Turn Master Bedroom into sewing room?
 

I've been thinking about this for awhile, making the master bedroom my sewing room. I live alone in a 5-bedroom house. Three of them are very small, like 10'x10', and I use one of those for my sewing room and one for an office. The third is a guest room with just a bed and dresser. The 4th bedroom is a little larger and is where the longarm is. It barely fits in there, have to angle it out from the corner to be able to squeeze around one end of it to get to the back. My master bedroom is 15'x16' and it's the largest room in the house practically. I thought about using the living room (it's not used other than to walk from the front door to the family room) but with the cat I wouldn't be able to keep her off of everything. To tell the truth I usually just sleep on the couch in the family room anyway.

I've even thought of having the two walls between the 3 smaller rooms taken out and put in one wall to make two bigger rooms but don't think I want to put that money into this house. Would it be ridiculous to use the master bedroom for the long arm and sewing tables? I could still keep the fabric organized in the other room and make the 4th one my bedroom.

I know that no one else really has any say in it and I can do whatever I want, it's my house. It just feels a little weird to do that.

Hey it is your house do what you want. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you are suggesting. Happy Quilting.

Use the rooms for your best advantage. I would think that you are only talking about essentially rearranging the furniture. Women have been doing that since the garden of Eden.

I say if that's the best use of your space then do it. It's the master bedroom and your the master :)

Sounds good to me! I took out my kitchen table to set-up my longarm there. I eat on trays in my livingroom. It's all about what works for you and how you want it.

I am giving serious thought to doing the same thing. The master bedroom is just about the same size, 15 by 17 feet, with two big closets and lots of shelves. I don't have a longarm, but if I ever do, it will have to be in this room. Good luck with your plans if you decide to do it.

I would do it. Sounds like a good plan. You will get over the odd feeling pretty quick when you are enjoying the room and ease in quilting with more space. Good Luck. I am excited for you. If you don't like it, you can always go back the way it was. But I bet ya don't.

Great response!

Do what makes you enjoy your house and your hobby! I am sure the master bedroom will be a wonderful quilt room!!!Enjoy the space.

I agree with shnnn. You won't be inconveniencing anyone & if it would work for you--go for it! :thumbup:

I'm one of those who uses the living room for my studio because it is the largest room in the house (25x31). We don't entertain and spend our relaxation time in the kitchen/great room. We turned the formal dining room into a library to house hubby's book and artwork collection. Using the rooms as the original owner determined 24 years ago would be a complete waste and not a reflection of who hubby and I are. If the master bedroom was the largest room in the house and I lived by myself, that would be my workroom. Use the space to make you happy and not to meet other people's expectations.

I would do it! When my kids were little I put their bunk beds and crib in the master so we could have the small room Just a two bedroom with 3 kids when the 4th was born I sectioned off a space in the Living room with a drop down shade for his room! We moved before the 5th was born thank heavens! Do what works for you.

I do this. Admittedly I only have two bedrooms - but I sleep in the smaller bedroom at the back and use the large one across the front of the house as my office / studio. Not only is it the best use of space but the front room also gets the best light during the day. Go for it.

You go for it gal, you only have you to please. So be HaPpY :D

Do it! Have fun, it'll be great. Good luck.
annie

It sounds like a great idea to me.

I have done this also. I have a 9" Pfaff with a 10' frame and have no other room in my little house to set it up. So I sleep in the middle-size room and use the smallest for more fabric storage and my exercise equipment. When my oldest son came home from college for a year before he bought his own house, I moved him into the middle room and actually moved myself into the smallest bedroom. I wasn't giving up my sewing room for anyone.

If that works for you then do it!!!

You'll love it. Go for it! Ii've got stuff all over my house and we office in it and there are 5 of us working in here. It's my house and I tell everyone to get out of my kitchen too, until I need them.

I'd say go for it! But, don't knock down the walls in the bedrooms...it could affect your future resale price...the house would then be listed as a 4 bedroom.

Do what will work best for you! It's your home, plenty of rooms, so use them to the best advantage for YOU!!!!!

Kat

That's the way to go. I've been thinking about it also, but I can't talk my husband into one of the smaller bedrooms ;-)

Seeing all the responses I don't feel so strange!! I really need the space of the larger room, I don't like the cramped working areas and there's a walk-in closet that I could put some shelving units in for storage. I'm going to do it!! I'll measure tonight about where the sewing and cutting table can go and I can finally make the large pressing surface that I got some canvas for.

I live alone but have the DGKs over a lot. They sleep in the guest room and have a playroom in a bedroom. My master is huge! The entire room is devoted to sewing and crafts, but my bed and storage headboard are in there. [the dressing and bath are separate]. I have a quilt frame in there but is only 9.5'... I have quilted a king on that. It is very tight, but the mess is not visible to most. You have to arrange your house they way that it works for you. I'd hate to see you move walls as that changes your resale value with one less bedroom.

Go for it. It sounds good to me. I did something similar myself.
Best thing I ever did. No regrets.

Go for it. Knew a quilter that did that exact thing and loved it. She lived alone and felt the master was just wasted space. She has since passed but her daughter still has her house and uses it for a quilting studio with the long arm and has her mom's sewing friends still come over to have sewing time.

mltquilt

We have a huge Master bedroom - I WOULD make it into a sewing studio in a heartbeat if I could...

You make me laugh! I was just talking to my husband the other day about taking over the master bedroom for my sewing and us using one of the smaller ones because all we do is sleep in it anyway. He was all for the idea until I told him he would also have to give up the closet. He's a real clothes horse and it would just kill him to cut back!!

I say go for it!

We have a weird plan amongst us girls. We want to be Golden Girls........You know all of us living in one house......we all quilt, have stashes and sewing machines........It came to me the other day that the Master bedroom would be the best place for all that. We would just sleep in the bedrooms any way. I still have my DH and don't want to hurry him off. He is a pretty neat guy and I still like him----even with almost 2 yrs of retirement behind us. I do think a long hot bath in the "new sewing room bath" because of the big jetted tub would be a good thing to keep. We still have some time to work the kinks out since my DH is still kicking.

Go for it! My sewing room is bigger than my bedroom. <shrug>

Totally agree with everyone. Do it!!

I wouldn't even think twice about it. Just do it.

Hey..... most of the time spent in a master bedroom is sleeping ... so use the space for it best purpose when you are awake to enjoy it

I would say do it! And enjoy it! I have been going around and around deciding if we should take down the wall that divides the two bedrooms that I use for sewing also. But, according to our insurance co., if we did that we would be eliminating a bedroom and 4 bedrooms have more resale value than 3. A large closet would be eliminated in taking down the wall. A bedroom is a bedroom supposedly if there is a closet. I don't want to put the money into it either, even though it would be convenient having the extra large room and everything in one room. So, you have my vote! Can I be a little jealous of a 5 bedroom home all to yourself?

Sounds like a good plan. Just don't take down the wall unless you don't care about resale value.

About the resale value... When I bought the house before it was built there was an option that the center bedroom be a loft. I know that there are many of the houses of this model that have the loft so they are 4 bedroom too. Mine would be 4 bedroom but all of them would be good sized rooms. It was also an option to have a big master suite with the master bedroom combined with the second largest bedroom and a fireplace. That would be a 4 bedroom house too. If I was turning a 4 bedroom into a 3 bedroom I think that would have much more impact.

I'm never going to get my money out of this house anyway. I'm underwater on the mortgage PLUS I put $70k down that I'll never see again.

I live alone. I don't hang out in my bedroom!! I sleep there and get dressed there. I wouldn't hesitate one minute if it was the best place to sew (I took over the family room on the lower level for that). I have 3 other smaller bedrooms and I could easily shut my eyes in any one of them:)

So what's a few cat hairs. All my quilts are lovingly interwoven with genuine American cat hair. Use the living room.

I have to laugh, we are such enablers. I will be moving soon and I have already decided the largest bedroom will be my sewing room. I have mentioned this to realtors and they give me a very strange look. Only on this board could you consider this and everyone one think it was "normal".