Just getting started
 

I picked up this beautiful, heavy desk (with a little help from family and a friend) for free. It was sitting outside, waiting on someone to appreciate! Well, it weighs a ton! It took 3 of us to get it in the house! It was supposed to go into a different "no pets allowed" room, but there's no way that was going to happen without hiring someone else to move it! So, as you can see, there is one of my five step-kitties.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture.. It's an L shaped desk. The right side is 2 inches higher than the left side, and it has a LOT of table top space. I had originally wanted to put my quilting machine on that side and cut an opening in it. But I realized that the left side is the perfect height for me and I can pull out the top drawer to help with the weight of the quilt. So the right side of the desk is my cutting/spread out area and for general sewing (see my "new" Janome in the back?!). My son's machine will be put on the right of the desk so everything is close by for both of us. Those big drawers will hold a quilt. So I can work on a quilt and then put it in the drawer to keep the cats off. All my tops, batting and backing and other fabrics are stored in the Pet Free Zone.

Some things I want to do: This room needs more lighting and this corner is especially dark. I am hoping this weekend, we can move some wall lamps there but I may need some work lamps too. I want to cover both tops with contact paper. I wipe it good every time i use it and I don't want to get furniture polish-type stuff on my fabrics. And I just love contact paper and want to put a little personality on my Big Girl! I have also been thinking about making a big ironing board to fit on top of the cutting area, but I think I'll hold off on that. I can use my ironing board just fine and I can set it up in front of the cutting area and put the "spill over" on the table.

So really, I thought I'd have to do more with this thing, but it's pretty much perfect just the way it is! The right side has a flat-ish drawer that slides just over your lap that has little compartments (originally for pens, paper clips, etc) that just make me smile! I can't wait to fill it with pins, bobbins, markers, etc!

What a lucky find! Congrats!!

Great find.

Very nice!

My best sew area had a BIG girl sewing desk too. It is hard to beat these BIG girls. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!!!!

What a great find!

it does come apart and the larger end is stand-alone but the smaller side needs the other one because it only has one leg. I love it just the way it is!!! :)

Awesome table!

Really cool desk! I found mine on Craigs list back in the summer. It was from a school that was closing. It came from the library and I know what you mean when you say heavy! It fills my whole sewing room and I love it! Congrats on finding this one, you are going to love it too!

What a great find :)

score, what a nice sewing area.

Lucky find!!

Wow, if your space can tolerate it, you should pull it away from the wall. If you do this you can let the quilt fall over the back of sewing area so you dont have to fight all that fabric. If you don't want it to fall use your ironing board as an extension table to the left or to the top. If you really want it to be pet free and with the rest of your stuff, you will keep thinking how to accomplish that.
Have fun.

Lucky you. Great find. Looks like you will put it to good use.

Great desk space to work on. I love the L shape. Sue

I also have a BIG girl sewing desk and I love it! Tons of space on top for quilting and my husband is going to do a cutout so I can lower my machine down level also for quilting. Got it from someone that was moving. Waaaaaay cheaper than an "actual" sewing desk. Lucky you!!!

A great free desk. Great find. I would not put contact paper on such a wonderful desk, glass would be a better choice without messing up the finish on the desk.

One way to add more light to this area, just paint the walls white.

Believe it or not, the walls are just an off-white. Everything looks kind of yellow in the picture, I think the camera was doing the best it could with the light it had! You can tell that a lot of the light is coming off that little 40-watt lamp and the lights on the machines themselves.
We didn't manage to put the lamps on the walls. I think that will help a lot. Also someone is donating another lamp to the cause!

great desk-I wish I had an L shaped-great for keeping lots of stuff handy

I sat at a desk just llike this for over 20 years!! Don't want to see another one ever!!!!!!

Maybe that's how I ended up with it?! Someone else got tired of looking at it after 20 years?!

Great start
Have a Blessed day
Ellen

Get you DH to hang a 4 foot shop light over head. Mine did for me then fixed the cord down the wall to the plug in. I now have so much light it is wonderfull. No more working around the lamps.

Nice find. J J

new desk
 

I have a similar desk - size and weight and arrangement - except that mine are 2 separate pieces. I absolutely love it. I bought it in the last hours of an office supply store closing. The larger desk is 60w x 30deep and the smaller one actually slides completely under it but is 52x24. I've got a tight space so I use every inch of it. My embroidery machine and serger share the higher desk and my regular sewing machine is on the smaller, lower table. I shuffle the machines to create more "free" space around my current project.
I found a desk organizer with shelves that I put along the wall and use for my machine parts - extra feet, tools, etc - as well as for marking pens and notions. My flatware came in a divided wooden tray and it works beautifully for sorting and fits the organizer as a drawer.

Great find!

I like your free desk!!!!and I like the kitty on it too!!!

Thanks everyone! I got the chance to clean it off today and here's how it looks!

I got contact paper on the top and that's the only money that've put into it (around $6). I didn't find what I wanted, and I got a "dark wood" look. It matches the table almost perfectly! It really looks so much better and will be so much easier to clean.

I have everything hooked up to the surge protector so I just have to switch it on for the lights and plug in the sewing machine or iron to use. I also drug the purple beast in so I have 3 sewing machines in the little 5x6 area! My mom has my serger, or it'd be there too!!

I put my big cutting mat behind the desk, because it doesn't have a hole to hang it by, but everything that I could hang is on the wall.

Thanks for looking.