Designing a Sewing Center
Guide G-412
Susan Wright, Extension Clothing and Textiles SpecialistCollege of Agriculture and Home Economics New Mexico State University
This publication is scheduled to be updated and reissued 6/06.WHERE DO I BEGIN?
When it comes to sewing, the adage "A place for everything and everything in its place" is certainly true. Setting up and putting away every time you want to sew uses precious time that could be better spent sewing a new dress, blouse or jacket.
A well-designed, convenient sewing area-large or small-saves time and energy. It does not have to be a whole room dedicated just to sewing. It can be a seldom used closet, an out-of-the-way corner or a cabinet especially designed for sewing. Wherever you sew, careful planning is important for the area to be functional. And, whether it is a corner or an entire room, the basic requirements are the same.
S A cutting table.
S A sewing table
S A pressing table.
The type of sewing center you design depends on the amount of sewing you do. A person who only has short blocks of time to sew needs a place where things can be left out until a project is completed. Someone who does small sewing jobs every once in a while needs a place where things can be stored and taken out easily. A professional seamstress would need a more organized, quiet place with space for business records, as well as space to store equipment, notions, fabrics, finished garments and other related supplies.
Also consider when the sewing will be done. If you dove-tail sewing with meal preparation or supervising children at play, a sewing center near the kitchen may be desirable. A spot in or near the family room may be your choice if you sew in the evening. A sewing center in the laundry lets you handle quick mending chores before clothes are laundered. Equipment for pressing darts, hems and other parts of garments is usually available and will save you steps.
Ask yourself a few questions before you decide on a location. It is convenient when you have only a few minutes to work? Can you leave it a little untidy and not worry about people seeing it? Can you easily supervise the children from where you are working?
DESIGNING A SEWING CENTER
The sewing center can be a U-shape, L-shape, along parallel walls or on a single wall. The U-shape provides a convenient, ready-to-use arrangement, and is the plan preferred by many home sewers. The L-shape, single wall or parallel wall arrangement may require moving a table or ironing board to make a "U" arrangement. The "U" requires at least 2 feet in front of the work table, sewing machine and ironing board. A swivel chair in front of the sewing machine puts each part of the sewing process within easy reach.
Some people are fortunate enough to be able to devote an entire room, or most of a room, to a sewing center. In this case, there will be more space to plan around and the design can be more flexible. When you don't have a specific room that can be the sewing center, consider building yourself a sewing cabinet with features designed to make sewing easier, and to organize your sewing items. Plans are available for many such projects.
A sewing closet may not be as spacious as a sewing room, but if it is well-designed, it can be as functional. Bi-fold or double doors make it easy to hide clutter, if needed, during a sewing project. Your sewing closet could be an elaborate custom made one, but with a small closet, minimum amount of money and a bit of ingenuity you can create a good sewing center.
Consider the plan shown at right. With careful planning, a permanent sewing closet can provide adequate space for sewing, pressing and storage. A small work area for cutting and pinning can be provided if a dropleaf table is incorporated into the design. The number of drawers for storing small equipment and supplies can be varied as space allows. A space for hanging garments in-progress and a mirror for checking fit are important features.
If you have a serger, locating it near your traditional sewing machine will be important. Setting the serger up close by will speed production and save steps.
Special tables/cabinets are available that are designed for sewing machine/serger use. A drop leaf can be added to a sewing table for the serger in some cases.
CHECK THE HEIGHT OF THINGS
Whatever the space available, design a sewing center that fits you and your work habits. Have the cutting, sewing and pressing areas separate, but close to one another to provide the most efficient work area. The height of equipment should be given special consideration.
The average height person should have the sewing machine table 28 inches from the floor and the chair seat 16 inches from the floor.
A swivel secretary-type chair on casters makes an ideal sewing chair because it provides maximum mobility. Most of these chairs can be adjusted to different working heights.
CORRECT WORK HEIGHT
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(65")* |
(58.5)* |
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| Sewing machine |
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to left of needle |
| Chair
(swivel preferred) |
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| Work table or chest
to right of machine |
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| Ironing board
to left of machine (for use while seated) |
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| Cutting table |
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(36" x 72" preferred) |
*Heights of average persons are used. Table heights can be adjusted for individual needs
THE CUTTING AREA
The cutting area should be efficient and easy to use. Plan for a work surface that will accommodate most fabric pieces used, perhaps 28-36 inches wide and 72 inches long. A height of 34-40 inches is recommended for comfort when working. Adjust the height so you do not need to stoop, and make the area accessible on at least two sides. Three sides would be better to allow ease in movement.
A table may be built for cutting and marking, or this surface may be incorporated into some other part of the sewing center. It might be joined to a sewing chest or counter as a drop-leaf or folding top.
A drop-table on the door of a wall storage cabinet may also be used. If a drop table is incorporated on the door of a sewing closet, a solid core or reinforced hollow core door should be used.
Another alternative for a cutting table can be made with two card tables pushed together and set on bricks, blocks of wood or large cans of food, so they are 36 inches high.
If you do not have a table large enough to serve as a cutting table, use table expanders. You can buy folding cardboard cutting boards in most fabric stores to provide more citting space, or you can make your own out of 1/4-inch hard board hinged together with glued fabric or heavy tape. Place these boards on a small table or an ironing board adjusted to a 36-inch height.
THE PRESSING AREA
If the ironing board or pressing area is part of a sewing "U," the height of the ironing board can be adjusted so pressing can be done while seated. If the board is placed farther away from the sewing machine, standing height for pressing may be preferred. When space is limited, a small, table-top ironing board can be used.
The pressing area should include space for pressing cushions, spray bottles, press cloth and other pressing equipment. A special rack can be attached to the board to hold pressing accessories or they can be stored in nearby cabinet, chest or closet. If space is limited, consider a wall ironing board or one attached to a door.
If hanging space is not available close to the pressing area, use a bracket that fits over a door or design a swing-out rod for the wall using a pipe or dowel.
CHECK THE LIGHTING
Good lighting is essential for good sewing. Natural lighting and general incandescent or fluorescent lighting may provide enough light for cutting and pressing, but extra lighting may be necessary for sewing at the machine by hand. Lighting experts recommend at least 150 watts incandescent or 40 watts florescent of shaded lighting for marking and machine sewing. Wall, ceiling or table lamps can be used as long as they do not shine directly into your eyes or cast shadows over your work. When sewing by hand, even more lighting directed at your work is recommended to prevent unnecessary eye strain.
Be sure electrical outlets are located so your machine lamps, iron and other equipment can be plugged in easily. Grounded outlets are recommended and a surge protecting device should be considered if your machine is computerized. A multiple outlet board with surge protector may be desired so iron, lamp and machine can all be turned off with one switch. Avoid plugging the items in where cords must cross traffic paths. And, some sewing machine manufacturers recommend their machine always be unplugged when not in use.
OTHER POINTS TO CHECK
Light colored walls and work surfaces reflect light and help make the sewing area brighter and more cheerful. Counter and table tops should be durable, scratch resistant and easy to clean. Window treatments should allow as much natural light as possible without glare.
Floor covering should be given special consideration. A smooth surface is recommended because of ease in cleaning. Carpet, thread ends and fabric clippings do not mix. Pins can be a special problem if they get caught in the carpet. If the floor is carpeted, consider buying a protective office mat like those used under a secretary's desk. The hard surface will make clean-up easier. The mat will also make it easier to move from machine to serger to ironing board if your chair has rollers or casters. Keep a powerful magnet on hand to quickly retrieve pins and needles which fall to the floor.
Storing notions, small equipment and thread will be less of a hassle if a peg board is mounted near your sewing machine. A piece of cork on the wall is also useful for pinning up pattern pieces, notes about supplies needed or the pattern guide sheets. A full length mirror will be helpful to check garment fit as you sew. Be sure there is sufficient free space in front of the mirror to allow for easy viewing-front, back and sides. A free space of about 4'x 5' is needed in front of the mirror if you are fitting another person.
STORAGE IDEAS
Once general needs for a sewing space are met, storage of supplies, fabrics and equipment becomes a consideration. Special storage units can be designed in closets as wall units or as free standing cabinets.
A closet storage idea with suggested dimensions is shown at the right. The unit is divided into a variety of compartments to accommodate most items used in sewing. The dimensions can be changed to meet your individual needs.
A simple sewing center can be made from an old chest of drawers. If the drawers do not have dividers, add your own by cutting slots in cardboard or wood and fitting them together. If the chest is tall enough, a hinged panel can be attached on one side to provide a cutting surface.
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Building shelves at the end of the room or next to the sewing machine will also provide good storage. Be sure to consider the weight of the items to be stored, and add wall supports and plugs if necessary.
Narrow shelves added to the inside of a closet door may be a good addition. Or consider a wire shelving unit that hangs over the top of the door, if available in the correct width for your closet door.
Smaller storage problems can be solved using boxes, jars, cans, baskets and other inexpensive items often found around the house or available at the local variety or grocery store. Items used often should be placed close at hand-shears, needles, thread, measuring tape/gauge. Less often used equipment and notions can be stored in a less convenient, but easily accessible place.
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Thread storage is often more than a small problem. A pegboard is an easy and visible solution. Special thread racks can be purchased to hang on the wall or set on storage shelves. A special thread tree that pivots will store cones of thread used for serger sewing.
Or use long narrow boxes to arrange thread in rows by color for easy visibility and access. Another good method is to create rows by gluing strips of wood or cardboard in a drawer or box to organize and separate thread by color. To keep thread ends from tangling, return the thread end to the spool notch or tape the loose end to the spool. Smaller channels can be created in the same drawer box or bobbin storage.
A mug rack or a magnetic knife rack can be mounted to the wall near the sewing machine to organize a variety of small items. Tie a loop of ribbon through scissors handles for easy hanging.
Buttons, snaps and hooks and eyes can be stored in small jars that allow immediate visibility. Nail jar lids to the bottom of a shelf so jars are securely suspended and out of the way. Coffee cans also make good storage for elastic. Cut a slot in the cover and pull elastic through as needed. Or use compartmentalized stacking cabinets that usually come filled with screws, nuts and bolts.
Clear storage boxes, stacking baskets or plastic crates are useful to store fabric. Fold fabrics to fit and stack neatly so edges can be seen easily. Interfacings and lining fabric can be stored in the same way. Use shoe boxes for storing lace, ribbon and other trims. Zippers and belting also store well in boxes. Be sure to prewash all items before storing so they will be ready to use. Label boxes clearly to identify all contents.
Plastic zipper-top bags make excellent storage containers for sewing supplies. When fabric, thread, pattern, interfacing and all notions for a garment are on hand, put everything in a bag to store the items together until you are ready to sew. Zipper bags are especially handy containers to store projects that have been cut out. Fabric scraps can also be stored in plastic bags by fabric type and/or color.
Under bed storage boxes or stacking file boxes make excellent containers for fabric and patterns. Sort patterns by size and type, and store in a metal file cabinet or in a bureau drawer. Pattern storage boxes are available and shoe boxes are just the right size to stand patterns in for storage. If pattern envelopes are damaged, switch patterns to manila envelopes. Glue picture and fabric requirements to the front for easy access and store them in a metal file box.
Small equipment such as hem gauges, marking pencils, chalk and measuring tape can be stored in a cutlery tray or in a desk divider tray. A kitchen or desk lazy Susan can be useful too. Use a large waste basket to help keep your yardstick, L- or T-square, rolls of pattern paper and hem marker organized.
SOURCES
A Place To Sew. Kansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Home Sewing Areas. Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin, #58.
Plan A Sewing Center. Louisiana Agricultural Extension Service.
Planning For Your Sewing Needs. South Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
Sewing Centers. Washington Cooperative Extension Service.
Simplicity Sewing Book. Simplicity Patterns, New York.
The Vogue Sewing Book. Vogue Patterns, New York.
New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Printed June 2001Electronic Distribution August 2001