After 10 years of living in my house, I finally get the bigger spare bedroom for my sewing room! The story of this room—and why I haven’t gotten to use it until now—is long and boring. It basically involves having roommates and then being too lazy to switch rooms when Matt moved in (and made it his studio/office). The thing is, this room has a bathroom in it, so we had thought for awhile that it should be a guest room. As we have gotten a bit older—and putting people on the couch was starting to seem inappropriate for us and our guests—we finally realized it was time to make the switch. Lucky me!
I have actually been in this room for almost two years now, but it took me awhile to put some of the finishing touches on it. It’s finally ready and in a good state now to show! Most of the furniture and storage you will see in this room has been purchased at different times over the years from IKEA and I have linked it if mentioned. What can I say, they make good, affordable office furniture that also works great for sewists!
Computer Desk and Pull Out Couch
I have been lucky enough to always have an office in this house and you can see my previous studio here. Disclaimer: I have learned my lesson and no longer pick paint colors based on their names and/or after drinking Rockstar. Over the years, as I have gotten more into sewing, the ratio of “office” to “sewing studio” has definitely shifted. I still need a small space to work on my blog, edit photos, etc., but I now just have a small desk for my computer (and have only one monitor) and have gotten rid of my large printer and scanner.
When we have overnight guests, the couch be pulled out into a bed. To protect the couch from Wyatt’s white dog hair, I keep the couch covered with a washable blanket at all times. As a recent napping convert, I have to say I don’t mind having a couch in my sewing space at all. All this creativity can make me a little sleepy sometimes and it turns out this is a great space for a quick, rejuvenating nap!
Sewing Area
Sewing Table and Machines
With my computer only needing small desk, I definitely need a big desk for my sewing machine and serger. If I had an even bigger space, I could definitely benefit from a longer table. I often have to shove the serger over when using my sewing machine, so my fabric doesn’t drape and stretch over the edge. Since I don’t have space for a longer table, I’d say this still works pretty well. I also keep my ball winder and swift handy at each edge and can easily clear the table off to wind yarn when I need to.
Pictured is my Janome MOD-100 sewing machine that I bought at Camp Workroom Social last year. My serger is Babylock Lauren. I’m on my third sewing machine, but this is still the first serger I’ve ever owned. Both of these machines are currently serving me well, so until I feel like I need to spring for a Bernina or something, I feel pretty set up.
Side note: also pictured is the Christine Haynes Ellsworth Coat that I started at camp last year. As of the taking of these photos, all it needed was buttons! Camp is coming up in October, and I couldn’t go back to camp without it finished, so I have since completed it. Stay tuned for a blog post on that!
Sewing Storage
Storage was becoming an issue in my previous studio, so I added more shelving for books, patterns and tubs of things like kits, special fabric, and all of the vintage buttons people keep giving me. I still love my spice rack and jars of (new, matching set) buttons, so that stayed. Other new additions are the Fintorp Series rail and hooks. They are meant for to be wall storage in the kitchen, but work so great for scissors and other sewing tools. If I remember correctly, I bought the regular size thread rack from Pacific Fabrics and the serger spool rack from Joann Fabrics. I also kept my system of storing my “in progress” patterns on coat hooks because that has continued to work well for me.
New and Improved Ironing Area!
Sometimes the most exciting changes are the simplest. You know those things that you do and then you wonder why it took you so long to do them? In my previous studio, I had an over the door ironing board and it worked for that small space, because it was about half the size of a regular iron board. That meant it took me twice as long to iron things because I had to iron one side and then flip it over and iron the other half. Ugh. I moved it to this studio and used it in here (with it clanking on the back of the door every time I used it) for over a year before it occurred to me that I now had the space for a bigger one. Freeing up the back of the door also meant I could use that space for a full length mirror. No more running back and forth to the bedroom when I am trying on clothes! I feel so pro now. The ironing board can be folded up and tucked away next to my fabric storage when not in use.
Fabric Storage
I’ve had this shelf unit for awhile and it also shows the evolution of my hobbies. Whereas it used to house photography and skate stuff, those items don’t get used as much or at all anymore, so have been moved to the closet or basement. The freed up space was quickly taken over by fabric and yarn. It got so full, that I eventually had to go through and fold everything better, so it would all fit. That gave me the opportunity to also organize everything by type (wool, denim, knits, rayon, shirting, etc.), so fabric would be easier to find. They don’t make this exact shelf series anymore, but the Kallax Series was designed to be its replacement and it looks pretty cool too!
Cutting Table
If you are wondering where I cut fabric, I do that in the kitchen, which is just outside my studio. Amazingly, I found a cutting mat that fits my kitchen table perfectly! I can’t seem to find the exact one online, but I do remember that I got it at Joann Fabric and it was only around $45. When I am not using it, I just roll it up and hide it behind the door in my studio. I also put the table up bed risers when I cut fabric, which is way more comfortable to cut on. It’s not pretty, but it works!
This sewing room is my happy place and has made me even more of a homebody then I already was. All I want to do is stay home and work in there. Also, with our days of putting people on the couch long gone, it has been really nice to have a grown-up place for people to stay. In fact, we have a house guest as I type this! That said, this would be a sewing paradise for my out of town sewing friends (hint hint), so please come visit me!
It hadn’t occurred to me to lift my table on risers when cutting! I often feel sore and stooped after doing a lot of prep but figured that was just my lot in life until I got a dedicated cutting table. My lumbar thanks you!!