A sewing room design should match your sewing style

Check out these tips and ideas to create the space of your dreams

When thinking about sewing room design, the first thoughts should be about the type/types of sewing that will be done in the room. Will you be doing fashion sewing or quilting? Is your preference arts and crafts or home decor? These preferences will be the major factor that drives your sewing room plans

If you do any type of sewing at all, you realize that all sewers have different needs. When you think of sewing room design, first consider the type of sewing you will be doing.

Needs of a fashion sewer in sewing room design

The number one space priority of the fashion sewer or dressmaker in sewing room design is a large cutting area (after the machines, of course). I have cut suits on the bed and a wedding dress on the floor, both of which is guaranteed to put your back out of whack for a few days!!

You should be able to cut a pattern without having to bend over the table. If you don't have space for a cutting area, have a piece of plywood cut to your measurements that will fit over your kitchen or dining room table. Be sure to cover it well with contact paper and put Velcro dots on the bottom of it so that you won't scratch the table. If you find you are bending over the table, have blocks cut and use them to raise the table to the correct height for cutting. The plywood can be stored in the garage or a closet when not in use.

If you have an area in your sewing room where you could cut fabric, but need a larger cutting area, consider having a folding room screen made. Decorate it to fit your sewing room design, install recessed hinges and use it on your cutting table when you need more cutting area. When it is not in use, you can set it up to screen of part of your room for trying on your creations. This is a good solution if you have customers come in for fittings.

A good pressing area is most important for the fashion sewer.

The second most important area to think about as you look at sewing room design for the fashion sewer is the pressing area. Garment sewing calls for a fairly detailed area as pressing is essential to putting life and shape into a garment. The pressing surface should be about 30" from the floor. Raise or lower the ironing board to accommodate your height. If you are doing a large amount of pressing at a time, place a mat or rug in your standing area to help prevent backaches.

There are many types of ironing boards available besides the traditional type. Door mounted, wall cabinets, ironing blankets and counter top models come to mind. Think about the amount of time you spend pressing and the details of your pressing. Do you need a professional mangle machine or just a good steam iron? Do you need a steamer for velvets or dry clean only fabrics? You sewing room design needs to be built around these factors.

Along with the pressing board and iron, you most likely have a supply of bulky pressing tools; dressmaker's ham, seam roll, velvet board, clappers and point pressers, to name just a few. Be sure to plan shelving or deep drawers to hold these bulky items.

Keep a supply of spray starch, pressing cloths, sprayer bottles on hand in your sewing room. You shouldn't have to be running to the laundry area for pressing supplies. Small pressing items such as these along with press cloths and pins can be kept handy in an ironing caddy.

Once the pressing is done, there should be an area handy to hang your finished work. Most of us are not thrilled with the ironing chore and would hate to do it twice. If you don't have a closet handy, use and over the door rack for hanging your pressing. If space it tight, a dowel could be hung from the ceiling in an out of the way corner to hold your garments in progress. Wall hooks could also be installed.

Speaking of hanging items, when you come home with a project and materials to complete it, don't just leave everything in the bags. This is a good way to lose important items (I've thrown out thread and zippers that I've left in bags!). Have a supply of gallon plastic bags in your sewing room. Punch a hole in the top and reinforce it with stick-on reinforcement rings. Put all your notions in a bag, drape your fabric over the hanger and slide the notion bag over the hanger hook. In this way, all your needed supplies are together when you are ready to work on your project. You will save a lot of time doing this. Take this from someone who's spent hours looking for the buttons I know I bought for this jacket! Even if you don't get to it until six months later, you will have everything you need in one place, ready to go.

Along with the notions and patterns, keep a checklist in the bag so that you will know before you start if you need to pick up additional materials before you start your project. Feel free to copy and use the organizational checklist listed in the workbook at Fashion Sewer's Checklist

Miscellaneous items necessary to the fashion sewer

When planning your sewing room design, it is necessary to consider adding these other items:

• A full length mirror
  Whether you are fitting yourself or another person, a full length mirror is essential. A three way mirror is top of the line but a full length mirror attached to the back of the sewing room door will do.
  
  
• A dress form
  There are many types available and you will be sure to find one that meets your needs. If you only use this occasionally, you might want to consider making a costume for it that matches your decor and decorating colors. For example, if you have a country home, a pioneer outfit could be used, or if your home is more traditional consider a Victorian outfit. You could go all out and have a lot of fun with this if you enjoy costume sewing.
  
  
• A pattern case
  Depending upon the amount of patterns you own, this could be anything from decorative hat boxes to large filing cabinets. Whatever you decide to use, be sure to keep all patterns in one place and take the time to keep them organized. This will save you hours of looking for a pattern that you just know you have but where the heck is it? (Again, I speak from experience.)

Storage for your sewing room design

There are so many items required when you sew that I am going to do a page on just storing and organizing sewing room items. Check back often if you are interested in this subject, or sign on to my RSS feed for up to the minute announcements when I add new content to this site.

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