Quilting room?

[new2quilting]

Sorry, something happened when I started typing.

My question is: Where do you set up your quilting machine? I do not have much room, other than the garage. I am not sure if this would be the best place. As much as I want a machine, I may have to wait until I can figure something else out.

Thanks for any information you post.

Pam in Oklahoma

[Calicoquilter]

Dear Pam,

I have a Liberty with a 14 foot table. My room that I was going to put it in is 16 feet across. I only had 2 inches on either side when all was said and done. I think the "footprint" for a 14 ft table is about 4 1/2 feet by 17 feet and that doesn't take into consideration the space you need to work both in front and in back for pantographs. If you could have a space of about 8 feet by 20 feet, I would suggest that would be a good way to start. More would be better but I would say that would be a good minimum. Good luck!

[new2quilting]

Is your quilt room in the house? Right now mine would have to be in the garage and I am not sure if the temperature would harm it.

Pam

[Debberdo]

Pam,

My 1st machine was 12' long. My room was 12'2"...lol...here's what I did...I hope I can write it so that you can understand it...

The room was a bedroom that was next to another bedroom. There were 2 closets, side by side between the bedrooms. In the room where the quilter was, I removed the doors of the closet, removed the small wall in between the closets, then removed the BACK of the closet for the other room. I had to empty both closets, but then I was able to use them to walk through to get to the other side of the machine.

In doing it this way, I didn't have to take out the framework for the closet doors so that when we tried to sell our house, I just rehung the doors. I replaced the walls very simply by making 4" deep built-in shelves with a backing and painting them all with trim paint. I had already framed the openings that had been knocked out so that they looked 'finished'.

The fun part in all this was it got the unemployed 21 year old son to get out of bed and get himself a closet elsewhere! College was done and he thought he could sleep his life away...but mom and a sledge hammer disturbed him into action! (He's married now...doing well...guess I did the right thing!)

[ramona-quilter]

Hi new2,

I have a big room but after looking at windows, doors, closets and lighting,

I ended up putting my 14ft Ultimate I diagonally in the room. I am pretty

much a hobby quilter. That may change as I get closer to retirement. I

think if I had a choice, I would rather have a 12 ft table. I've only done 2

kingsize.

My advice is get the biggest and best that is right for your time and space.

You can trade up later if you find you need to.

[new2quilting]

My husband suggested doing something similar to that, but it would also be upstairs and he really did not want to move a machine, frame, etc upstairs. Plus, I know we will not live here forever and I do not want to create extra work when it is time to move. The garage was his suggestion, so I know that he is okay with me getting one if I could find a place to set it up and be able to use it when needed.

Pam

[new2quilting]

Ramona,

Thanks for your input. I wondered about putting it diagonally in the dining room, but then it would be hard to get around a 12 ft table and 14 ft it out. Right now I just want to learn to quilt (PPP), quilt my own tops, and then when I retire, I could quilt for others. If I took over the dining room, I have no place to put that. We may have to look for another house with more room.

Pam

[QuiltFaerie]

I am hoping to put my new Millie (yet to be received) and 12 ft frame down in my basement. I've been concerned about the 12 frame rods but tonight, I used a 10 ft piece of conduit and added on another two feet. Guess what? It WILL go around the L bend at the bottom of the stairs (High Ceiling) Can you say "happy dance". I have tons of room in my unfinished basement. Wahoo!

Failing that, I was eye balling my living room. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Gail

[Debberdo]

When I sold my 1st machine, I delivered it to a basement. We took the window out and put it through...then there was lots of room!

[new2quilting]

Gail,

I envy you having the whole basement to put your quiting items in!!! I can't believe all of the people that have their machines in basements. I do not have a basement here in Oklahoma (would be nice when it is tornado season!!), so the garage is it for now.

Good luck with your Millie when it comes:) Pam

[mrsbishwit]

I took over our living room as my quilt studio. The only time we actually used the room was during the holidays. We do have a large family room though and plenty of room to host our holiday parties. So it wasn't a huge sacrafice in giving up the living room space.

As far as the garage goes it all depends on where you live and if the garage is insulated well and if it would only be used for your quilt studio & not sharing it with other stuff that can ruin the quilts you are working on.

Joann

[mxley]

Mine is in my detatched garage. I live it Texas, so the cold isn't that much of a problem. The garage does have a room air conditioner since I wouldn't be able to work at all without one. We are fairly well insulated, but it gets HOT. The room a/c helps, but I usually start work early(6 am or earlier) and quit about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Mille has no problem with this.

When the temps are forecast in the low teens, I do not work in the unheated garage, but I do throw a blanky over the top of Millie. The temp variations simply haven't been a problem.

Good luck.

Mary

[Debberdo]

I don't know about humidity in your area...be sure to keep your babies oiled!

[TinaCollins]

I've had my longarms in retail space, my dining room, my living room, and in my garage! :P

Ya know, it didn't really matter where my longarms were.... as long as I had one!! I have a really nice set-up now because we literally built our current home around my quilting business.... but I do miss it being in my dining room where I could cook and quilt at the same time!! :DLOL:)

[GERRY]

Hay Pam:

Did you check out the first page of the forum there is a section on quilting rooms, also if you do a search on "quilting rooms" or how much space or maybe floor space needed, you will find alot of info on this. The "search" is on the first page of the forum, just click on it, them type in a word or two about the subject that you need info on. There are so many old threads on this very subject you'll be reading for an hour.

I commandeered my family/office room told the DH that he could have the office in the dinning, I then knocked down a few walls, added a few more, tore out all the carpeting & set the whole room up myself. Everyone thought I was nuts but I showed them. I read somewhere that if you want people to take you seriously then you must take what you are doing seriously. There are alot of folks useing their living rooms to quilt in, & their dinning rooms to sew in, that shows me they are very intent on the business they want to have, & are willing to make some sacrifices to get it. If the family room would have been to small then I would have taken over the living room, as it is the X-family room is right by the front door, so if a client comes over she dosen't have to go through the whole house (witch is useully messy) to get to my quilting room.

It works for me right now, but in the future I plan on extending the front of the house , to give myself more room, it's a bit squishy at the moment & as I'm not likely to lose the 50 lbs that I should then I'll need to expand the house,

Anyway, if you really want to get this machine, then you'll find away. Check out the old threads you'll find that quite a few folks are in the garage, sunpourch, or have taken over the master bedroom, anything to make it work.

have fun reading