New quilting space!
10-14-2019, 03:06 AM
#51
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 203
I picked up a table with adjustable heights from Sam's club this week; looked at a couple of desk chairs at different places, but ended up ordering one online to get what I wanted. It should be here in a day or two. Right now I am moving the table to different spots each time I sew, to see where I like it best. I also tried setting up the ironing board, but it is too big to have up unless I need it. A pressing board would work better.
Every time I go in there, I take a book, some of my notions, or some fabric. I am getting there!
Every time I go in there, I take a book, some of my notions, or some fabric. I am getting there!
10-14-2019, 04:14 AM
#52
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Iowa
Posts: 377
So excited for you, origamigoldfish!!!
On the subject of a place to iron... i was shocked that i didnt have to buy a thing when i finally got to putting my room together. I already had a “big board” which i was using on top of my regular ironing board. That was a pretty wobbly situation which i only used when i needed to iron yardage - then it was stored behind the door to my sewing room. Not exactly an ideal situation but it worked.
When i started pulling all of those storage tubs outta the closet that i bought in the late 90’s, i realized that i bought 2 of each size. Hmmm... i stacked 3 up and found that to be the perfect height for some kind of table. But then... i wondered - could this be the birth of my ironing station? It was! The Big Board had rails on the underside to keep it from sliding off the ironing board, so i positioned the outter most ends of the two stacks of storage tubs so that the rails could easily slide forward/backward if needed, but still remain in one place unless you wanted to move it. Once that was done i realized that i had just enough room in the center underneath to stack my Super Satchels! What a glorious day and i didnt even spend any money! 😊
From that point the Happy Place just took on a life of its own! I rummaged around in the tubs and found the purple/blue/pink batik yardage that i had been hoarding since the late 90’s for such an occasion! After a lot of anxious measuring and plotting and planning 🥴 i realized that i had just enough fabric to make a matching washable cover for the big board and also valances for two windows with just a little leftover! The really cool part (for me) was also that fabric was used in my first and only blue ribbon wallhanging of a goldfinch on a thistle! At that point the light was green and everything just came together 😊 my husband found somebody to paint my room and by the time the paint dried, the ironing board cover and the valances were completed! I finally had my Happy Place! Machines, work tables, etc just went together after that!
Here is a little better photo of my ironing station showing the storage tubs doing double duty! If i need something in the tubs i just lift off the board. If i need to iron yardage, i just slide the board forward and allow the unironed fabric to fall to the floor in back while i iron and pull more fabric to the front as i go. Behind the tubs i have a storage between the back of the tubs and the wall where i keep a huge quilting “go bag” and other larger items out of sight. The power strip in plugged into the outlet behind the table and pulled to the front.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]618531[/ATTACH]
On the subject of a place to iron... i was shocked that i didnt have to buy a thing when i finally got to putting my room together. I already had a “big board” which i was using on top of my regular ironing board. That was a pretty wobbly situation which i only used when i needed to iron yardage - then it was stored behind the door to my sewing room. Not exactly an ideal situation but it worked.
When i started pulling all of those storage tubs outta the closet that i bought in the late 90’s, i realized that i bought 2 of each size. Hmmm... i stacked 3 up and found that to be the perfect height for some kind of table. But then... i wondered - could this be the birth of my ironing station? It was! The Big Board had rails on the underside to keep it from sliding off the ironing board, so i positioned the outter most ends of the two stacks of storage tubs so that the rails could easily slide forward/backward if needed, but still remain in one place unless you wanted to move it. Once that was done i realized that i had just enough room in the center underneath to stack my Super Satchels! What a glorious day and i didnt even spend any money! 😊
From that point the Happy Place just took on a life of its own! I rummaged around in the tubs and found the purple/blue/pink batik yardage that i had been hoarding since the late 90’s for such an occasion! After a lot of anxious measuring and plotting and planning 🥴 i realized that i had just enough fabric to make a matching washable cover for the big board and also valances for two windows with just a little leftover! The really cool part (for me) was also that fabric was used in my first and only blue ribbon wallhanging of a goldfinch on a thistle! At that point the light was green and everything just came together 😊 my husband found somebody to paint my room and by the time the paint dried, the ironing board cover and the valances were completed! I finally had my Happy Place! Machines, work tables, etc just went together after that!
Here is a little better photo of my ironing station showing the storage tubs doing double duty! If i need something in the tubs i just lift off the board. If i need to iron yardage, i just slide the board forward and allow the unironed fabric to fall to the floor in back while i iron and pull more fabric to the front as i go. Behind the tubs i have a storage between the back of the tubs and the wall where i keep a huge quilting “go bag” and other larger items out of sight. The power strip in plugged into the outlet behind the table and pulled to the front.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]618531[/ATTACH]
10-14-2019, 06:53 AM
#53
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Between the dashes of a tombstone
Posts: 12,716
Originally Posted by AprilM
So excited for you, origamigoldfish!!!
On the subject of a place to iron... i was shocked that i didnt have to buy a thing when i finally got to putting my room together. I already had a “big board” which i was using on top of my regular ironing board. That was a pretty wobbly situation which i only used when i needed to iron yardage - then it was stored behind the door to my sewing room. Not exactly an ideal situation but it worked.
When i started pulling all of those storage tubs outta the closet that i bought in the late 90’s, i realized that i bought 2 of each size. Hmmm... i stacked 3 up and found that to be the perfect height for some kind of table. But then... i wondered - could this be the birth of my ironing station? It was! The Big Board had rails on the underside to keep it from sliding off the ironing board, so i positioned the outter most ends of the two stacks of storage tubs so that the rails could easily slide forward/backward if needed, but still remain in one place unless you wanted to move it. Once that was done i realized that i had just enough room in the center underneath to stack my Super Satchels! What a glorious day and i didnt even spend any money!
From that point the Happy Place just took on a life of its own! I rummaged around in the tubs and found the purple/blue/pink batik yardage that i had been hoarding since the late 90’s for such an occasion! After a lot of anxious measuring and plotting and planning 若 i realized that i had just enough fabric to make a matching washable cover for the big board and also valances for two windows with just a little leftover! The really cool part (for me) was also that fabric was used in my first and only blue ribbon wallhanging of a goldfinch on a thistle! At that point the light was green and everything just came together my husband found somebody to paint my room and by the time the paint dried, the ironing board cover and the valances were completed! I finally had my Happy Place! Machines, work tables, etc just went together after that!
Here is a little better photo of my ironing station showing the storage tubs doing double duty! If i need something in the tubs i just lift off the board. If i need to iron yardage, i just slide the board forward and allow the unironed fabric to fall to the floor in back while i iron and pull more fabric to the front as i go. Behind the tubs i have a storage between the back of the tubs and the wall where i keep a huge quilting “go bag” and other larger items out of sight. The power strip in plugged into the outlet behind the table and pulled to the front.
On the subject of a place to iron... i was shocked that i didnt have to buy a thing when i finally got to putting my room together. I already had a “big board” which i was using on top of my regular ironing board. That was a pretty wobbly situation which i only used when i needed to iron yardage - then it was stored behind the door to my sewing room. Not exactly an ideal situation but it worked.
When i started pulling all of those storage tubs outta the closet that i bought in the late 90’s, i realized that i bought 2 of each size. Hmmm... i stacked 3 up and found that to be the perfect height for some kind of table. But then... i wondered - could this be the birth of my ironing station? It was! The Big Board had rails on the underside to keep it from sliding off the ironing board, so i positioned the outter most ends of the two stacks of storage tubs so that the rails could easily slide forward/backward if needed, but still remain in one place unless you wanted to move it. Once that was done i realized that i had just enough room in the center underneath to stack my Super Satchels! What a glorious day and i didnt even spend any money!
From that point the Happy Place just took on a life of its own! I rummaged around in the tubs and found the purple/blue/pink batik yardage that i had been hoarding since the late 90’s for such an occasion! After a lot of anxious measuring and plotting and planning 若 i realized that i had just enough fabric to make a matching washable cover for the big board and also valances for two windows with just a little leftover! The really cool part (for me) was also that fabric was used in my first and only blue ribbon wallhanging of a goldfinch on a thistle! At that point the light was green and everything just came together my husband found somebody to paint my room and by the time the paint dried, the ironing board cover and the valances were completed! I finally had my Happy Place! Machines, work tables, etc just went together after that!
Here is a little better photo of my ironing station showing the storage tubs doing double duty! If i need something in the tubs i just lift off the board. If i need to iron yardage, i just slide the board forward and allow the unironed fabric to fall to the floor in back while i iron and pull more fabric to the front as i go. Behind the tubs i have a storage between the back of the tubs and the wall where i keep a huge quilting “go bag” and other larger items out of sight. The power strip in plugged into the outlet behind the table and pulled to the front.
10-14-2019, 04:19 PM
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Iowa
Posts: 377
Uh, yeah i hear ya oksewglad! But my Happy Place isnt huge, so i pretty much have to put one project away before starting another! I guess that can be both a blessing and a curse, but other than that i am pleased with my Happy Place! Just enough room for me and my sewing buddy to be happy on Fridays!
10-15-2019, 02:47 AM
#55
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Boothbay Maine
Posts: 9,518
Originally Posted by origamigoldfish
Every time I go in there, I take a book, some of my notions, or some fabric. I am getting there!
10-15-2019, 11:31 AM
#56
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 171
small sewing room
I also have a small bedroom for my sewing room. Here is my ironing and cutting station. I bought a 2'x4' pine board from Lowe's covered it with heat resistant fabric, batting, old wool blanket and heat resistant fabric and stapled it to the board. Then I used a piano hinge to attach it to the back of the bureau, which I bought at a tag sale for $15 or $20, so when I am not using it I can lift it up and hook it to my pegboard wall above. I have a 18"x24" cutting mat I put on the left side and can iron on the right.If I need more space, I can take the cutting mat off, or likewise I can put a bigger cutting mat on top. If I have patterns I want to do in the near future I put them in clear sleeves with a cheap shower hook, so I can hang them on the knobs of the bureau. I can change them out easily and they are very handy. You can get a package of the hooks at Walmart for $1 to $2. I put my fatquarters in the small center drawers, in the top 2 large drawers I put my patterns, and the other drawers have my fabric, folded with the 6"x24" ruler and folded in half, and they fit perfectly. I also put wheels on the bureau so I can move it around if I have too, I got tired of removing full drawers to move the bureau. LOL
I have my machine in front of the windows in my room. I bought the desk at the Goodwill for $20.00 and my DH cut out a hole for my machine. I put my machine on the cutout and can put my little box of accessories underneath it.
I also bought a small metal basket from the dollar store and screwed it to the side of the desk for my Thread stand and scissors, pincushion etc.
I hang all my rulers, hoops, scissors, small vacuum, etc. on the pegboard wall. I use an office desk carasol on my sewing desk for anything I need sewing etc. I bought that for $1 at the Goodwill.
I plan on painting the desk and bureau the same color and mod podging the drawer fronts.
I have my machine in front of the windows in my room. I bought the desk at the Goodwill for $20.00 and my DH cut out a hole for my machine. I put my machine on the cutout and can put my little box of accessories underneath it.
I also bought a small metal basket from the dollar store and screwed it to the side of the desk for my Thread stand and scissors, pincushion etc.
I hang all my rulers, hoops, scissors, small vacuum, etc. on the pegboard wall. I use an office desk carasol on my sewing desk for anything I need sewing etc. I bought that for $1 at the Goodwill.
I plan on painting the desk and bureau the same color and mod podging the drawer fronts.
Last edited by Jerseyrayne; 10-15-2019 at 11:36 AM.
10-15-2019, 01:08 PM
#57
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 203
Thank you for all the pictures of beautiful sewing spaces! My space is very very plain, but I am ok with that right now. It is the first time since I learned how to sew that I have had the room to store and use everything in the same space. The more I use it, the more I will know how I want things set up. I am hoping to have a shed and all of the clutter moved out in january and then I can really spread out and inhabit that space as a sewing space.
My chair came in the mail today, going to put it together this evening. I think I am more thrilled about being able to sit at the proper height right now than anything else....it is slow going quilting fifteen minutes at a time because of shoulder pain.
My chair came in the mail today, going to put it together this evening. I think I am more thrilled about being able to sit at the proper height right now than anything else....it is slow going quilting fifteen minutes at a time because of shoulder pain.
10-16-2019, 03:37 AM
#59
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Iowa
Posts: 377
Jerseyrayne... i think i need some organization lessons from you!!! My guess is that you know where most everything is in your Happy Place at a moments notice (me, maybe not so much).
When i am not sure where to put something it just ends up in a drawer or tub or cubby thinking i will surely remember where it was - only to have to look everywhere for it when i need it! Grrrrr!
That is exactly how i ended up with 2 of some items... C’mon girls! i’d come home from shopping and be determined to put something away in a safe spot that i will remember where it is. Thats all fine and good until i really cant find it when i need it! So... then i buy it again because i will need it shortly (wondering if i really did buy it in the first place???). I come home from shopping with a vengeance - i’m gonna put this in a really safe place this time. Sure enough when i stomp to that safe place, i find the original item already there awaiting its new friend! I hate that... i guess i should make a list with locations of various items, but that sounds too much like work and i quilt to relax from work! Whats a girl to do! But thinking that once i retire and spend more time in my Happy Place than i do at my job the issue will resolve itself (but honestly, i really do love my job)!
When i am not sure where to put something it just ends up in a drawer or tub or cubby thinking i will surely remember where it was - only to have to look everywhere for it when i need it! Grrrrr!
That is exactly how i ended up with 2 of some items... C’mon girls! i’d come home from shopping and be determined to put something away in a safe spot that i will remember where it is. Thats all fine and good until i really cant find it when i need it! So... then i buy it again because i will need it shortly (wondering if i really did buy it in the first place???). I come home from shopping with a vengeance - i’m gonna put this in a really safe place this time. Sure enough when i stomp to that safe place, i find the original item already there awaiting its new friend! I hate that... i guess i should make a list with locations of various items, but that sounds too much like work and i quilt to relax from work! Whats a girl to do! But thinking that once i retire and spend more time in my Happy Place than i do at my job the issue will resolve itself (but honestly, i really do love my job)!
10-16-2019, 11:01 AM
#60
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 171
Thank you! I have a problem with memory, so I try to make it easier on myself, plus I have a lot of stuff and a small room, which has taken me years to accumulate. I have a problem going to sleep at night, so I play in my sewing room. I don't want to wake DH so I re-arrange. I have gotten loads of ideas from this forum also. I love my room, wish it was bigger, but that's ok. I have tried downsizing, and have though it doesn't look it. I had loads of magazines, I hate to throw away, so I took all the patterns I wanted out and gave them to a small quilt shop in the Next town to me. It freed up a lot of space for my other books. I love quilting, but I also do all kinds of other types of sewing projects. I am retired now, and I have to have something to keep me busy. Sewing has been my relaxation since I was 9-10 yrs. old. Don't feel bad AprilM, I have duplicated a few items over the years. Actually, I am still looking for a 6 1/2" square up ruler I misplaced, all I can find is the instructions! LOL
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