Make it work: Tips for quilting in shared spaces
We all would love to have large dedicated sewing rooms. Sometimes I find myself dreaming about what that would look like! The reality is that I need to make my current space work for me today, next week, and probably the next few years! I am going to show you how I am using my spaces somewhat unconventionally and give you a list of my tips and tricks. I would also love to hear what you have done to make your space work for you. You can share in the comments.
A sewing space doesn’t have to be fancy, in fact, mine is a shared space in an unfinished basement! It’s okay to be moving things around as you need to. If you are moving things around, you will develop a system that lets you reconfigure spaces quickly and efficiently. My home may be larger or smaller than yours, each level in my townhouse is about 450 square feet. I have an unfinished basement, main floor, and upstairs with bedrooms. I also share my home with my husband, piano studio, and quilting studio. Most of the year, my quilting stuff is set up in the basement.
Unfinished Basement
Shares as a living room and quilting space. Add indoor/outdoor carpeting - not installed, layed out like an area rug - to help everything feel a little more cozy.
Living Room:
The living room is mostly my piano studio space. I have a corner desk set up that I work from. If I’m doing computer work with the quilting side of things, I’ll sit at my desk. My desk is a glass top style, I have lots of room underneath for a printer and a multi drawer storage cart. If the weather is good, I head out to my little patio and enjoy some sunlight on my skin. I use a laptop and love having the option to be anywhere I want. When I’m not as busy with teaching in the summer, I will move my sewing table and machine into the living room/piano studio so I can work in the sun light and Air Conditioning.
“Living Room”
My living room doubles as a piano studio and computer work space. Pattern writing, video editing, and day to day business happens here.
Basement:
The unfinished basement has truly been to my advantage. However, cement walls and floor aren’t the nicest things to see and it’s cold during our Saskatchewan winters! I bought an indoor/outdoor carpet to cover up the primary open section. That carpet makes a big difference in the overall visual feel and helps a bit in warmth. Having the “living room” down there also helps it feel homier. The basement also serves as storage, laundry, home gym, “living room”, quilting/sewing space, and a waiting area for piano students during lesson hours. My top priority in setting up the space was to make sure students weren’t going to be walking past any of my sewing stuff. The cutting table (a dining room table that I inherited from my grandma) separates the two spaces. I have my sewing table and sit down machine facing the sitting area and my long arm close to the back wall. Leaning against the back wall is my design wall - it’s really a bunch of plywood pieces secured together and leaning up against the wall. Against another wall is an old, second hand, entertainment stand that holds my thread, books, fabric, notions, etc. I also have a treadmill that is rolled from one area to the next a few times a week depending on what is happening in the basement. I also have a fold up ironing board, small folding table, and a couple more multi drawer rolling carts that can easily be moved to a spot that is convenient as I need them. I also have a lot of totes stored under the long arm for things like client quilts, fabric, batting, works in progress, etc.
Tips and Tricks to set up in a small space:
Use multi drawer carts that can have wheels attached - they are easy to move and can be organized to optimize your quilting experience. When it’s time to pack up your sewing for the day, your supplies quickly go back into their drawers and all you have to move are the drawers and your sewing machine.
Go up! When floor space is limited, use that wall space. If you can attach into it, go for it! If you can’t or don’t want to, then shelving units are your best friend.
Everything has to have a home - staying organized is key. It’s easy to move your space around when all your supplies and materials have a shelf or drawer to go into.
Use what you already have - this might be a great time to stock of the storage features and potential work spaces you already have in your home. I find that a bit of reorganizing will leave me with a freed up book shelf. This isn’t always true, but it’s a good place to start if money and space are already tight. A dining room table can serve as a temporary desk space, fabric cutting table, and your sewing machine. A bed or floor work well as a design wall in conjunction with your camera. Always take pictures so you can refer back to it when you are piecing those blocks together!
