in a condo. My mind is already planning how I'll be able to use the smaller space we'll have. I've searched and read some old threads here but am interested in getting some new ideas.

One thing that I am glad about is that it'll force me to be neater. I think it's like that saying that nature abhores a vacuum. (Hope I spelled that right). Give me a space and I'll fill it right up. Also, as a friend reminded me at quilt group, I'll have two spaces to split my stuff into. It just won't be convenient to go get the things I forget so I'll have to really put thought into it.

So, bring it on. What are your ideas?
I appreciate your thoughts![/quote]

I would absolutely love to see how a LA would fit into an RV or motorhome. PLEASE post pictures here if you decide you can do it!