Second sewing area?
 

Hi,

i have my my finished basement set up as my sewing/quilting/beading area, but I find I only go down there on the weekends when I have a few hours at a time, during the day, to use the area. The lighting is not great (there is some inset lighting and I have plenty of lamps) which is one reason I think I don't use it as often as I'd like.

I'm thinking about setting up a second sewing machine in an extra bedroom that gets lots of natural light that I can use when I have a small amount of time to sew (15-20 minutes). That way I could get in a little sewing time before work. Now when I get home from work it's almost dark and the basement isn't so inviting.

Any ideas on how I can either make my basement space more inviting or have a small space upstairs? What would you do?

Thanks,

Karen

I would go with the second space in the nice room. Sitting in a basement with inadequate lighting would not appeal to me. I have an awesome quilt studio upstairs and spent many hours there but I also set up a tiny sewing station in my family room. I have a 201 Singer in a nice cabinet with drawers and just enough of one project so I can work on it but also put it away. I also have my travel iron and a TV tray ironning board down there.

I think it depends on your lifestyle. Since you say you work, perhaps by the time you get home , prepare dinner, clean up...not much time left..maybe some tv time with SO..or not. When I worked and did all that when getting home, I would "give myself" one hour of quilting time..in "my" room ( little attic). That was my decompression time.....brought me back to center. Different home now, "my space" is in finished basement...but the unfinished section...had walls painted butter yellow, there are 2 Windows, had extra lighting put up at work stations...cutting, sewing, L/A, and no longer work outside of home, but this is still my escape hatch.....now am widowed, so do not share time with a SO, but do have handwork up in living room along side a wingback chair that is my tv place. So I guess I'm saying a little of both is a good thing, if you can do it.

Do you have an extra machine to leave set up in the extra bedroom? If so, I see no reason why a second sewing area would not work. You could use your basement area to cut out your projects on the weekend and then just have a machine and perhaps a small table with a small cutting mat and ironing pad on it. What else would be in the room, a bed, dresser? I do most of my sewing in a bedroom and use the bed as my "horizontal design wall". Let us know what you come up with

It's ok to have a small 2nd place that is uncluttered with tools and projects for those 15 min stitches, but it is not ok to have a main sewing area without enough lighting. Ttoo much new fangled lighting to recommend these days, so head to lowes or a lighting store to buy an equivalent of 4 florescent tubes over your sewing area.

I would go for the spare bedroom. My "guest room" is my sewing room. I have a twin bed in there and a sewing table that takes up where a second twin bed would be. Whenever one guest comes to stay, they get the sewing room and my bins of fabric stack underneath the table. Whenever two guests come to stay, they get my son's room with a queen size bed and he gets the twin bed. The room is light and airy with sun coming in the window. It's perfect to sew something for 5 minutes or longer.

You could set up the second sewing area as you would if you were going to guild or retreat. Do all your major cutting downstairs then your finishing upstairs. If you had guests it would be easier to put your equipment up.

I'm thinking of adding a second permanent sewing space...I say permanent because yes I have a space downstairs but like the dining room table to MQ large quilts..which is where my second temporary space is. With my home's open space concept it is a mess. If I tuck a small piecing station upstairs and make room for a table for quilting downstairs I think I would have less of a mess...plus we could eat at the table....Thanks for the discussion....

Thanks everyone. I'm lucky I have plenty of room to spread out, I guess I feel guilty because I have this big sewing space but now I want a "satellite" sewing space as well.

I'm fortunate enough to have one sewing area, and to me, unless I'm working on two projects at once (and don't even get my mind started there!), it would be too much of a pain to haul stuff from one area to another.