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Design Help - What could you not live without?


DoryJM

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So, after many gyrations, my temporary studio will be in the back half of our garage. It will be be appx 13x20. I will have a half-light door and one window that looks out toward our pond and gazebo.

I'm curious what one item you would not live without. This will be both my longarm studio and my sewing studio, so I will have my machines, cutting table, fabric storage, quilt book storage, etc., in there. I will NOT have Dennis embroidery machines, heat press, etc., etc.:D:P

Not sure what I will do with walls that aren't round!!

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Wow Dory that is a tough one. My room is about 13 x 32 and I have it filled but I have lots of cabinets so that it can be organized (ok it isn't at the moment but you know I had Christmas rush). I think the key things I've done that have worked for me is putting in storage under say my cutting table. That allows me to have a large surface to cut but also a large storage area. I still have ideas for improving but you know I have to let hubby know those slowly.:P:P:P For me the one thing I'd say I can't do without is storage.

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Guest Linda S

Large pressing surface. I bought a sideboard from Ikea, then got a large piece of OSB board at the lumberyard, had it cut to about 26 x 60" and covered it with a layer of batting and cotton duck. Then I added a few molding strips to the bottom so that it wouldn't slide off the top of the sideboard. Storage and pressing all in one! I'll see if I can find a pic.

I have both my Rowenta iron and my Euro Steamer there.

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If you have big expanses of wall, of course a design wall--and a hanging system above it for photography and/or pondering your next customer top. I have my hanging system in front of a bookcase so that wall does dual-duty and it's right under a bank of lights.

Other options to make quilting life easier---

Peg board!

Panto storage

Rulers at hand

I bet you already have something great for your thread storage.

Search the archives for Lynda Newell's studio set-up. Her upstairs studio is rectangular and full of great storage and combos of sewing and longarming areas.

(Hope to see you soon, Dory!)

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Dory, I think my room is about the size of yours. It is hard to get everything in there I need. I have to suck in to get between the end of my Freedom and my small pressing table. Therefore I wish you good luck with fitting everything in there. I do have a small TV and radio. I'd hate to be cut off from the world while I work.

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Dory your room is the same size as my studio. I have storage cupboards along one end 14 ft wall, computer, customer storage, threads and door on the other end.

Design wall on one 20foot wall with cutting table. sewing table, ironing board, more storage coming off it. One chair does sewing machine turn the other side for computer work.

The other 20foot wall is almost all windows and my machine is parallel to it.

So I have the room lengthwise with half sewing and half longarming. Space up the centre to use the longarm or get into my sewing niches.

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Sheri, the original yurt is still in CA; the one we were going to put up here I opted against. I would have had 314 feet in the yurt (20' diameter), but no walls and it would have been about 50 feet from the house. By putting it temporarily in the garage, I will have 280 sq. feet, and will probably make the door into the studio an interior French Door to open the space up even further. Eventually, the plan is to build a studio that is 399 sq. feet (over 400 you need a permit); but that is a ways in the future. When that happens, Dennis will use the garage for screen printing.

Lyn, how do you display your thread?

Linda S., I love the sideboard idea. I currently have 5 cabinets from Ikea for various uses. Two are wider/closet types. One will house my batting, the other my quilts waiting to be done. I also have three 15" bookcases that store my fabric and quilting books in. Unfortunately (or fortunately...depending on how you look at it:D), they both keep growing. I have one of those wide ironing boards from Costco, but I really like Linda's idea with the storage under the pressing surface. In Costco yesterday, they have a counter-height that's quite large and would be perfect for cutting and laying out quilts.

Linda R, I've already thought of your idea with the hanging system for photographing. Photos were hard in the yurt, as was the lighting. I did not, however, think of putting bookcases behind the system. Do you have a photo of yours? I had cute thread storage in the yurt, but think I will now opt for pegboard for both thread and my tools. I really dislike pantos, so I'm considering selling most of them. Haven't gotten that for though...we'll see.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. And I drool over Lynda Newell's studio regularly; its perfect!!!

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Hi Dory--I posted some photos of my cheap/easy hanging stuff on another thread. The bookcases are two open bookcases from Ikea and Den just hung the stuff about a foot in front of them from the ceiling. When not in use, the board I attach the quilts to stays up at the ceiling out of the way. Here's the photo...

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Hi Dory,

One of my best Xmas presents was a new cutting station that my husband made for me. It has 3 unfinished (now painted white) kitchen cabinets on the bottom, with a hollow core door on the top. Each cabinet has 3 drawers in it. The door is 36 inches x 77 inches. We attached L brackets from the back of the cabinets to the door, where it was deeper than the cabinets. I have a folding table stored back there. We used 2 cabinets that were 24 inches wide and 1 that is 18 inches wide. I have peg board on the sides and hang my quilting rulers there. I have a light mounted on the wall, with a 3 way bulb in it on a swing arm over this table and it lights it up tremendously. If you had enough room to roll it out, you could have a "wagon" to put behind the table storing bolts of fabric, or batting, or whatever you wanted to put on there. My cutting station is also on casters, and it made a great place to wrap presents!

Susan

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Dory,

Here is a pic of my sewing room from one corner ( almost in my cupboard) looking towards my thread wall.

These are wooden rails with smalll dowels inserted into them that my FIL made for me. I still have more for the samll cones of thread but I don't have wall space to put them.

I keep all my cones covered with thread bags from Superior, and I don't get any direct sunlight on that wall of my room.

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