New Sewing Room Part 3

I'm in!  The sewing room is done - seemed like a long time to do it all, but that's just my impatience.  The professional builder we got to create it did the work actually quite quickly and made an excellent job of it at the same time.  I'm in heaven!

The room is 12x14 with cork flooring.  Because it used to be part of the garage, the ceiling is high and 2 windows bring in lots of daylight.  Our builder put in two ceiling LED fixtures and the light yellow walls with white trim keep everything bright.  Perfect for a sewing room!

My layout is slightly different from how I originally planned it as I have more space than I thought I'd have!  There's room for the ironing board to the right as you come in and right beside my sewing desk  which makes it very handy for that quick press you need as you sew.

Then there's the sewing desk hubby made me.  6 shallow drawers in each pedestal are perfect for storing sewing supplies.  The desk was based on an antique desk we have in the living room and is a real work of art as well as being completely practical.  There's room for all three of my machines and the wide kneehole makes it easy to slip from machine to machine.  The 2 wall units were originally one but were separated to accommodate the window so there is still a touch-up to the exposed sides needed.

Continuing anti-clockwise around the room, one shelving unit holds all my cotton/spandex fabrics with French terry on the bottom shelf.  My cutting table sits between fabric shelves and the 2 LED fixtures above give lots of light for cutting.

The remaining 2 shelving units are mis-matched and will be replaced eventually.  One holds the rest of my knits and the other my woven fabrics.  For now the small rack holds garments destined for the summer market, but I'll be installing a shelf with pole beneath it on the wall above the cutting table which will be much more convenient.

A real find today was a small collapsible table which will sit here and hold the sewing machine my grandkids will learn to sew on.  The height is adjustable, perfect for small persons, and it folds up flat to store away when not in use.

I love my new woman-cave and I'm so grateful to Ron for his well-thought-out suggestions and the very professional workmanship that went into making my wonderful new sewing room.  Now to work!

New Sewing Room - Part 2

When you live on an island, things always take a little longer as supplies have to come over by ferry, but bit by bit, things are moving along.

On Friday, our contractor appeared with 2 helpers.  The double garage door was removed and the framing went up in 2 1/2 hours.

As there will be 2 windows, one was framed in and the other cut on the blank garage wall and then sheeted in until the windows were available.  The exterior door and the door into the sewing room were hung and it was a joy to watch a skilled workman install doors the way they're meant to be done!

Then today it was window installation and the electrics.  Having 2 windows in the room gives it an amazing amount of light.  Already it's looking less like a garage and more like part of the house!

Then electrics.  There will be 2 LED light fixtures on the ceiling to make the room bright.  The north wall will have a large baseboard heater and there will be 5 outlets, all but one at mid-wall height which is perfect for a sewing room!  The one wall which won't have any outlets will be nearly all fabric shelving units.  For now they will be a mis-matched bunch but eventually I'll replace them with uniform units.  One thing at a time!

Next step - boarding, and the helpers will be back on the scene for that.  And then flooring and painting!  I'm finding it hard getting a good night's sleep as my brain is whirling with plans and plans and plans!

New Sewing Room - Part 1

My excitement is running pretty high because today it looks like we're getting started on my dedicated sewing room!

I've been working in a guest bedroom which is a real pain when we have family staying.  It means packing up what I can, moving my computer station out and throwing a mattress on the floor, and of course I can't sew while they're here.  Not the best by any stretch of the imagination!

And I'm really outgrowing this 11x11 room. 

There isn't enough room for fabric storage and I have to do my cutting elsewhere.

Then hubby suggested we make a workroom for me in our double garage.  I would get a 12x14 space and he would have the rest for his woodworking.  What a perfect solution!  Grabbing some graph paper I sketched out my plans and taped in scale models of the room contents to make sure everything would fit in and the room would be a workable space.

The room would have a couple of windows and there would be plenty of room for my sewing counter (made by hubby to my specifications), fabric shelves and cutting table.

Hubby could certainly build this - he's an excellent woodworker and has made lots of furniture and now makes beautiful wooden turned pens and pencils.  We decided, however, to have a professional do it.  This way it would get done quickly!   And it gets started today! 

The garage has been cleared for work and some of the supplies are already there!  Stay tuned for Part 2!