Designing Your Dream Sewing Room...
 

If you could design your dream sewing room from scratch, what would it look like? Hints/tips on what details you would include? What would you avoid? What makes things easy?
Everything from paint colours to how to hang tools to what furniture you'd include (and why.) I'd love to know.

Watson

I would like to have a Larger Sewing Space for an ironing station, cutting station, ruler wall, design wall, built in wall cabinets for storage, a sewing cabinet with the extension table, plenty of light and electrical outlets. Wall Space to display my quilts. A computer station to check out quilting tutorials and read the Quilting Board. Oh...and a Rest station with a recliner and small refrigerator filled with my fav snacks.

I recently remodeled the garage into a workroom for sewing on one side and stained glass on the other! I've majorly rearranged my sewing area at least 3 times to get the flow mojo, and now it works for me. The peg board was already there, so I had to design around it. It is necessary, but I wouldn't have it there if I had a choice. I wish it would trade places with the design wall. I need more electric outlets, always. The lighting hasn't been upgraded yet, but it really needs to be soon. Go for great lighting! I use one folding table for cutting, and one for working/sandwiching quilts. The bookshelves hold the comic book boards fabrics perfectly. I already had them. If I need the two tables together, they are easy to rearrange. I wish I had a bigger ironing area-like half a sheet of plywood size on the Jordan Fabric's videos! The glass doors allow a great view! It's still a work in progress, so I'll be watching this thread.

Sewing table (with machine "in") that can be easily expanded to support a quilt for FMQ.
Large design wall - possibly two.
Fabric storage (I like open shelving with fabric folded so the folds show the fabric) no more than 15" deep
Cutting machine area with storage for dies
Cutting table - large mat space - wall space to hang basic rulers (specialty rulers can have their own drawer/behind door spaces) - drawer for storage of cutters (preferably accessible from all sides but at least 3 sides)
Good lighting
Ironing area - large surface (18" - 24" deep 50" -60" wide)

I'm currently getting my new quilting room(s) put together/built.
I'll be using the entire second floor of our house.
There will be two large rooms, one room 16'x 22' , the second room 35' x 22' , a bathroom and a storage room.
The storage room is for household storage only, and the two large rooms are for my quilting rooms only.

The setup I'm planning in the smaller of the two rooms, I'll have a large 6' table with my laptop/printer and will also use the table to get out/pull together my current projects. My 'mending' sewing cabinet and sewing machine. My workhorse sewing machine, and all of my wall to wall fabric storage cabinets, my free standing drawer cabinets, my two shelving units and a three draw dresser that holds my threads, and other tools and supplies.

In the larger room, I'm planning to put 5, 6' tables. One table will be my ironing station, 2 tables side by side together for my cutting station/layout station, one table for my sewing station, and the last table for my setup station. I'm setting them up in a triangle layout (spreading out in the space of the room) with the set up table in the center of the triangle. And, planning a design wall as well in this room.

Now wait for the contractor to put up the inside walls, the electric, and the plumbing, and then hire a mover to move all of my cabinets, supplies, fabric, drawers, etc. up to the second floor!

The wish list is extensive for my sewing room. I would meet with a cabinet maker to design the cabinets with careful attention to what will be stored in them. The upper cabinets would go to the ceiling to maximize storage. Lowers would be drawers that are reinforced to handle heavy items. I would utilize drawer inserts to keep tools organized.

I don't want to see rulers or tools out on a wall of pegboard. They would be in drawers with dividers. Drawers would hold all the stabilizers, zippers, and threads. There would be machine tables so the embroidery machine, sewing machine, and serger can be ready to go.

I would also meet with a lighting designer to plan for different types of lighting. Electrical outlets (4 quad) on the wall at counter height to avoid bending down for plugs. There would be a beautiful antique dining table in the center for a planning area with a pretty chandelier over-head.

The fabric closet would be reserved for fabric only with space for bolts, yardage, and pre-cuts.

After careful consideration, the paint color would be a soft-salmon pink. It would take time to sample and find the perfect choice that I "see" in my mind. (You may have inspired me to just make that change.) Yes, I think you did!

Are you getting a new sewing room?

I would definitely like a larger room. More electric outlets that were at table height. Also I want wall space for a design wall. As for color, I am still thinking on that.

Of course larger than what I have now which is in the basement. More windows, a separate room for the fabrics so it can be closed up against sun and dust, I'd keep my 4 x 8 cutting table as it works great for me. A cabinet for each type of thread....quilting, embroidery and serger. A level floor which I don't have at the moment. I'm pretty happy with what I have except for just more room and windows which I don't have.

To add to my previous post --

As for my ironing station, my ironing board is somewhat like the one they have on Jordan Fabrics and will cover pretty much all of the 6' table.

The paint color is going to be a tan/beige color, not too light not too dark w/white ceilings. The floor will be a design of a beige color, throughout the entire 2nd floor. There are 2 extra large double windows and one single window in the large room. and 2 large double windows and one single window in the smaller room. I plan on making and putting almost sheer curtains on all of the windows, so if I need to block out sun glare, the light will still come through. The fabric for them is ready and waiting and will be my first project in my new quilting (need to think of a name for this). Even though it is pretty much the entire 2nd floor, minus a walk in closet size storage room and the bathroom, I'm thinking of calling my quilting 'floor/space', the The Quilting Loft. It has been a long wait, but worth it! So excited!

New Lighting fixtures, additional lighting, all 5 banquet tables, etc. have all been acquired and are waiting in my current craft room(previously our dining room), still boxed up, ready to go up to the second floor. Wall to wall cabinets, were built by woodworker hubby several years ago and have been in use for fabric storage, all drawers/shelving units/etc. are currently being used, but are ready for the short journey to the second floor as well. Plus, my sewing table, which is the dining room table will still be the 6' table I'm taking to the second floor, plus I have two more leaves for it if I need them. I like that I can have room to hold the weight of my project/quilt while sewing to the left of my machine, and back of it for when I chain sew (don't like the fabric hanging to the floor), plus the table gives me room to keep my pins, ripper, clips, case of wound bobbins, etc. on the table beside my machine within reach as I sew. Oh, and I also have the seating I need.

Once I move my quilting/craft items out of the dining room, we are making the dining room into a study with bookshelves, a reading area and a game table for chess/cards, and a display cabinet for my teacup collection.

Here's an interesting video "Organize Your Sewing Space - Part 1" from Just Get it Done Quilts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaPFW-9lpdA I especially liked the sewing triangle, similar to the kitchen triangle. This helped me when setting up my room.