Just down the hall from the current sewing spot is a larger guest bedroom with two big windows bringing in a lot of natural light, as well as a large closet for storage. Yes, it\’s a lovely bedroom, but wouldn\’t it be a FANTASTIC sewing studio?
Right now Sylvia\’s plan includes completely clearing the room, removing the carpet and installing hardwood floors. She may also repaint. Beyond that, she\’s open for your ideas and suggestions! She has budgeted to find proper sewing room furniture as well, although we both like the idea of repurposing old/vintage items. She mentioned to me that this room was large enough that she could put a twin bed in the corner for occasional extra guests, but I put my foot down to that. (It\’s easy to be bossy when you\’re helping decorate someone else\’s space!) This will be Sylvia\’s Sewing Studio . . . and she deserves it! Besides, there are plenty of other beds (and couches and floor space) in the house for overnight guests! 😉
While we were visiting about her new sewing studio, Sylvia also pulled some quilting treasures to show me, and I know you\’ll enjoy seeing these too!
First up are some unfinished vintage pieces. Sylvia\’s mother is also a quilter, and over the years she has been given unfinished tops and blocks as gifts. Some of these pieces are several decades old and hand pieced. Sylvia has plans for each of them and I can\’t wait to see what she comes up with!
She also showed me two of her favorite quilts that she made a few years ago. These quilts were made as gifts for her daughters. I think she may be having a hard time parting with them (the quilts) as both daughters are nicely established in their own homes! Aren\’t they beautiful?
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today! I\’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the progress in Sylvia\’s Sewing Studio.
In the meantime, I\’d like to give away one Carried Away Quilting pattern (of your choice) to a reader who offers a decorating, storage, or other sewing room suggestion for Sylvia. Leave a comment below with your email address and you\’ll be entered! Comments are open through 5:00 pm (CST) on Wednesday, May 11. At that time, Sylvia will select her favorite comment and I\’ll announce the winner. *Only one comment per person/per email address. Email me if you are having trouble leaving a comment and I will leave a comment on your behalf. (carriedawayquilting@gmail.com)
~Taunja
I would have shelves built in along the longest wall thus giving her lots of storage!
My suggestion is similar to Annemarie. My sewing area is shared with the washer, dryer, sink with cabinets above washer and dryer and above/ below sink and a closet. I had shelves made in they closet stoping about 30\” from the bottom. The shelved closet is my best suggestion, store books, magazines, patterns, baskets for fabric,etc. The space at bottom is for large baskets or clear boxes stacked. patsystitch@gvtc.com
I'm all for Sylvia claiming her own sewing space! My suggestion is all about fabric storage. Particularly fat quarters- I have a lot of those. I bought some clear plastic bins that are the perfect width of a folded fat quarter and long enough to hold about 40 or so. The lid is hinged on one end so the fabric is easy to access. Then I organized all of the fat quarters by color, one color in each bin. I love being able to see my fabrics so I can easily shop my stash when I'm working on a new project. Good luck on the new space, I'm excited to see it finished!
Make it a sewing studio…no time for sleep! By dedicating it to a quilting studio – you don't compromise that, if it's also a bedroom then a Work In Progress would be picked up for a guest. Make the old sewing room the guest room. Best thing I did, after 26 years of quilting was recently putting up a design wall, reserving that BIG space on my wall is an expansion of my brain-it has allowed layouts to \”percolate\” and 'pow' resolve because they were visual. It also decorates and warms my wall! Lucky girl-now makes it yours!
I would position a cutting table station by the big windows so that you have great lighting for optimal precision cutting.
Wow – this is exciting! A whole room just for sewing 🙂 – and a total new remake for it! One thing that I have found absolutely useful and love in my sewing room, are the 'mini' laundry baskets from Walmart. They come in two sizes (that I've seen) and are stackable. Enjoy decorating!
I would invest in some storage shelves from IKEA – I use their Billy Bookcase and use boxes of the same size. Also buy a label maker and label where everythign is!
I'm doing the same thing. Swapping bedrooms since I hv a tiara 2 machine now. Only one window though. Hope to clean out the closet so I can use it but the other room doesn't hv one so there may be a prob 😂😂😂 my need and yours prob too is try to make cutting and pressing stations a good height for the aching back. I want to put flannel up to for design wall. Hv some vintage pieces to use too.
Sylvia and I have some things in common: retired teacher; currently substitute teaching;empty nester; love to quilt and sew. I love the idea of repurposing older, vintage furniture pieces to use as storage and to display supplies. I would dedicate the room's closet to her \”stash\” with an organizer system of shelving, drawers,hooks, etc. purchased from IKEA, or Home Depot. Be sure to protect the new hardwood floor with a carpet or jar plastic office mat if she uses a chair to sew with (some folks stand). No bed!!! A small, comfy chair would be nice for hand-stitching though! Most of all, have fun with decorating!
I'm loving these comments so far people! Exciting!!
Great suggestions! Here's mine. I have the Ikea adjustable sawhorse legs (with bottom shelves) and the large table top set at the highest level for my cutting table. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09047296/ Love it! It's large enough to hold a good size cutting mat, directional lighting, rulers to the side, containers for other \”stuff\”, and those shelves on the bottom hold a my individual containers with the work in progress items. Lucky you to have those beautiful hand stitched quilts from your mom – glass cabinet to display them would be nice. Your quilts are lovely too! Have fun!!!! Keep us updated!
I think Sylvia needs an old vintage buffet in her sewing room. I always dreamed of having one in my sewing room and was fortunate enough to find one in great shape and the right price last fall on Craig's list. Its great for storing fabric and whatever else we quilters need to do our job.
First of all – get a cubicle/wire grid system for that closet! You can go floor to ceiling and have 12×12 cubbies for sorting/storing your fabric! I have some cubbies that I got at Costco a few years back, not wire grid, they have the connectors at the corners but the 'wall' of each section is a translucent plastic. You can change the configuration for what works for your space. These babies hold a LOT of fabric and organized just how you like it – by collection or color or project.
When I updated my sewing \”studio\”, I was fortunate enough to my sons make lots of cabinetry to store fabric, freezer paper, fusible web as well as a book case to hold all of my pattern books, magazines and patterns in binders. The most important thing for me is lots of great lighting over my cutting area and sewing area. So excited for you, Sylvia!
I love the vintage quilts and unfinished tops she has. What a treasure and a great opportunity for decorating with them. I am an Elfa girl. I have Elfa drawer systems along one wall. You can fold fat quarters to fit nicely in the drawers. They are in different size drawers. Some sized are perfect for patterns, small ones with divided liners for thread and notions. They are easy to label to see in a flash what you have. You can also use the top of some as a cutting table depending on your height. I purchased box store book shelves that were a not so pleasant color so I sanded and painted them white to hold my flat folds. I currently have an antique drafting table I use as a cutting table and my great grandmother's rocker in my sewing room in which to sit for stitching. I have old sewing notions for decoration and on the walls. Just remember to make it your own and a happy place in which you love to spend time. Have fun.
I would take a short wall and have shelving installed. Not to deep, is it would be a great storage and organizational ares..floor to ceiling!
Such beautiful quilts. Have fun with the rooms and do it your way.
1. A Murphy Bed – I know you said no bed but she's someone who likes having people visit. The Murphy Bed goes against a wall with shelves built in around it. Plus this gets rid of guilt and frees her mind for designing quilts.2. When the bed is stowed, there is a portable design wall against the stowed bed. This design wall is a large batt type material which is strung and can be rolled up and stored when guests arrive or folded and put away.3. One of the units next to the Murphy bed is a hanging area with a pole. Pole can be removed when not needed. She can hang finished tops on hangers in this small closet area. When guests arrive, she takes the wuilts on hangers and moves them to another area temporarily.4. She must have a large ironing surface preferably on an island so she can move around it to iron quilts. This same area could be used for basting the three layers together for her quilt.5. There is a fabric folding demo at a quilter's web site. It shows how to fold any size of material so it's the same width and length and is easily stored. I think her first name is Jen. She has a new book which is all about half sqaure triangles and she has a bunny, a black bunny. Find the tutorial, fold some fabric, and then make the drawers the size to accommodate the fabric.6. Use the wall space in creative walls which will free up the area so it doesn't appear cluttered. For example, if she has to have a picture on the wall, think of a medicine type cabinet space behind it. Perhaps this area could hold thread or patterns.7. Buy an ergonometical chair.8. Install daylight lamps which can be adjusted.9. If she is doing any machine quilting using her domestic machine or a small quilting machine, check Becky Goldsmith's web site and install hooks with clamps in the ceiling so the weight of the quilt is lifted away from her when she's quilting.10. Enjoy your new sewing studio.
Definitely leave room for a design wall! Looking at your blocks on a vertical surface really helps with quilt lay out. Fons and Porter has a smallish one that is easy to hang with Command Strip hooks. There are many tutorials for different tutorials for design walls in blogland, so if you want a bigger one, google for directions.
I think a sleeper chair would be prefect for the room, for her to relax and think on and also pull out in to a bed when she needs it. A design wall would be a must. I bought almost everything in my sewing room furniture wise at our location habit for humanity store. I took a table top off a table and put in on top of the those cube boxes units. Also making a large ironing board that will fit aleast a half yard makes ironing so much easier. Enjoy your new room!
What a wonderful room it will be . Makes it full of happy memories .
I do think you need a nice comfortable chair to relax, hand sew and plan in. I would also suggest that above your cutting table to put a peg wall . Did you know that you can cut down the i4\” rounds from the craft stores, push them into the peg holes to hold your thread, it works great. I like under my cutting the shelves that hold small baskets, so as I cut I can drop my scraps right int my colored bins. A nice tall shelf works really great to show your fav fabrics and some more decorative things to make. But I wouldn't make that shelve too wide or you only end up putting so much fabric on it and forget what is there. Lol either way, make it all about you. You will love your space and how it makes you feel. 💞
Oh how I would love to have the opportunity to redo my room. I have so many idea running through my head but I know my wallet wouldn't handle everything I'm thinking. The most important thing is storage. I would build shelves that would accommodate baskets, so that each color way could have its place and it would be easy to find what I need. It would have to take up a whole wall probably but it's the only way to make sure every beautiful color way has its \”home on the shelf\”. And a large center table, that is the right height and you can walk all the way around it for cutting. It would also have a spot that is for ironing. I would love to be able to incorporate the sewing machine in that table so that its sits down in the table and you have this huge area for the quilt to rest while you are sewing. I could just keep going but I know your bored by now so I will end and just wish you all the luck in the world making you a relaxing space to create so many beautiful pieces. The quilt tops you have are just beautiful. You almost want to put them in a frame because they are definitely master pieces. Enjoy your new room!!!!!
I think my biggest suggestion is to scour Pinterest and Houzz for ideas about what you want your room to be long-term and then plan for that. Don't plan around what you have today, but what you want your room to look like at the end. For example, if you like the look of fabric organized by color on comic book boards, don't wait until you feel your stash is \”big enough\” or \”colorful enough\” to implement that. If you wait, starting from scratch can be daunting and overwhelming, so figure out what you want the end to be and work toward that now! Thanks for a chance to win. Good luck! I can't wait to see what you come up with!!
Also, spend some time thinking about whether you're a person who is more or less creative when you can see everything. If you're bothered by the \”busyness\” of it, then find storage solutions that \”hide\” everything (solid boxes, for example). However, I tend to not use things I can't see, so I need storage I can see through. if you're that type of person, find open baskets or clear plastic boxes to store things. Also, I think if I were doing my room over I'd use more pegboard – it's such a great way to store things on the walls where you can see and easily access them, and it can help keep your work surface clear.
I think that Sylvia needs to paint all of the walls or at least one feature wall in one of her favourite colours so that when she walks in, the colour makes her instantly feel happy. Depending on her budget, I suggest fitting the current wardrobe out with a hanging space; lots of shelves that can be adjusted to accommodate different height items/folded stacks of fabric and some drawers to store equipment such as cutters and scissors, as well as spare bobbins, needles etc. Within the room some vintage or retro furniture such as a low buffet, side cabinet or set of drawers would be a great place to store on the go projects in the one place (depending on how many she has). If this piece isn't an overly precious piece, Sylvia could have a new top placed on top that she could use as a cutting station as well as somewhere she could baste her quilts. This piece needs to be at a comfortable height for Sylvia. An area for an ironing board is a must, as well as a smaller board that she can easily move around. A smaller board would be useful to her when pressing blocks etc., and the full board when pressing quilt tops etc. Good lighting is a must – a combination of natural light and built in lighting or lamps that can have its height adjusted, as well as flexible in regards to how the light can be directed. A good chair that has back support and promotes healthy posture is a must, as too is an area for Sylvia to make herself a cup of tea or coffee. This only needs to be a small table or old bedside drawers that a kettle, cups, spoons tea/coffee/sugar can sit on so that Sylvia doesn't need to waste time going downstairs to make s cuppa. These drawers can double as additional storage. A small bar fridge would be fantastic as well; not only could this hold her milk, it can keep healthy snacks fresh – carrot sticks, cheese, yoghurt etc. Again this would stop Sylvia wasting time by going downstairs during her sewing time. A design wall would be great and should be put on a wall that will get a different look depending on the time of day – important when deciding on a final layout.Lastly, Sylvia should put some mini quilts, hoops covered in fabric and colourful bunting on the walls to decorate and help make the space feel happy and crafty. Photos of her husband and children(at least one) should be placed in a position that when Sylvia is sewing, she can glance at it and feel love. Whatever she does, I hope she enjoys it.😊
I'm checking in again . . . and all of your suggestions are wonderful!!! Thanks so much people!
First let me say, your home is beautiful. I recently moved and set up my new sewing studio. Here are some of the ideas I incorporated into my space. Be sure to leave one wall empty so you can hang a design wall there. My hubby used an antique banister handle and added cup hooks to one side and mounted it on a shelf. You can use those rings with clips you can buy at Ikea to hang a felt design wall from those hooks, OR if you are between large projects you can hang a finished quilt from the hooks. Contact me and I would be happy to text you a pix of mine. Another idea I incorporated here was to mount a television in one corner, so it is not taking up any floor space, yet I can still enjoy TV shows or movies, etc. I am hoping to get a dongle for my birthday, and then I can view video tutorials on that television. I would also encourage you to have a designated spot/shelves for all of your magazines and books. Moving was a great time to reorganize them all chronologically and by topic/theme. I used those plastic shoe size storage boxes to organize my collections of pins, scissors, etc and made labels that were easy to read at a glance for each one. Remember I am happy to text pix of any of these ideas, if you would be curious. Most of all enjoy this time with Taunja and treasure the process of revisiting memories as well as making new ones! Kristy AKA quilterkg soardkgatfusedotnet
So many great ideas here! What a fun comment thread :-)I like having all my rulers easily accessible, so I suggest using Command hooks on the wall nearest the cutting table to store them.It's also a great addition to a quilt studio to have a place to hang both WIPs and finished quilts. I use pretty towel bars and drape quilt tops on them to keep them wrinkle-free. Finished quilts can drape across the bars, too, to decorate the space. There are so many different styles of towel bars that it's easy to find something that coordinates with your decor.For a quick way to display finished quilts on the wall, try a curtain rod that uses curtain rings that have spring-loaded clips on them. With 8-12 clips you can hang a quilt fast. Mount the curtain rod at the top of a blank wall rather than above the window, maybe the same wall as your design wall. For permanently displayed quilts you should use a hanging sleeve, but if you want to rotate quilts with the season or just show off your latest finish, the clips work great!Best of luck!
Thanks AnneMarie!
I use a corner of an guestroom also. But I have seen an idea on Pinterest for a workstation for the center of the room where you put together 4 IKEA bookshelves together and a board on the top for cutting. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/6403624448971566/ Here is a Pinterest link for the one I liked. The link no longer works but I do remember that it was four bookshelves from IKEA.
Good suggestions! I wish I had a closet in my sewing room to organize things I don't want to look at every day!
I love organizing by color too! Often I keep things by designer or fabric line because I hate to \”break them up\” but in the end it just makes more sense to organize by color when I'm really trying to create a special quilt! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Melody! Sylvia and I will definitely talk about the design wall idea. I need one too!! A design \”floor\” is just hard on my knees!
VERY good tip! My cutting table is does not have enough lighting, and you are right, that is so important when cutting!
Thanks Sigi! Can't wait to see Sylvia's space transformed!
I've only been to IKEA once, years ago, but I'm thinking if Sylvia goes, I need to go too . . . and bring my checkbook! 😉
Yes . . . stations at the right height are SO important! Good reminder!
All great tips Kathy!! This will be fun!!
I looked this up Pam and it's darling! Now I want one too!! 😉
Great idea Pam! And a buffet would provide a nice top work surface also. Excellent!!
Excellent! We'll have to get Sylvia's husband to work on that closet organization system! 😉
How nice of your sons! That makes it extra special. Good lighting . . . yes, so important!!
Oh boy, your sewing room sounds lovely! Thanks for all of these great ideas!
Thank you Linda!! Not too deep is right! I have an open faced storage cabinet and it is way too deep. Things get \”lost\” in the back.
Thanks!
Wow Mary! So many great tips. Love it! Thank you so much for providing this for Sylvia!
Every time I hear someone say anything about a design wall, I think, I NEED ONE TOO! 😉 Thanks Amy!
All great ideas and a nice BIG ironing surface . . . yes . . . a must!
Thanks Becky!