peachs

my husband and i live in a one bedroom apt, so there's no extra rooms for making a sewing room. he's graciously agreed to allow me to 'take over' the dining room, but since it's such a central area of the apt, i need a set up i can tuck away when we have company. oh yes, and budget is a big limitation.

i'm currently using the dining table (which is very small, round) for my sewing table. we have plans to build me a cabinet for my machine, just waiting for funds for that; i have plans for a design/basting wall (it was actually his idea to let me have a complete wall in the dining room!), but again, still collecting funds.

i have a couple organizer drawers for things such as fabric, rulers, rotary cutters, patterns, etc, and i have a very small 'stash' still, but i'd like ideas for organizing the space, and hiding things away when they're not in use. i guess basically i'm asking for brainstorming ideas.

thanks so much! have a great day!

hatchet

Well, when you plan things out, make sure they're dual purpose... Like if you have tubs of fabric, (I do), you can stack them and throw a pretty quilt over it and set a nick knack on it or use it as a small table, put two side by side, stacked and call it a coffee table, the ills a quilt can cover are endless... You can make a cutting table out of ply wood and attach it to the wall so it folds down when not in use. Have an ironing mat that you can put on top of it and dual purpose, just make sure to move the mat... not heat resistant and will warp badly. Hope I've helped.

Gracie.

Tartan

Do you have room for one of the tall cupboards with doors that sell fairly inexpensively? You should be able to get a big one for about $100 dollars and you can use the shelves for your stash and misc. supplies. You can hide a lot of stuff in them and with the doors closed, it is nice and neat. If you put it against the wall on the side, you can fasten a design wall to the back also.

hopetoquilt

I have found that very little is needed in order to quilt. You don't need every specialty ruler and tool out there. Stick with owning the basics. Whatever containers you buy, try to buy the same type. It will look neater and fit together better. You also do not need a stash. Buy fabric per project and keep the number of projects you are doing to a low number. This will help with keeping things neat and organized. Patterns.... Just get them off the Internet. No need to buy a bunch to store. Ruler fold fabrics. You do not need the comic book cardboard to wrap fabric.

I also decided that I can stick to just the quilting methods that I enjoy. I don't like to do machine appliqué or trapunto, sewing curved pieces etc so I do not have the tools to do those things or the books etc.

start off slow.... And enjoy the hobby

SuzzyQ

Watch Kijiji or Craigslist and be creative in your thinking.

peachs

hatchet - i like the idea of dual purpose. i can't really attach too much to walls, or do any real apartment-remodeling since we rent, but i like the idea of a cutting table that i can tuck away.

tartan - i don't really have anywhere to put tall cupboards. the only solid wall where we're looking at putting things is just big enough for the design/basting wall, and there are windows all along the adjacent wall...the only windows in the diningroom...but i'll look at how i can possibly rearrange and see if anything else is possible. thank you for the suggestion!

hopetoquilt - i love the idea of simplicity. that'll also make it easier to move if that would become necessary (you know, apartment life, kind of have to be ready for that possibility). i've invested in a 12x18 mat and (for a class) i had to get an 18x24 mat. as far as rulers, i've got a 12x3.5 and 6x24. the class, tho i had to buy the larger ruler and mat for it, was most helpful bec the instructor taught us to use those basics for most of our cutting. i'd like to learn some more techniques for using what i have to cut different angles. i'd like to use what i have instead of buying a million of everything.

also, initially i was thinking i'd be saving money by buying remnants of fabric when i found it (and on sale), but i would probably save more by not buying fabric i'm not using. so thank you for that suggestion.



i really appreciate your brainstorms. more! please! and thank you!

acesgame

I loved this idea from the moment I saw it and nobody would know it didn't belong in a dining room.
http://ana-white.com/2010/10/plans/s...e-small-spaces

You can make a temporary design wall with command hooks and three hangers like this. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/3940718395989726/

If you are handy or have a handy hubby you could make a hanging shelf under your little round table with 1x4's and plywood (kind of like a keyboard tray to hold cutting mat and rulers. When company comes you throw a table cloth over it and no one will know.

I also think you don't need to hide everything. I made this shelf with 1 x 6 lumber and it is a beautiful work of art as well as good shallow shelf storage. The fabric on the bottom is 1-2 yard pieces and the top is less than half yards, mostly fat quarters.

peachs

suzzyq - what is kijiji? where do i find it?

tildiemae

My design wall is a roller shade hidden under like a window cornice. I have it mounted above a closet door but could easily fit above a window or doorway. It makes a nice shelf as well and the design wall is hidden until you are ready to use it. The window shade has a fleecy finish on it so my blocks stick to it. I enjoy taking ordinary things and turning them into storage for my quilting projects!

NJ Quilter

Unless you are going to do some specialty shaped cutting, you can manage just about all of your cutting with the 24" ruler provided it has the angle lines on it (and most do as far as I know). Someone at your LQS can show/eplain to you how to do this much easier/better than I could do here! I also agree with not purchasing fabric just to have a stash. I buy per project. I buy a bit extra of the various fabrics and that becomes what little stash I have and/or gives me room for booboos. I just don't have room to have anything more than that. Plus, I just can't wrap my head around coming up with a pattern AFTER I buy fabric. My design 'wall' are 2 flannel backed tablecloths sewn together. I bought them at the cheapie store for about $5 each. Fold them up and put them away when not in use and just use hangers as acesgame linked for you. Buy your supplies as you need them and you don't need lots of room/storage.