Best places to get tables etc for quilting space.
 

I am setting up my work space and would appreciate suggestions of where to get tables, and other essential pieces ?
Eileen

Earlier this year I found a HUGE desk at Savers (thrift store), cost $30
I absolutely love it.

Depends on what kind of table, style, quality and $available. I like melamine laminate bookshelves to store fabric; it's not touching a surface that might change the fabric over time. I bought mine at Home Depot and Lowes.

For machine tables I have a Horn cabinet with drawers (storage), SewEz (great for taking..), and a 4 ft folding table. The machine fits down into the cabinet on Horn and SewEz. The Bernina 830 fits on top of the folding table with the embroidery attached.

These work for me...... Others have much different set ups that work for them....

I really like my ikea furniture. Reasonable, sturdy and lots of options and configurations.

the bookcase[walmart or big lots ] bottom and a table top or door for the top from home depot for a cutting table bonus storage below table

I love my kitchen mobile island for my cutting table with storage. It is the perfect height and I can roll it . My quilt rack fits perfectly under the overhang.

sandy

Sandygirl...I like your island. Great idea!

Second hand/thrift stores work great! And you will save a ton of money.

I would start with the Thrift stores....Great deals can be had if you are patient and look often.

It's hard to say without knowing how much money you want to spend, how much space you have etc, but I got my sewing table and cutting table (had it custom made to meet my needs) from Gristmill Furniture. It's solid wood because I really don't like the look of laminate (a personal preference). Honestly, it's so beautiful and well made that it could be handed down in the family for generations, and the best part is that the cost was comparable to Horn furniture!

Having said that, I've seen pictures here and on other sites of furniture that costs very little yet is quite lovely. I wish I had the imagination and creativity of some of these people, but unfortunately I don't so I just admire it from afar...

When I retired at the end of 2011, I splurged on the Horn Quilter's Dream cabinet and rolling cart and have since added the cutting table. Well worth the money.

Hard to say without knowing budget and space availabe. I used wood filing cabinets and placed wood on top that
goes along two walls for sewing space. Have a Horn cutting table and desk for computer.

Ikea. best prices and you can check out there damaged and return section and got good tables there. I have 5 from there and I have two sliding glass door cabinets with wood shelves for my fabric.. but they do not offer the cabinets anymore

If you're looking for sturdy but don't care what it looks like, the government surplus is a great place. I also like the habitat for humanity and the thrift stores in that order. Otherwise, Ikea is great for new furniture, and I've been playing with modifying card tables (no, not the FW tables) for my uses lately.

If you need to be able to convert the space for other use at times, the large, sturdy plastic folding tables that are available at places like Sam's Club and home improvement stores are very functional. I found that the shorter type of bed risers makes it the perfect height for me for cutting, and it allows me to expand from my small craft room into the guest room. It easily goes into the closet when we have guests.

Wow, love that counter!

Brilliant idea !!

I use two dollar store end tables with a 2 X 6 foot 3/4 inch plywood board leftover from doing antique shows in the past as my work table for my sewing table, an adjustable height ironing board to my right and then two 6 ft folding tables from box store do the right of that to create a U shape area. It is all easy to move to another room if I choose, as it is now in my formal living room in a very old house..

I paid around $500 for my kitchen island in 2000. It was used in my kitchen until we remodeled the kitchen 6 years ago. I moved it upstairs for my sewing room. You can buy them for around this same price give or take. Soooooo many more styles since I purchased mine. The overhang folds down but I never drop it. The large cutting mat fits the top perfectly. I hang tape measures on the " towel bar". Just do a search for "mobile kitchen island" . I love mine!


IKEA has great, affordable furniture. I wish that they would put together a "craft" room floor display. The Container Store has some great ideas on their website.

I love the sewing furniture on the market (Koala, etc) but it is way out of most peoples price range; mine included. It is usually incredibly heavy and it would never make it upstairs in our 1930 farmhouse. We struggle to get smaller pieces of furniture upstairs. The stairs are steep and that last turn is too tight. I would always be uncertain that the weight would come crashing down thru the second story. Not sure that my house was built for our modern, heavier furniture. Silly me!

sandy

Ditto on the IKEA selection. I have done much of my house in IKEA. My quilting studio is wall to wall Billy Bookcases and customized work tables. Check out their website and let your imagination run wild!!

I found the perfect table at the thrift store. WHEN and I mean WHEN I get my sewing room back, it will be perfect extention to the right of my sewing maching cabinet.

Hint..when shopping take meauring tape. Know the size you are looking for to make sure it will fit into your overall plan.

I have used a lot of different tables and shelves for my room. I really like old desks, they are heavy solid wood well built and do not vibrate. I have found them at thrift stores, garage sales and Craigslist. Draw your room out on paper and decide what you really have room for and what you really need. I love my heavy duty industrial shelves I got those from my Mom and wish I knew where to get more. They are adjustable come in different widths and are very versatile. I also have several book shelves that I mount on the wall like kitchen cabinets that are handy and not to wide. Have fun setting up your space!

You can use a pingpong table as well as hollow core doors. You can also purchase risers to elevate and accommodate your height. The risers are also used to elevate the head of the bed for GERD people. Horses can be made easily with a clamp set and a few pieces of lumber from the big box stores.

Years ago I purchased a 5' x 9' x 3/4" plyboard. It was a special order for this size. At the time I was making window treatments and bedspreads and need the extra size to accommodate 60" fabrics. It is elevated by horses, padded and wonderful to iron large pieces of fabric, etc. Quilting friends call and make arrangements to use the table to baste the layers together of full sized quilts.

I love the island idea. Looks like it is a great height for cutting. I have Ikea and have been happy with it.

I have an old Steelcase desk. It's very sturdy and large sewing surface.

My main sewing table is an 8' table from office depot. Plenty of room for cutting and sewing.

love this idea

I am going to buy 4 inexpensive book shelves, and make a square out of them. Then some sort of table top.

Wow what a great idea!!!!!!

Bought an inexpensive 'harvest' style table on Craigslist for $30 - and DH cut out the opening & made a below table support so I could slip my Husqvarna machine in, so now I sew level to the table. What a difference! I've seen these tables even cheaper, but when I wanted one it was the best price we could find.

I would also measure for a board to fit on the bottom and put locking wheels/casters on the bottom. Then you can move it around if needed or even clean the area. I made one for my Joann fabric white storage units. Had a lg 3 drawer and on top of that I put the smaller 4 drawer unit. Had dh bring in an electric saw and he cut my piece of plywood that I had measured and I had purchased one of those little mover trolleys--has 4 big wheels under it. Then I took the battery powered drill and put 2 wood screws in in corner so that it goes thru all the wood. It is not going to go anywhere, unless it gets pushed there. stands almost 5 ft tall. Has some of my stuff in for sewing and also some stuff that I need to find a trunk for and pack away.

Do you ever bang an ankle on the Corner of the bottom board? It was my first concern when I saw it on the QB. Ouch! I have protect me from myself!

sandy

I use my island for cutting too, but I always have left it in the corner. Can't believe I never thought about moving out into the room so I can move around it. DUH!!!

I also use my island for cutting, but have always left it in the corner. Never ever thought about moving it out into the room so I could move around it and make cutting fabric so much easier!! DUH!!!

we have a habitat for humanity resale store you can get some great cabinets and tables and lots of stuff there try checking in your area for one

My first place to look is Craigslist, then Goodwill and second hand stores. Lots of businesses went belly up so desks are frequently found in office furniture resale shops. There are auctions you can attend, too, to pick up things cheap, just google for locations. I live in the city which is the state capitol, so there is always office furniture to be found. I bought a $30 harvest table on Craigslist with green legs and a blonde top. Brought it home & DH cut out an opening for my Husqvarna to be installed so that its level with the table top. No more struggling to move fabric when quilting - love it!

No and I go by it many times a day. My knees are what get the B & B marks and I don't know what I hit.

From window wall counterclock wise.

Cutting / lay out / nephew seating is two old flat doors on galvanized pipe legs. Originally was just until I found a better one, but this works perfectly and cost me $30 plus a nice big cutting mat. I shoved my storage cabinets under.

My soon to move in machine table is a $10 thrift store number. Adding locking wheels so I can have it against the wall for piecing, then against the table for quilting. My ironing board, iron and fabric mangler are against that wall also. Mangler was free as the son thought it was junk at a garage sale. He just needed a good cleaning.

Next wall has a pin board against the door that I made from damaged cork tiles that were free, then closet has in process sewing on the shelves and over hangers, then sewing machine is on it's rolling platform on the half shelved side which will get more shelves once machine is on table, front of closet door has a hook to put current project shoe holder on, my Helmer cabinets, then my duct tape dummies in the corner. Most expensive wall, probably $150, but I just buy as needed, so it wasn't all at once.

Then, computer set up, then nails to hang my rulers and such on.

Gives me a 12' by 10' chunk of open floor.

There are tables at Joannes (you can get them on 40% to 50% off with coupons, on their website). They are craft tables, but I use them for quilting. They're are portable and fold down. Hope this helps

Nearly every piece of furniture in my sewing space is second hand, either dirt cheap from a thrift store or free from someone who no longer wanted it. I've had to customize a couple pieces here and there, but they have adapted well to each new sewing space I've had through the years. You can get some wonderfully STURDY pieces used for really great prices. I have painted everything white to give a less cluttered look. My cutting table is a slab of particle board, 36" X 60" ($6 at a thrift store) mounted atop two old microwave carts purchased for $20 each at K-Mart 20+ years ago. These are the only pieces of furniture I bought new. We added 2X4s to raise the top to a comfy working height. The carts have wheels so the whole thing rolls. The most expensive pieces of furniture are the three huge bookcases we built. Even though we made them ourselves to fit my specs and my space, the lumber cost more than anything else I bought. But SO worth it.