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Once you’ve collected the basic sewing essentials and you have a sewing machine, it’s now time to set up your sewing room or space where you will do most of your sewing.
Sewing can require quite a bit of equipment and material. This is why we always recommend setting up a designated room or space where you have all your materials and equipment. This will save you tons of frustration down the road and ensure that everything is right where you need it.
In this section, we will go through how to choose your sewing room and also the right way to set it up to make it as efficient and stress-free as possible.
Pick Your Sewing Room
If you live in a small space, an apartment, or only have one room that can be your sewing room, by all means, use what you have. If you have a little bit of extra space and you’re trying to decide which room in the house you want to create your sewing space in, there are a few things you should consider when making your decision.
What To Avoid:
There are three things that you should avoid when picking your sewing room. Those being:
With sewing, it’s important to be precise and be in control at all times. That is nearly impossible when you can hardly see it. Having proper lighting in the room, especially a lot of natural light is ideal to help you accurately see what you’re doing when sewing.
If you don’t have a room with a lot of natural light, adding extra lamps and stronger light bulbs will also help your visibility in the room.
When you’re distracted by cars, neighbors, home appliances, it’s hard to concentrate on your sewing. We recommend the quietest place in the house is typically the best place to set up your sewing station. Avoiding high traffic areas and extremely noisy rooms will allow you to concentrate a lot more.
It’s also important to note that your sewing machine will be making a bit of noise as well. This should be considered when selecting a room if it’s close to bedrooms where people might be sleeping while you’re sewing.
The overall idea is to pick the quietest room in the house where you also won’t be disturbing others and make your space a peaceful retreat.
Sewing can require a lot of equipment and for more people, when space is messy, unorganized, and cluttered, it’s hard to work. This is why we stress the importance of having a sewing organization system.
With that being said, a nice large room would be ideal to create your sewing room where you can ideally set up a desk or a table for your sewing machine and have plenty of space to work.
With patterns, thread, needles, and extra accessories, you need a designated spot to store everything while it’s still in arms reach. Especially if you plan on sewing larger projects like quilts, it’s essential to have space to work in.
Tidy Up
A cluttered space is a cluttered mind and that could not be more true when it comes to your sewing space. With a craft that requires precision and accuracy, it’s important that there aren’t any distractions or objects in your way.
Clutter, dust, debris can all interfere with your sewing projects if your sewing space isn’t cleaned up.
We recommend that before you start setting up your sewing table and accessories that you do a thorough clean of the room first, purify your space, and then set up your sewing station.
Set Up Your Sewing Station
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Now that you have a nice, clean space with a lot of natural light, it’s time to set up your sewing space.
Start with your sewing table or desk and work around that. Since that’s going to be where you’ll be working the majority of the time, pick a spot that is comfortable in the room and has a lot of natural light.
If you’re wondering what you should be used as a sewing station we have some great articles all about picking the right desk and chair for sewing.
Set Up Your Sewing Machine
Now that you’ve positioned your desk and chair, it’s time to actually set up your sewing machine. The placement of your sewing machine is going to be dependant on a few different things including:
- If you’re a righty or a lefty
- The type of sewing machine
- The size of the sewing machine
You always want to guide the fabric through the sewing machine with your dominant hand. This is why it’s important to place your sewing machine where your dominant hand can easily do that.
As you know from Section 2: Sewing Machines, you know that every sewing machine is different. If you have a machine that has a pedal, you’re going to have to position it a certain way. You’ll want the pedal to be flat on the floor with a little bit of slack in the cord. It’s also a good idea to have the cord go around the back of the workstation and come out under the desk. Basically, you don’t want the cord to be a trip hassle.
The larger your sewing machine is, the more centered it should be on the desk. By having your sewing machine in the center of your workstation, you’re providing the machine with a much stable workstation than if it was off-centered on the corner.
If your sewing machine is on the smaller side, you have the flexibility to position it wherever you see fit on the desk. However, regardless of the size, you can’t go wrong with your sewing machine being in the center.
Organize and Arrange Your Sewing Room
Now that your sewing desk and sewing machine are set up, you can start adding the rest of your sewing tools and accessories into space.
It’s great to have all your sewing supplies stored in a safe and organized way. Especially with sewing, there’s a lot of tiny tools like needles, pins, and thread. Many of these items you will need during your sewing project and therefore should be conveniently placed nearby.
If you have a standing sewing storage unit like a trolley cart or drawers, you can keep it either side of your sewing desk. If you have a desk storage unit, it’s best to keep it on your non-dominant hand side.
The Ultimate Guide to Sewing Storage Solutions
Sewing patterns are pretty important and can easily be misplaced. This is another reason why we love sewing desks, especially ones with drawers.
If you purchase a sewing desk that has a drawer, it’s a great idea to store all your sewing patterns and books in this spot.
Some of the most important aspects of sewing, if not the most important is needles and threads. Since they’re so small, they’re easy to misplace and get lost. Using your desk drawer is great if you have a small collection, but if you have a larger collection, it’s probably best to have a dedicated storage unit.
The Ultimate Guide to Sewing Needles
Keeping all your items like scissors, pencils, erasers, chalk, etc, close by is key to have smooth sewing experience. Especially because you never know when you need these items, having all your notions and supplies readily available will help to avoid having to stop and start countless times.
The Ultimate Guide to Sewing Notions, Tools and Supplies
It’s important to keep your fabrics safe and clean. Placing them either in one of your desk drawers in a bin where they’re safe from dust and other aspects like light, temperature, humidity, and will ensure they stay protected over time.
Decorate
Your sewing room should be a place that inspires you to create. Adding some accessories and your personality in the space will make it feel like yours and hopefully inspire you to create sewing masterpieces.
Below are some guides to help boost some creativity and inspiration in your sewing space:
The Importance of Lighting in Sewing Rooms
How to Make Your Sewing Room a Peaceful Retreat
