Asked on Jul 15, 2016

How should I set up a sewing & craft room? Size is 12' X 18'

I have 2 sewing machine cabinets, 4 cube units with 9 cubes, & 2 cube units with 6 cubes. A 5' x 4' peg board for rulers to hang is attached to the back side. How should I set up the room?
  9 answers
  • CrowEyes CrowEyes on Jul 17, 2016
    If I may ask, what type of sewing do you mostly do? Clothing, craft, quilting...a mix? That will determine best layout. It should be designed like a gourmet's kitchen-- with all tools in easy and quick position for reach.
  • Dian Dian on Jul 17, 2016
    Anything that requires electricity should be near outlets - Sewing machine & lamps. Pegboard is good for keeping things within short reach. I have 2 large work surfaces. One is a Corian remnant. I built the table base to hold the heavy Corian steady & solid. This is my favorite work area. It's 3x6 feet, & grandkids can do it no harm. On one end is my sewing machine, w/a good work lamp behind it. Both are always plugged in, since my outlets are low on the wall behind the table. The other end I have a BIG green cutting grid. It's a type of 'rubber/plastic' that's self-healing to cuts from the rotary cutter blades. I move it out of the way when the glue & paints come out. My variety of scissors & rotary cutters are hung on my Grandfather's old wood hay rake. It has pegs spaced every 2" across a 2.5 foot length, & is worn smooth from his many years of using it in the fields. Sentimentally handy! Within reach of the table I have a tall narrow book case for medium bins of threads & other sewing needs. The opposite wall has another work table. My son got a 7' piece of Formica from the road side, free! Two file cabinets hold it at the right height. Yes, the cabinets are full of more stuff, all organized & easy to get at. On top of the Formica sits another long book case w/more small bins of stuff - zippers, Velcro, elastics, etc. I attached the book case to the wall for safety. There is very little wasted space in the workrooms. (Yes, I needed 2 rooms for all my sewing & crafting stuff, plus a wood working shop in the cellar). Used RX bottles are great for small things, like tacks, paper clips, chalk, etc. Machine needles are labeled for size & type, & fit perfectly in the RX bottles. Two small dishes hold pins, one dish per room. The back of one door has towel bars for tissue papers. I have a million beads, all in clear glass spice jars on shelves custom made to fit the jars. 20+ years of yard sales has produced 95% of my sewing, crafting, & carpentry supplies. Most of the fabrics in the 7 big bins were either gifted to me or bought on good sales. My kids & grandkids boast that I have "everything" anybody could ever need. And they're right! Now that I'm finally retired I'm having just too much fun.
  • Roger Mary Ann McGinnis Roger Mary Ann McGinnis on Jul 17, 2016
    Machine quilting, gifts sewn for babies, & clothes in that order.
  • Marge Marge on Jul 17, 2016
    So you need to arrange it so that the things you use while cutting are in that area. The things you use to sew is in another area. You could add more items to the peg board with different size hooks as well as shelves and compartments to hold things like scissors, buttons, etc. I have a tall shelf that holds three sizes of plastic drawers. Each one is labeled such as pins and needles, elastic, tools, etc. I love your large wall units. They can be set up with fabric that is separated by color or type like flannel. The less getting up and down from your chair should also give you items within reach. You are inspiring me to get my room organized. I use 2 bedrooms. One has craft items and the other is my sewing room. I mostly sew, but have made a quilt too.
  • Jackie Jackie on Jul 18, 2016
    Always put your sewing machine by the window, much more light.........
  • Roger Mary Ann McGinnis Roger Mary Ann McGinnis on Jul 18, 2016
    I will place my sewing maching by the windows for natural light as well as looking into my back yard which I dearly love to watch the wildlife. Thanks for the great tip.
  • Theresa Simpson Menzel Theresa Simpson Menzel on Jul 27, 2016
    Take 2 of the 9 cube units or the 2 6 cube units based on your height. Screw them together (back to back) and then place wheels on the bottom and a countertop on the top to have a cutting table that you can move. Store your larger fabric, or at least the most commonly used fabric in that unit.
  • Roger Mary Ann McGinnis Roger Mary Ann McGinnis on Jul 27, 2016
    I love the idea Theresa with the wheels, it will make it easy to rearrange my room. Thanks, Mary Ann
  • I agree that keeping the machine by the window is key. I have mine in the basement and the lighting is terrible to work by even with bright bulbs. You just can't get better than natural light, if you have a choice.