My sewing room has been in desperate need of an overhaul for a very long time. In July, I started messing around with the layout and thinking about new ways to organize the space. I wish that I had taken pictures before I started moving the furniture around. For a couple of weeks, I would move things around after the kids were in bed, until I finally hit on a layout that mostly worked for the way I sew. I kept that layout, but replaced my old cutting table and ironing board, then got rid of one or two shelving units and brought in some others. Here are a few before and after photos:
Before. Piles of stuff on the floor, and note the cutting mat on the floor in the front. My cutting table was such a poor fit for me that I actually found it easier to use the floor instead. Madness!
After. Not quite the same angle, but pretty close. I took this picture to show the best new thing in my room; the lighting! My husband spent a couple of very hot days up in the attic installing a light fixture for me so I could get rid of the million lamps that weren't doing much anyway. I current;y only have two of the new, fancy, full spectrum bulbs in it, and it is already 1000x better than before. I need to go to the store to get the other two, and it will be blindingly bright in there. The colors look so much better with the new bulbs.
A slightly better view of the actual room. I'll talk more about the different pieces in some close up pictures, but note the new cutting table (with storage!) and the new ironing table (also, with storage!).
Sewing area, before. More piles, and a better view of the cutting mat on the floor (with the green fleece on top of it).
Sewing area, after. Sorry it is not the same angle, but look at the nice, clear surfaces. I also added a clock that I can see easily from either the sewing area, or the ironing and cutting area, where I spend most of my time. Before, there was only one, tiny clock on an up high shelf, behind me, and it was impossible to see. I have left the little clock on the shelf for now, but if I discover that I don't use it, I will probably get rid of it.
Embroidery area, before. Cluttered, and tons of stuff stacked on the cutting table because I hated using it.
Embroidery area, after. The ribbons that were hanging on the cane on the wall are now under the ironing table. Now, the cane holds paper for pattern tracing. The rack on the far left on the wall is now storing dinosaur dresses for my shop that are partly done. Before it was just fabric storage, and it wasn't nearly large enough. My embroidery hoops are hanging on the wall so I can find keep the close without having them taking up table space.
Another view of the new embroidery area.
Closet area, before. Note the piles of fabric in the lower left corner (I had already started folding it into bolts by the time I thought to take "before" pictures) and the overflowing laundry basket in front of the closet.
Closet area, after. The closet still needs a little work, but it is much better. I have a few projects to complete, that will help a lot as far as getting some large things out of the way. Just above the green and pink striped bins are two wire DVD baskets that are perfect for keeping my patterns. Each pattern is slipped into a clear comic book protector, then placed in the bin. With the plastic protectors, I don't have to get all the pieces shoved back into the tiny paper envelopes, and they are large enough to hold the extra pattern pieces I trace onto paper and cut out. I love that I can easily keep all those pieces together now.
Cutting table, before. Like I said, I was actually cutting things on the floor, and not using the cutting table I had. It was a little too tall for me and I could not reach all the way across. It also had casters. Even though they locked, the casters liked to slide on the hardwood floors, making it unstable. It took up a ton of space and had no built in storage. A couple of small cubbie units did fit under it, but it was far from ideal.
Cutting table, after. It is two IKEA shelving units, back to back, with a large IKEA desk top on top of it. I love how I now have room for my rulers and templates right on the side, so they are close at hand, but not in the way.
I folded all my fabric onto comic book backing boards, and they are just the right size. To hold the fabric in place, I used vinyl coated jumbo paperclips. It is great being able to see all my fabrics at once.
There are fabrics on both sides, sorted by type and color. This side has my lyrca, knits, corduroy, home dec, apparel, holiday, and batting and interfacing.
This side is quilting cottons and flannels. My cutting mat fits nicely between the table and the wall.
I got rid of my old, standard ironing board and built this table instead. The table is also from IKEA, but it only came in black, so I painted it green. Then, I covered the top so I can iron on it. It has a larger surface area than my old ironing board, and I'm really enjoying using it. I love having the drawers to store little things that I only use at the ironing board, like my bias tape maker, and the fusible lining I use on embroidered clothing. I also added a white board to keep track of what projects I need to be working on. I had a shopping list in the upper right corner, but it is gone in the photo because Dorothy and I hit the fabric store yesterday.
I love this little shelf! I spray painted regular terracotta pots and they are perfect for keeping my scissors, pens, and pencils, close but off of the cutting table. I added a hook to the side for my tape-measure. I had been keeping it in a drawer, and rolling it back up after each use which was a pain. It is so much easier to just grab it and hook it back when I'm done.
I'm not sure how I feel about the hanging jars yet. For now, they are storing things I don't need too often, and i love how they look. I think they would be annoying to have to get into all the time.
The bakers rack I had no longer fit, so I brought up the two little shelves on the left from the basement. The bins hold dresses and shirts for my shop; both finished, and plain ones waiting to be embroidered. On top of the shelves are other supplies I need for my shop, and I love that it is all together now, instead of spread out in three or four different places. The baskets on the right are three different quilts that are in progress.
I'm ready to start sewing up a storm! I finally have a space for everything, and even a few empty bins and trays, so I can adjust things if need be. I tried really hard to think about how and where I use certain tools to keep it easy for me to get things out and put them away. Here's hoping I can keep it this nice while still getting stuff done in there.
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