New Sewing Room - solutions for a smaller space
 

This was my brother's small bedroom until he moved out, at which point it became Mom's space to do what she'd like (as well as a guest room when needed). It just sort of existed for a couple years as a catch-all storage space with a small desk for her computer. After visiting our Aunt Ruth and seeing the lovely quilting setup she had, we decided it was high-time to set up a sewing space of our own.

There were a few things that had to stay: (1) behind the door into the room is book storage and litter pans, (2) the futon exists as couch and bed, (3) Dad's guitars on the wall are not an option (they're in every room in the house except my bedroom).

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We spent a little while measuring, debating, and planning out the pieces we'd need to get the most for our money. We ended up getting a desk at IKEA and buying an extra top for the cutting surface (mad love for IKEA selling everything separately!) The desktops are about 48" x 32", give or take. We then mounted the separate surface on three cube storage units from Kmart, two 3x3 and one 3x2 for the end. This gives us lots of extra storage, a very deep work surface, and enough room on the other side to scoot around for easy cutting. The top is secured with velcro picture hanging strips!

Two other machines are now stored under the desk as well in their respective cases. And for quilting, the desk can be raised ALMOST to the same level as the cutting surface for an extra-large area to work with!

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A view from the other side. Storage all around! I think all of the storage on this side will be turned into scrap bins, but we're still debating.

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Then you turn around and face the wall-o-fabric closet we inherited from a departed friend of the family. Thank you, Marion! The bottom of the closet has since been filled with two old, short bookshelves and is quite packed.

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Wow, this looks great. I too have a small space and it makes you really think, doesn't it? You did a great job. Enjoy your space

Looks wonderful!

You have a beautiful, inviting room. The soft blue of the walls is lovely. I LIKE seeing the guitars hanging. :-)

Love your room - guitars included. I turned our den into my sewing room, so I have a mounted deer and a stuffed rattlesnake that share my space. At least they don't talk back to me when I am talking out loud...lol.

It all looks great.

Great space, I know you will enjoy it very much.

Nicely done.

Looking very nice, Ikea furniture and office pieces are a wonderful solution.

It looks so neat and clean. Nice area to work.

Great job on the room transformation! Happy sewing!

Love your new sewing room.

Great room! We're in the middle of adding a room onto our house to become my quilting room - I hope mine turns out as nicely as yours!

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You are so clever in designing your space! I love that you used velcro strips to secure your tops! Clever indeed:D

Very very nice you did an excellent job in your design.

Wonderful pics. Looks very inviting!

Lve your space. Very nice, great storage and the desk looks very nice too. Enjoy.

I love the cubes, top, & desk arrangement.

It looks like a great space!!

Nice setup! I'm wondering where you iron.

Great space! Love the inherited stash, too!

If I were you I would put a couple of hooks on the sides of your bookcases that you can hang you rulers from. Put pegboard on the wall above your cutting space for all your other quilting gadgets--cutters, scissors, etc. Nice room.

Great looking space.

Great use of a small space....

Wow, I thought I had a small space. Good organization.

I believe you could thread a quilt sleeve between the strings and the struts and cover those guitars with a quilt. If you can't take good care of them, maybe they'd get moved to a safer spot. In the meantime, how about behind the door right above the litter pans?

We just bought 2 of the 3 x 3 cubby units at Big Lots ($40) tonight to do the same thing with. I have 2 bookcases that will help fill in the space to make the cutting table big enough. Big Lots also has the cloth baskets that go in the cubbies ($4 each) I got six to start with. Can't wait to get mine looking like yours. Great job.

Looks great

A person can work wonders no matter how big or small a space is. My first "sewing room" was an unfinished bathroom in the basement. It didn't have the 4th wall - but was big enough for a table and machine, peg board with all supplies, and a chest of drawers for fabric. It was really a nice place to sew. Then it got turned into a real bathroom so lost that space!

Great looking space. I love your cutting table and I'm so jealous of your hardwood floors! (Mine are carpet.) Have you thought about putting casters on your cutting table? It looks like you've got space so you could move it out occasionally if you ever needed access to all four sides. Mine is a similar set-up with wheels but it doesn't roll well on my carpet. :(

I love hearing about what everyone else has done with their own small spaces!

We actually really enjoy the guitars. :) And Dad accesses them every few days - he plays a lot - so having them displayed in that way wouldn't really work for easy access. It just limits our ability to do anything with the walls, so we have to be creative in other ways.

Hehe, I think Dad would have a heart attack if we used his guitars as hanging racks! He plays all of his babies a lot and takes wonderful care of them.

We had discussed casters on the bottom of the cutting table, but that would have made it too high for me to use comfortably (it's about an inch or two higher than I'd prefer right now, but that makes it perfect for Mom). The floors are a cheap laminate that imitates hardwood very nicely! A necessity with the pets. That room used to have dirty brown shag carpeting. Icky stuff.

great space, nice stash

Awesome job in organizing!! Whoo hoo!

Lovely space. I know you'll both enjoy it!

Wonderful room!!!

Congratulations ... a really lovely space in which to work!

I need an IKEA near me! I have never been to an IKEA store but it looks like I need to go. I have dreams of having my sewing table look like this. I am going to show to to my husband. Thank you for posting. It looks great.

Just wonderful feeling to turn a small room to a useful and enjoy it. What a great job!'

Love the cutting table made with the book shelves......great idea's.