Table next to sewing machine...
 

I always look when someone posts their new or reorganized sewing room. But what I've noticed no one except me, it seems, needs a table next to the sewing machine.

Just the two of us now so we eat at the kitchen island so the dining room is MINE, kinda. My sewing table nests into the corner, table at my right elbow, swivel chair. Table serves as cutting table, surface for laying out bocks, cut fabric ready to be sewn etc.

Am I the only one that needs extra space close by?

My sewing room is rather small - 8x10 and serves as 'guest' room as well so there is lots of furniture in there. My cutting table (like the JAF ones with drop leaves) is directly behind my chair when at the machine, so my ready-to-sew pieces generally are there. If I am paper piecing and need the iron next to me (as I use one end of my cutting table as ironing surface normally), I place a folding, wood 'tv-tray' at right angles beside my machine so I'm not hopping up/down for all those little seams. But then I have to move that table to move anywhere else in the room. My sewing chair does not swivel or roll. It's a bit cramped and somewhat of a challenge when working on larger projects at times but at least I can leave everything out and close the door when I'm done for the day. And the rest of the house doesn't look like a cyclone went through!

I defnitely do! My sewing table is a 30 x 72 folding table. Even then, I have a pile to the right of my machine and even a rolling cart with two shelved for an ironing station and a supply table. My only problem occurs when I have to "quilt" and have to clear everything off. Yikes!

no you are not alone........have a rolling table about the size of a kitchen island to left of sewing desk, it happens to be the same height as sewing desk...I think at one time it was a typewriter table(remember those!!) ironing board to right...so this forms a U, me in the middle...and behind me is large cutting table with shelves all around room...books, fabric fill those to almost overflowing..........time to thin out.... this ship is sinking!!!!!

I think what we see is the rooms before they are used. They are all very nice, and organized and don't look lived in yet. I have a cart behind my little desk with just the tops of 2 tv trays sitting on top of it. I have my Old singer sitting perpendicular to my sewing table. Iron board is nearby.. Cutting table is the middle leaf of my oblong dinning table sitting on top of two book shelves. Since I'm not a formal entertainer. I never use the leaf, so I've reclaimed it from under my bed.

You need a table nearby to support your quilt if you are quilting using your DSM. I live in a small senior apt and my Living room is my quilting studio.

Have to have my table beside me....it holds all the "stuff" I need while creating. :)

I thought something was wrong with me because I never have enough room. Thank You all for making me feel better.

I keep my ironing board set up in front of the window. My sewing desk is right in front of that so all I have to do is swivel my chair around and press or put a small cutting board on it to trim. I only have a couple of hours to sew in during the evening, so it works for me. I have an old wooden kitchen chair that sits next to my chair on the right side for my quilt inspector (cat) to curl up on, if the chair isn't there or is full of stuff, then he thinks he has to be up by the sewing machine or on my fabric I'm sewing.

My sewing are is set up in an "L" shape. To right is a small table with a small ironing station. Beside it is my misc "stuff" holder, then my machine, then my cutting mat. I have fibro so sitting is better.

I have a full size kitchen table with drop down leaf on my left and one in front. A small typing table in the "L" has my machine on it! I, too, need lots of room!

I am currently trying to figure out how to get another table to fit! I share the guest room, which is pretty tiny to begin with. I'm using a white plastic folding table right now, 4 t long. If I really get going the machine bounces! so I want an old kitchen table with a hole cut in the top, then I can fold up the other one when company comes so they can get around the foot of the bed. Do we ever have enough room??!!

No you are not alone. When I look at (and drool over) pictures of sewing furniture, I always check the right hand area and how the machine sits in relation to the area for your feet and legs. To me, that space should be a little to the left of the machine instead of directly beneath the macine. I sometimes wonder if the people who design this stuff are actually sewers.

I pull up a folding table to fit flush to my side and abutting the sewing table when I'm doing the machine quilting. And sometimes I use a small wooden TV table made into an ironing surface when I'm doing log cabin blocks.

Jan in VA

I have a folding table set up next to my machine cabinet in a L shape. Couldn't get along without it.

You are not alone! I MUST have space to work and my ironing board is too flimsy to be of much use. Along with my Gidget 2 table, I have 2 folding tables. One is a shorter table I have in the corner behind my machine to support larger projects. To the left, I have a 30x72 table from Office Depot. I like it because it adjusts in height in 2" increments. I also have a narrow (10" or so) rolling cart to the right of my machine for bobbins, feet, etc. I keep a separate drawer for each machine. Mostly I use my Juki, so that stuff is in the top drawer.

This is also what I do.

I have tables surrounding me. The only thing not near is my ironing station. It is upstairs. If I had it near I would never get up and then would pay dearly for sitting when I did get up. It is the only way I get exercise when I am in the sewing mode. While up I get a drink and use the bathroom. Back down the steps and into my chair until I need to press something again. And so it goes.

I'm with you my sewing room is upstairs but I cut out downstairs and until recently my ironing board was in a different room. Some of this is to do with space but it's really to get me moving. I live a fairly sedentary life and hate exercise so I have to sneak it in where possible.

you are definitely not the only one.
i need lots of elbow room when i work.

i sacrificed my dining area to create my work space.
i used two hollow-core doors; DIY legs; created an L.
my computer equipment and a set of drawers sit in one direction.
the L to my right is for sewing. my machine sits at the "bottom" right corner.
when it's clear, i have more than 6 feet to my left.
during top construction, that's where i lay out my pieces.
while quilting or binding, i lay the quilt to the left.
that's all the space i need if i'm working on anything smaller than a queen.

i got the doors on sale; the overall expense was low ...
unless you factor in the cost of a lost dining room.
and the fact that the whole setup is butt ugly.
functional ... but definitely not attractive. LOL

i have no idea what i'd do if i ever decided to throw a dinner party.
wait til summer and do it outdoors, i guess. LOL LOL LOL

I bought the neatest chair at Target - it is called a Bungee chair - it is so comfortable and I can wheel around my area for my sewing. I have my sewing table next to my sewing machine, but it is attached one to the other. I have another little table behind where I sew and I can just whip myself around and there is my area for ironing with a board that I have around 2x2-1/2' where I can iron my pieces and form the design, etc. Needless to say I need more than one table. Also, I have my new Yamaha keyboard where, when I just want to take a break, I'll slide over on my bungee chair and play some hymns in the organ mode or work on my Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven in the piano mode. Wonderful invention, the Yamaha keyboard. I love it. Found a wonderful Methodist Hymnal that has the song "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and it literally restores my soul. Of course I have my old Lutheran Hymnal that I prize with my life and I play from that also.

Back to the table - the more tables, the more moving room with the chair on wheels, the better I can work with everything right at hand and my space is very small. I sort of work inside a circle. But I love it. Everything is where it is supposed to be and I can still see the birds feeding outside, or eventually watch a "major snowstorm in the City of St. Paul".

I figured out that in a house with 744 square feet, we make do. Imagine us in one of those Tiny Houses (on cable tv). There was one tiny house where a woman was a quilter - Boy, talk about making do in a little home that is about 4-500 square feet, if that!!!!! As long as I know where everything is, I'm a happy camper, but lose one thing, I am like the Tasmanian Devil! Gotta find it - Gotta find it!!!!!!!

Have a great day - and eat the rest of that candy up before someone else does!!!!! Edie:):):thumbup:

I like having a table beside my sewing machine table. When I was using a larger space I had 2, made a "U" shaped work space. Now I just have a small TV table but it comes in handy.

When I had my house built almost 20 years ago, my contractor had a white kitchen countertop that wasn't needed in another project. When I told him one of the bedrooms was a sewing room, he gave it to me, so I have a nice long area that I keep all 6 machines/sergers on, but I still have to use my dining room table when I FMG! I always leave my ironing board up in the sewing room at sitting level which gives me additional work space, too!

I have a wooden tv tray to my right that holds all of the things I need also. I figured out that need early on in my quilting. I've rearranged my room so many times until I finally found the best way that works for me. It is interesting to read the different arrangements that work for different quilters.

Absolutely LOVE your arrangement with your keyboard as a closeby option! That's so cool!!!

I have a Sew-Ezi table that can be moved easily for more space (or it's up against a bookshelf). It faces the window, which I love. Everyone's arrangements of adding a table beside or behind the sewing machine are understandable. Limited space limits my desire and ability to easily quilt larger projects. And a LAQ machine isn't an option. So, I need consider creating extra counter space and moving my Sew-Ezi table around to where a folding table can be set beside it for more project space. That 'might' be possible if I put the ironing board up to the window and use all floor space for this set up. Maybe. It's a way to solve the quilting space problem.

I have a 30x72" folding table that my portable machine sits on and I also use it for my cutting table. It is against one wall. Above that is a 3 shelves. I was using a card table but it was not stable enough and my machine would bounce with every stitch. DH put a board under to stabilize it. Shortly after is when we got the 30x72 table. My 401 desk cabinet sits in front of the large window and butts up against the folding table. I practiced the other day on a stained sheet and old mattress pad ($8.00 at discount store). I found if I put a couple tv trays behind the 401 and with the folding table and card table next to me it worked great for quilting a queen sized quilt. I have on the opposite side of the room about 2-3 feet away a work bench that was put up about 12 years ago for other crafting. The piece of wood I used to keep my portable from bouncing is perfect size for small ironing board. I get my big ironing board out when I pre iron my stash after washing and when I need to starch. I butt it up against my bench and cover the bench with a flannel table cloth so I don't get overspray starch on the bench and stash. It also give me extra space for large pieces to be ironed. My stash is on comic boards nearby and in clear containers on the floor under the bench. All of this fits in a 8x9 room. The work bench has a couple drawers and cabinets underneath. Everything is labeled. I would rather be able to glance and see what is where instead of dig through everything. Most of my equipment other than my 401 can be put/folded away quickly. We bought an inflatable bed for overnight guests. There will be plenty of space for any guests to put their bags on the bench and they will be able to hang coats in the closet. Haven't had any guests for awhile and I know someone is about due. I keep trying to downsize but realize I just need to reorganize!

I have a Koala sewing cabinet, all opened up/extended, and to the left of me butted up against my Koala cabinet is a 30x72" table. On it, I have my Martelli roundabout with the ironing surface so that I can swivel around right to it to press and cut. The table also holds pieces that I'm working on.

The table with my machine and "stuff" is 36 x 72, I have an additional table to my right that is the same size to hold the weight of the quilt, when binding or quilting

Lol, this is probably the only time this room was this clean, but am lucky enough to have TWO tables, and right now a third in my bedroom that is always clear, I use it when I am basting

After watching my work space in our bedroom explode, my DH commented that I needed an empty airplane hangar so I'd have room to stretch out. lol

I am thinking about commandeering our teenagers ping pong table for a cutting surface, etc....not sure how it will feel to use yet. But, (don't tell my kids) I have designs on it.

I have a huge Koala table with wings and extra shelves. I still have a tea cart with stuff on it that I can move around the room as needed.

I have a 10x10 room, used to be the guest room. I decided that since we don't have overnight guests very often I turned it into my sewing room. My husband is really handy, I have a huge L shape work space on two walls. It's 24" deep and counter height. So it's a good height for cutting and I have a higher than normal adjustable office chair and I can just roll around to where my machines are. There is shelving above the tables, I need a stool to reach the highest one where stuff I don't use often is stored. Under the table I have shelves that go the full 24" depth and they pull out so I can see whats on them. Then I have a little tiny desk for my laptop and a bookcase on the wall with the closet. The other wall were the door is the ironing board. Somehow it all fits and works for me. The L on one wall faces a big window that looks out over a greenbelt. Since we park our RV at home we use it for a guest house. We plug it in, hook up the water and instant guest house with all the comfort and privacy they need.

I have a Horn sewing table that opens out on both sides. My quilting machine sits on this along with my serger. To the left of that I have a sewing table with my piecing machine on it. Both tables have drawers that are wonderful to store my notions. To the right of the Horn table is a desk that I use for my embroidery machine. So, actually I have a U shaped sewing area. It is very handy to sew like this. I go to the utility room to iron. That helps me get a little exercise. I also have a long folding table that I use for a cutting table in the room. My room is packed since it is only a 10 X 12 size. That's ok with me bacause I can roll around on my chair and get to everything easily.

A rolling unit with drawers in my right is very usefull to iron.

Before we moved to an apartment, I had a large banquet table for my sewing machine with space on the left for my cutting mat, and some plastic shelves to hold some of my supplies. On my right was my ironing board, which was extremely handy, I just had to swivel to my left and I could press my pieces. Now I have a craft table for my sewing machine, with a small 4 ft. table to the left. It's cramped, but when I machine quilt my quilts, I have room to spread out the quilt and since there is a wall in behind my sewing machine the quilt is supported and won't fall off the end. Instead of an ironing board, I have an ironing pad which I made out of a strong cardboard box, covered with batting and muslin, it works. Oh, no you are not the only one who needs extra space close by.

The first photo is where my ironing board is most of the time. The second shows how it swings over to my right of the sewing machine. That pic also shows the board my husband cut for me that exactly fits on the drawer to my left. both serve as 'tables areas' when it's needed.

I could do without them but there are certain tasks that go much more smoothly when they are set up.

I purposely don't have it all together. I have some space so I get some exercise. Ironing board is in another room. If I sat and had everything at hand I would end up in all sorts of trouble as everything (in me) would seize up. Even in my outside sewing room I have things spaced out. Ashamed to say I don't use that room as much as I should. Now I'm on my own I can sew where I want.

I have a TV tray made into an ironing board on one side, and a folding table (about 2.5' X 3') on the other side. Everything is within reach, and makes things so convenient.