If you are building a sewing room from the bare bones, consider having extra electrical outlets installed. It’s amazing just how many things will be plugged in in a sewing room. There are special considerations if you have small children. You must keep all of the sharp sewing implements safely stored and out of their reach. Scissors, pins and rotary cutters, just to name a few, do not belong in little hands. A good habit to develop is to preshrink fabric immediately after purchase and store it in containers of one form or another, even if it’s just a plastic bag, to keep it clean and odor free. Under-the-bed storage is a great place to keep the fabric out of direct light and out of sight. A storage system with labeled bins for fabric and sewing notions such as buttons and zippers will keep them organized and easy to find when you need them. Your system can include individual cubbies for bins of fabric and shelves for baskets of notions. Three-quarter inch sanded plywood can be used to build the shelving and supports. Or, you can get a ready-to-assemble unit such as from IKEA. The top shelf can be utilized for interfacing, rolls of cording, stuffing, and bolts of fabric which didn’t fit in bins. An economical option for a sturdy table is to watch thrift shops and yard sales. Sandpaper and a coat of paint might not work your you family dining table but it will for an economical sewing machine table. One word of caution—always be sure to close the cabinet doors, no matter how involved you are in what you are doing. Standing up without looking up with a cabinet door directly above you is not a pleasant experience. If you are creating a corner sewing machine counter, you can use desk legs from yard sale desks to support the corner. Be sure to place the legs so you can switch back and forth between the two sides.
