This is one of our favourite rooms in the house. It has amazing light! There are windows everywhere, even running along the top of the roof line. I like to call it my ‘Sewing Loft’. I think technically it is a loft since we have no ceiling space. The ample light does make sewing a delightful task.
I feel very lucky to have a dedicated sewing area, but it has only been the case since we moved here. In our old house, I took over the dinner table…permanently! We would eat dinner with our plates in our laps sitting on the couch. Hubby hated it, so one requirement when we moved was a proper sewing space. It takes up half of the second living room and while the kids are small we don’t really need a second living space. Wanna take the tour?
The picture above gives you a good look at how everything is laid out. I’ve got the sewing desk to the right (the Alex from IKEA), my cutting table in the middle and tucked in the back corner a chest of drawers to store my fabric.
Hubby built the cutting table from two storage cubes. I love how big it is and as you can see, I can fit a heap of stuff in the shelves. I’ve also got a lot of things stashed under the table too. I’ve got a rubbish bin, bag for scraps, big bag of toy stuffing, my old sewing machine and a basket full of balls of yarn.
I made the sewing machine covers at the start of the year. They were my first attempt at quilting. You can read more about them here. The art on the walls may not look super exciting, but the two paintings were both gifts and are very special and inspiring. The sunflower in the embroidery hoop is from my first spoonflower design.
The chest of drawers holds most of my fabric. I’ve got three big drawers of wovens, a drawer of knits, another full of interfacing and felt pieces in the smaller drawers. I find this a great way to store my fabric. It’s easy to see them all at a glance, but they’re also covered up so they don’t get dusty.
The cutting table also stores bed sheets that I use for making muslins. My Mum is bed linen obsessed and whenever she does a cull, I score all the old sheets. They are perfect for testing out patterns and getting the fit right before cutting into your ‘good’ fabric.
On top of the drawers are all my patterns. I store PDF patterns in large envelopes. They have post-it notes on them to let me know what is inside. My commercial patterns are just stacked up in any order. I don’t have that many, so if I need to find one, it’s easy to go through the pile.
I use old office chairs to sit at the machines. We picked them up at an office furniture clearance centre. I think they were $5 each. They are very comfy and ergonomic and all that, which makes sewing for long hours no problem. They did have arms on them, but they were annoying so I took them off.
The drawers on the desk are really handy! I think I still have two that are empty. Note to Self: Must buy more supplies. The top drawer next to the sewing machine has all my threads in it. It’s so handy having them right there next to the machine. I don’t have a clever way to store the bobbins, but sitting them on top of their matching spool seems to work just fine.
I hope you enjoyed the tour of where I create. Are you lucky enough to have your own sewing space or do you take over your dining table? I have to thank Christina for inviting me to join the series. It was the kick in the pants I needed to clean up my sewing loft. Make sure you head on over 2 Little Hooligans to take a look at everyone else’s sewing space.
Natalie from Sewoutnumbered says
Thanks for sharing Abby! I love checking out everyone’s sewing spaces 🙂 I have the same desk for my sewing machines too – gotta love Ikea!! 🙂
Mel says
I love seeing peoples spaces. You have a fantastic space with all that storage and natural lighting. I also have some good news, the kids need even less space when they’re older, the toys get a lot smaller so you wont need to give up your space 🙂 Wall art with special meaning is better than anything.
abby says
ooh, that’s great to know! 😉
christina says
such a great space abby! i love the picture of your threads and bobbins. thank you so much for sharing your space for my sewing spaces series! it is so spacious and bright. hope you enjoy your vacation!
abby says
thanks for having me Christina!
Jenya says
What a beautiful sewing space! Well done to your husband for building a cutting table! I love how you use the chest of draweres to store your fabric.
abby says
thanks, that chest of drawers has had so many lives!
Eva Smith says
Wow. Lovely space. Good hubby too!
Melissa Q. says
I love it! Beautiful space. I am jealous of your cutting table, mine is a low fold-up table and it works great but I long for better. 🙂
abby says
I cut out patterns on the floor for years, so I couldn’t be more excited about having a proper cutting table.
Noelle says
Wow! Lots of great sewing room ideas here. Especially love the way you have your fabric stored in the drawers. Must try that. 😉