How to Build a Sewing Table & Maximize Use!

by Clarissa Cosgrove
(Glendale, Arizona)

My sewing table sits on 30" "stackers". You can buy these at Home Depot's closet department. The Table is a 5/8" 4' x 6' piece of melamine. I have a removable 4" wide leg for extra support in the middle of the table. It has felt on both ends to make it easy to move and remove without scratching the melamine. It sits well on carpet and gives good support. My Viking Rose is sitting in the depression at the other end of my worktable. It sits about 3" down and is 13" x 19". My longarm fits into it lengthwise perfectly. The depression shelf has an opening to the right side to fish the machine cords through.

I used the extra piece of melamine (2' x 4') to make an ironing table (attached to the far wall) that can fold down. I attached some 2'x 4' legs for extra support.
Quilters' needs are a little different from seamstress/tailor needs. My ironing board is large and flat without much fluff for smooth pressing of seams, blocks, and quilts. I made it from a 2' x 4' ceiling panel (I forget the name of the composite) wrapped with two layers of low loft cotton batt and covered with Teflon fabric. I made a few smaller boards with 1/8" fiberboard middle to take to quilting get-togethers.

The white plastic crates are sitting on my 10' machine-quilting frame. The crates work well for holding fabric and can stack anywhere. Above the quilting frame is 10' piece of 1/2" conduit. You can adjust height with the chain that holds it. It has a 4' fluorescent light fixture attached with metals rings. I can move the fluorescent light fixture back and forth along the conduit when working on my quilting frame.

I added an extra 4' fluorescent light fixture above my sewing table. I use a mixture of fluorescent bulbs to achieve a broader spectrum of light - Daylight/Sunlight bulbs in combination. Most of my fabrics look more vibrant in my sewing room than they do outside. The color just pops out! I don't keep them on all the time since the broader spectrum can fade fabrics over time.

The back wall holds my "story board". It is a 1/4" 4' x 8' piece of melamine with white felt glued to it. Fabric will "stick" to the felt. I can pin bigger projects to it. The right wall is hard to see in the picture - it is 4' x 8' pegboard. I hang all kinds of stuff on it.

I made the bag sitting on the table. It is a camera bag. I wanted something that didn't look like a regular camera bag when I travel for research or data collecting. Also, I did not want a camera bag that is a target for thieves.

Other than wishing this room were larger, especially for moving the quilting frame, the functionality of the space (11' x 12') is well utilized. I have been in the sewing rooms of others and haven't found many as functional as mine.

I hope the sewing room ideas help in broadening the minds of those who are thinking about such a thing.

Attached is a picture of my sewing room before I got my longarm machine.