custom cabs will cost you about 4 to 5 times the ikea price. you could get stock cabs, all WOOD, RTA from lowe's or home depot for probably less than ikea, but will be sacrificing style for quality.

Here is a link that might be useful: not a useful link...just my blog

I just went through this, the Ikea cabinets would have cost me about the same, but I would have had to take 2 ferries costing about $200 to pick them up. But I couldn't get the drawer configuration that I wanted. I went to a custom shop & had the units made in the size I wanted & I was able to have the cabinets made in a custom height for no extra charge.

I'm going through this with a kitchen remodel. I've heard that one should get an experienced IKEA installer for the cabinets and that will cost extra. I've been on several blogs and a number of people are finding custom very competitive. I like the IKEA drawers and all the organization they offer. If you choose a darker colored drawer or door front, know that the front of the cabinets only come in white or birch. Some people have complained that the drawer or door fronts may not completely cover this light cabinet and one ends up with a light ghost color around the drawers and doors. I think that many people edge band the cabinet fronts to try and match the color of the door and drawer fronts. Go on IKEAFans.com and google search "edge banding". There's a lot of info on this website.

Custom. You need custom. If you don't want to spend on proper fitted custom cabinets right now when you're doing so much else get a few cheap used armoires (notice I don't say antique?).

Ikea kichen cabinets aren't sewing room cabinets. There are no thread pegs, bobbin trays, bead files, yardage drawers (54"-60" so you don't have to fold). You'll want bigger little shelves for serger cones and cubbies or baskets for quilting or crafts fabrics. Pegboard for rulers and other tools and ultra shallow drawers for shears, bodkins, shuttles, forceps, et al. Also, more ultra shallow for skeins of floss, perle, wool, etc., needles, pins, tacks and all things pointy. Then there's hanging storage for patterns and drawers for pattern envelopes, bookshelves, and extra deep drawers for projects. A proper sewing table with a lift and little trays for acoutrement. An L for a serger. A good cutting table, 48"x96", folding optional, but if it folds you need some place for it to go. And for the table sized cuttting mat to go. Also cupboard space for your dummy and ironing board if you want them put away.

There's more. Many many more specifics. I'd rather have open shelves with sheets stuck over them than kitchen cabinets.

But I've ranted long enough. For all I know you just want to do some light mending and anything would do...

Well, I have to disagree with sabjimata about sacrificing style for quality if you get the cheap big box cabinets over IKEA. I think Ikea wins hands-down in both respects over anything I have seen at Lowes or Home Depot. Also- you don't need an experienced Ikea installer unless your installer isn't you, and doesn't know how to follow instructions. It's just that they're installed a little differently than normal cabs,but it's not at all difficult! What you DO need to account for in your budgeting is the TIME it takes to build the cabinets. if you do it yourself, no biggie, but if you're paying someone, take it into account. The reason Ikea can afford to charge such reasonable prices for such a relatively good product, is that they're flat pack and you have to assemble them yourself, don't forget.

All that said, I'd also price out custom. My experience pricing vanities is that prices can vary widely for custom.
I just went through this exercise... I was comparing to Ikea's most expensive bath vanity and medicine cabinet, the Godmorgen. I gave the Ikea specs and photos to three custom cabinetmakers and got three prices. For comparison, the Ikea vanity + cabinet would have been $470. The custom prices I got were between $900 and $1560. We ended up choosing a cabinetmaker and paying $1300, but part of that was an upgrade in wood species to mahogany. And of course I got dovetail maple drawers rather than Ikea's (nice but not dovetailed!) slick system, and I was able to customize the size. (I did opt to use Ikea's legs though!) Still, the basic cabinetry was double Ikea's cost. I think in a larger project the price gap might be smaller.

igloochick,
I am very interested in seeing your sewing room plans! What type of sewing do you do? Maybe we need to take this to conversations. I'm (as you've prob read, lol) doing an ikea kitchen. The cabs are super easy to put together after the first one which takes a little thinking. I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Plllog, you mention stuff I've never even thought of like a yardage drawer? Sounds very nice, but not really necessary.

I'm using open shelves right now. Not excellent, but works. I have about 1000 spools of machine embroidery thread stored in clear boxes which would work great in a cabinet. I'd rather have my threads in boxes so I can move them around rather than bringing stuff over to a drawer to pick the right color. I have a daylight lamp, but sunlight is so much better for matching colors. I'd also rather have doors than drawers for my fabrics so I can see the edge of all of them at a glance. I have plastic boxes with precut pieces for different projects.

In fact, as I think of this more, I love the idea of an Ikea sewing room.
Lisa

I did a custom to Ikea comparison for my kitchen!

Ikea would have cost $4500 when I first starting looking. Of course, I chose one of the most expensive door styles - you could probably do the same kitchen for $3500 or less with a different door.

I got four custom estimates - $3500, $4500, $5100, & $6300. Of course, I went with the $6300 - but that was for inset, white painted, solid maple cabinets. The first two (cheapest) were for partial overlay. The third estimate would do inset, but refused to give me the layout I wanted.

But! I could have done custom for cheaper than Ikea. And, as I am in an old home, a large chunk of my kitchen with Ikea would have been filler, as my rooms are not normal size. There's no superfluous filler in my kitchen. My space really required custom, and I am very happy with my custom cabinets.

I am in the Southeast US. That probably makes a difference, as everything here is cheaper than the Northeast or the West Coast. I also was looking for small cabinet shops, usually just one or two guys who've been doing this for decades. The big, more commercialized shops will charge more.

I had really planned to do Ikea for years. But when it came down to it...it would have been bad in this space. And I wouldn't have been happy.

LMK if you want me to dig up the drawings and charts and whatnot.

I'll be following this thread with interest. I've designed our kitchen using IKEA cabinets. There's a little filler (but there would have to be anyway to meet clearances). So far (in the design process), I'm only unhappy about a few things: the glass style in my chosen door, the inability to get the appearance of deeper upper cabs, and microwave placement quandry. I plan to buy their wood doors and paint them for a custom look. That said, because I've already got a detailed design, I think I'll shop them around to a few custom places. Doesn't hurt, right? I'm in the Boston area though, and prices here seem to be killer.

I'll try to copy pics of my layout tonight after I take DH to the airport. (It's on the other computer).,

Pllog, you crack me up...you sound like a casual sewer NOT LOL

I make big flat squares heh heh Drapery (and with this new house there is not a window that does not need drapes so that will be the primary focus). My passion is crazy quilts and there will be a lot of quilt making in general I would imagine (because if I don't use up all of my quilt fabric my husband will soon divorce me LOL) There will be two machines set up and possibly a third added. (So I can leave my embroidery machine set up for embroidery at all times). I also will have a computer in the room which I use for embroidery but also for architectural work (kitchen planning, drawing house plans etc).

I don't like open storage in the sewing room. Mostly because I have a four year old who likes to play with razors and thread if offered the opportunity and because my cat likes to sleep in new fabric. I also find digging on shelves for fabric to be a rather horrific experience

I don't do much with the bolt storage (54" stuff) but do buy fabrics on rolls so I have storage space planned for the rolls. I already have a closet built in the room as well for some hanging fabric (the 110" wide stuff).

I picked kitchen cabinets for a reason. My sewing teacher used them in her teaching room and it was really a dream to work in the space. I also focused on IKEA because of their cabinets on legs. The space I'm using is a basement (daylight...very light and airy) that used to be used for wood and coal storage. The floor is not flat. It's roughly poured cement from the late 1800's with carpet over it. And the walls are 100% brick. I want sort of "mobile" cabs because in the future I'll probably move my sewing room out to the gardeners cottage or up in the servants quarters (when we turn the room into a pool room). So nothing will be actually "installed" aside from wall anchors for the high book shelves.

I am using all lowers, making two sides of the room sit down work areas and the other two sides will have 72x72 large book cases that are a series of 15x15 squares. IKEA has a hard clear plastic box insert which fills the square. I like this system because I tend to work (on quilting) with mostly smaller pieces of fabric, a yard or two maybe three at most. I will be able to sort them into type and color easily with this system. I also like drawers for thread so that the cat won't eat it (he loves thread).

I am going to go all white, so the edge issue won't bother me (but that's worth knowing about). I think with the all brick walls the white will work better. And I'm not overly worried about any quality issues. All wood is a must for any kitchen or bath to me but in the sewing room, there won't be children reafing on the doors, no slammed drawers, etc. Pretty light use. I couldn't get the flexibility of legs by going with homedespot type wood cabs now would I get the full extension drawers which is an absolute must for me.

So there ya have it...I'll post the layout and see what ya'll think. I had forgotten to turn the serger on an L though...so thanks for that pllog..I need to add a fold out area. If anyone knows how to save a picture of an ikea planner please do post how LOL So I can show the design.

In the planner choose save as and select bmp at the bottom for file type.
Lisa

Just another alternative...I used mostly the office furniture line in Ikea for my sewing room furniture. It was the Effektiv line originally, now it's the Galant. I have tables on adjustable legs in an L shape for my 2 machines and 2 sergers and a computer. Above it all I have small cabinets originally from the effektiv line, but now you can get them from the kitchen line. And best of all, my cutting table is the Varde kitchen cab with the wonderful drawers. I'd bought a large cutting mat and cut it down....I use it constantly.

Helene

Here is a link that might be useful: Varde cabinet

OMG, when you first showed the room I was thinking you might be a quilter. Didn't want to assume. So you'll be wanting a felt wall, yes?

BTW, you can't use up all your quilt fabric. It's impossible. It's against the nature of the universe. You can try to give it away but it comes back. One of the women who taught me to quilt had a stacked storage unit of fabrics she called her inspiration, and if she wanted to make a quilt she said she'd go out and buy some.

I, like Lisa, have machine embroidery thread in clear plastic boxes, but I do prefer to have sewing threads and their matching bobbins, on pegs and troughs.

Roll storage is great on hinged dowels, btw.

Knowing more about the requirements, yes, I think you could do it fine with Ikea cabinets, so it's just a matter of finding out if you can get as good or better custom local to you. The thing to make sure of is, if there are legs on the fabric storage, they're sturdy enough to hold the weight.

My own fabric storage isn't ideal. It has developed over 20 years in 4 places. I use Elfa baskets for the cottons, with them standing on end so they're easy to pull out. I have had a mild addiction to commercial fabrics, so the whole studio wall, up to my nose, is basket storage. Even though I paint more fabrics than I use them. But I love making utility quilts with commercial fabrics, so there they be. The airflow is good. The bad is odd creases in poorly put away pieces, and the whole fold thing. Folds are bad. Some of the baskets are flat trays which are great for small pieces, crazy quilt inserts, etc.

But before you commit entirely to all kitchen cabinets, do consider tool drawers for embroidery supplies, and map drawers for laying things out flat. Those can also be put on legs. :) The most annoying thing about my current studio is a lack of specialized storage, and I've been stuck in kitchenland for too long.

BTW, the best thing in there, so far, is a plastic garden cart with a built in sink over a cupboard, with an arm for trash and a paper towel holder. I have a proper sink in the studio (and a bathroom whose shower I use for flinging paint), but I don't like opening powdered dyes even in the bathroom. So all the dyes live in the cart and it wheels out behind the studio, where there's a hose to attach to the sink, and a utility easement where I can make as big as mess as I want.

pickle2,
why can't you get "the appearance of deeper upper cabinets" using Ikea? Why can't you simply use a wider cover end panel (cut to whatever size you want) and shim out the cabs?

sabjimata said:
"you could get stock cabs, all WOOD, RTA from lowe's or home depot for probably less than ikea"

That is unlikely to happen in this universe. First they don't "stock" all wood cabinets. 2nd, the borg's RTA stuff is of no higher quality than IKEA's often it is inferior.

Stacey- you could easily "get the appearance" of deeper cabinets , but that's not the same thing as deeper cabinets. Especially if you are trying to fit a microwave up there!

A quality installer is important no matter the brand or type of cabinets. A jackleg installer will quickly ruin the finest handmade cabinets and a rockstar installer can make even the crappy stuff from the depot look pretty good.

chick- in today's marketplace there is no rule of thumb as to whether Ikea is less than stock or custom is more than ordered from the homecenter. You should start with a workable design and aesthetic scheme and then shop vendors to see who can best fill that plan for you.

I didn't read all the posts, but I'm going to throw this out there so you'll have it as you consider your options.

My DH moved here from Sweden and therefore is (was) a big fan of Ikea. Over the years we've bought several things from them and have always felt we got what we paid for quality wise. This weekend however, we got some new bookcases to add as a match to a set we already have in our office. They're not even a year old and we were really disappointed to see that within the past few months Ikea has really cheaped out by changing some of the more important parts for assembly from metal to plastic. Also, I thought a white desk top we bought was solid but it's not, it's hollow and looks like it could be just covered cardboard. (that's going back!) I don't know if these changes are specific to just the storage and office lines or if they're across the board, but the parts that are plastic now are the same parts that we've seen in all of the furniture pieces we've bought and have always been metal.

If you do decide to go the IKEA route, I'd at least question them to see if the parts for their kitchen cabinets are still ALL metal. We kept the bookcases because they match what we already have, but I'm worried about how many books they can actually hold with those plastic parts and how long we can seriously expect them to last.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. I have both dilemmas. I want a deep upper for the microwave. I also want deep-looking uppers so I can make my regular fridge look built-in. The fridge cab is only 24" deep, and I need 30" or so. I'm unsure about the structural integrity of shimming out the walls 6". Is that okay? I really dislike IKEA's microwave shelf, but I think I may have it worked out with copious amounts of edging and custom side panels. Okay. That was an awful explanation, but I sketched it out, and my husband swore he could make it or have someone make it. That is kind of the fun thing about IKEA. It makes you be creative.

Not to throw more fuel on the debate, but I seem to recall reading an article over a year ago that described the glue used in Ikea cabinets. The article was saying that Ikea tends to use very good glue-- whether it was low VOC or no VOC, I don't recall. Does anyone have more information on that? But, igloo, I seem to recall some health issues in the family, and if true, you might want to look into the glue. We have Ikea in our laundry room and garage and I love the stuff. Easy peasy to install and it seems quite well made.

Sorry to hijack, put pickle2, you can totally bump out a 24" fridge cab from Ikea to build in your fridge. The end panels you purchase are 36" and get cut down to size, even when doing a counter depth fridge, so with some creative tweaking you could make it work. I think morton5 did that in her kitchen.

First, I am so jealous igloo that you get a whole room for sewing!!! I was excited last month when we moved my sewing cabinet to the basement famliy room (since it was where the new peninsula will be). My fabric storage , alas, is all in clear plastic boxes, stacked away in an under the stairs closet...maybe I can hijack the boys playroom one day...

Anyway, if you have read any of my recent thread, I am doing an IKEA kitchen. To put aside some quality questions, their kitchen cabinets are far and above the best thing they make.

I worked in the design department at the IKEA Baltimore store about 10 years ago, and know that some stuff is junk, and some is not. They great thing is, they almost tell you on the article description on the label (or online) what is junk- just read what it is made of, they include everything! They also use the strictest standard in the world, wherever that may be, for, say crib safety, or accepted VOC levels. They are really great about that. They have alot of crap, but some of their stuff is really a great value. The kitchen cabinets are definately one of them.

pickle2- You can customize anything you want, ESPECIALLY if you are painting them like I am doing. That way you can add additional pieces/trim/shelves made out of stock wood to coordinate and get the look/function you want. I am doing ALOT of this sort of thing in my remodel. Demo is in a dew weeks, so check back with me if you have some questions or need ideas.

We made our standard fridge look couner depth by building the wall out behind it and recessing it. I think it was 6 inches but it looks great and I did not feel that was a huge sacrifice of space. Plus I would never have wanted a smaller fridge for a higher price.

We chose shenandoah cabs from lowes and the only reason we did not do ikea is because they did not have the style we wanted. Shenandoah is semi custom but there were plenty of options and I think it ended up costing us between 7 and 8 thousand for a 11x17 kitchen but we got a super susan, a huge pantry, pull out spice rack and set of spice drawers. Those 4 I cost more than all the others put together!

Thanks Amberly. That's a great idea to mix in some custom units. If I can do that effectively, it should make my layout near perfect.

LOL Yes I'll have a felt wall, but I have the perfect space for that...there's an angled fireplace (just the chimney now) in one corner of the room (it's the big angled area you see in the corner of the drawings). It's just a white brick wall so I'll tack up my felt there. The cutting tables will be angled the same as the fireplace wall.

I saw another post using the verde tables (drawers) in a sewing room so I am going to add those (two back to back) as my cutting and sewing tables (which sucked on the budget but I can go without buying ummm gad something...maybe I'll potty train my son and pass on diapers!)

By the way, he is ill, but VOC's etc aren't an issue. His problem is in his blood (remember the boy in the bubble movie from the 80's...leave the bubble and die? that's him to a lesser extent and his is a form that he will grow out of). But thanks for mentioning that. I hope to be pregnant while sewing and like to watch what I'm breathing in when pregnant. (Cigar smoke is always better than cigarette...KIDDING!!)

So anyhoo here's the space. There are actually two rooms. One will be the wine room (handy when sewing) but in the back of the wine room there is a full bathroom which I will remove the tub from and add a stackable washer and dryer for use in the sewing room). And some kind of tram for wine glasses to ferry back and forth to the sewin...umm I said something about wanting to be pregnant...woops, that kills that idea. DH will need to lock up the wine room heh heh Anyhoo, we chose this room for the sewing room because I can shut off this side of the house so that kiddo's and kitty's can't get in regularly but it's just a hall away from DS's play room and our main family room so I can hear what is going on when he's playing.

I don't have a lot of pics of the room (not filled with boxes as it is now LOL) but here's a view from the hall...that wall (white) is the old fireplace wall which will hold my felt display piece:
{{gwi:1563977}}

{{gwi:1563978}}

The other side of the room (where the desks will be in the L shape) looks basically like this but with a window on each side:
{{gwi:1136966}}

It sounds like a dank place when I tell you it's the coal storage room in the basement :) But it's actually quite lovely, very airy and the brick is gorgeous. We spend a lot of time in the basement and really enjoy how cozy it is. Only the back 3' of the house is under ground so we have no water or dampness issues.

So here are the plans, without the rail system which I'll have above the desks (I already own it so I didn't want it in the bill) and without the Verde cutting tables:

The box opposite of the fireplace wall is a built in cabinet that I'll use for bolt storage:

These shelves are 72x72. They have a clear plastic box available which fits in the cubby's so I'll buy those for each of the cubbys and this will be my fabric wall. The cabinets come with anchors to attach them to the wall, and this side of the room is level so they can be safely attached:

Well, that looks cool. Lots of horizontal surface. Nice. I kept wondering how you could keep all those macines up. I'm thinking you don't have quite the storage issues. This looks like quite the useful workspace.

I'm not familiar with the tables you're talking about. I take it they're counter height? I have a table sized Omnigrid (48x96) but I don't think they make them anymore. Do you know what you're going to put on the tables?

Igloo, that is a wonderful basement-- I don't think I've ever seen a basement with beautiful water views (if you don't count water views that happen when the sump pump dies).

I'm sure you realize that your work tables will be at counter height. That will be great for when you are standing, but you will want, I think, counter stools when you sit, and I don't know how great that would be for sewing. You can cut down the cabinets to make them shorter, and eliminate the top drawer, and make the toe kick a bit higher so that the work surface is 30" off the ground-- but I'm not sure you want to get into all that. For your application I would use Ikea's workspace furniture, with rolling carts underneath tables. One issue of course is your uneven floors. I would deal with uneven floors either by addressing that issue directly and leveling them (then either recarpeting or putting a floating floor on top), or by shimming the work tables.

Having a cozy room to yourself to engage in a satisfying hobby sounds like heaven. But you know, I have found it so hard to carve out a space for myself like that. The kids, especially when they were little, always wanted to be near me, unless I turned on the TV or video games, and I don't like to do that. What I have found works best is if I set up the kids play areas next to my hobby areas, so that we can be together but each engaged in our own task. Or, in our office, I can pay bills and they can be at their own workstation doing homework. So, you might want to think about putting part of your sewing workspace in your son's playroom, or letting him have a play area in your sewing room. Some of my kids started to do simple sewing at around age 4, so maybe he could do that!

I was going to get IKEA. They priced out at $4500, plus shipping and I would have to assemble them myself. The on a whim, I got pricing for custom. The total was $6000, including installation, crown and light rail trim, trash pull-out, glass in some of the uppers, and drawers in all the bases (except for the two sink bases and the trash). The boxes are 3/4" cabinet-grade birch plywood. I think I got quite a bargain!

Plllog, pull up the IKEA kitchens thread and follow the link there to the sewing room, it's gorgeous, though I found the actual sewing surfaces to be a bit too whimpy to me (my machine weighs a ton and I don't like my table to be bouncy when I sew if that makes sense). She has a cutting board hidden under an ironing top (which is similar to what I was going to use for cutting surface). I don't personally like a high cutting counter because I'm a shortie at 5' tall so counter height will be perfect.

Which leads me to counter height, LOL Morton, in our other house we had the water views (via sump pump) in the crawl space more than once...not a pretty sight LOL Yes this is a delightful basement :) Views of the gardens or the water from every room as well as access to the play yard from the play room and two full baths so when DS comes in muddy and yucky I can just dump him in a tub to clean up verses dragging his dirty body up two flights of stairs.

The play area is right across this hall from the sewing room:
{{gwi:1563982}}

and the hall is now occupied with a thomas table and about ten million trains (frightening how close that number is likely to be to reality). He plays in the hall or in the room across it or the back play room. He's actually finally getting into playing by himself but yes, nearby so the hall area will be his play area. Then he can see me and call me every time thomas crashes, but in reality, I'm sure I'll get most of my sewing work done when he's in school (yeah he was accepted to a program this week...three days a week for four hours...I'm so excited LOL) and when DH is home. One of the reasons I wanted a real sewing room (ok who does not if you sew) is that I have never had a place to leave a project. With this room I can literally walk away, lock the door if necessary (ie cutting impliments are out etc) but still, leave a project out which is a danged site better than having to roll them all up (I roll them into the felt side of a plastic table cloth) over and over and over....you get the picture I'm sure :)

My sewing teacher's sewing room was set up like this and I did fine on her counters, which were actually higher than these will likely be. I'll install the legs low, and then the actual sewing machines will be droped down below counter height so I'm sewing across a level surface. Real office chairs a bit higher than normal and honestly it works well for me, as long as I have a foot rest to put my feet on which I will.

Leveling the floors would be a major undertaking. And honestly we'd have to do the whole basement or have steps up in already short rooms (7' 4"). To get the bathrooms level with plumbing they had to add a six inch platform with a step. To get the entire basement on the same level...well there are variations that probably would eat up three or four inches between the rooms...the play room is the worst (it was the wood storage area). It has raised concrete areas in many places for some reason, which you feel when you walk, but because they used a thick pad and worked around them carefully with the carpet, they're not a trip hazard. I honestly don't think DH would want to redo the floor...nor myself because it's kind of one of the funky and fun things about the historic home. I did consider yanking the carpet in the sewing room and polishing the cement but I think because the floor would be really cold, and heck it's a lot of work, I'll go with the less than ideal carpet floor. Someday maybe we'll change it, but not right off.

I did also do a design with the office furniture and will consider it, but I don't know if I'll be happy. I have to go feel the stuff...if that makes sense. The floors aren't that bad in this room, just a bit off from wall to center so wheeled cabs would be ok, but I want to make sure they're not flimsy feeling. Especially the work counters. They also offer less options than the kitchen cabs do in terms of storage for the types of things in a sewing room, and you lose the corner cab option entirely. But when I go to IKEA I'll have both plans in hand to see what makes sense. I just haven't been able to make any where near as good a set up with the office stuff as of yet. I also think that the kitchen pieces will be firmer because they can be screwed together, just not to the wall so the L unit can be all one big piece if I wish. And if really necessary I can add a guide bar to the wall and use it to attach the wall...I'm not that against installing on it, just want to keep the bricks somewhat clean if possible since I know we'll be turning this into a pool room someday. But not until I've completed drapes for umm a million windows heh ehh

This is my old sewing room...
{{gwi:1563983}}

What no machine? No because that little rug rat pretending to sleep got my sewing room....

ccombs...if this were anything more than the few cabs involved that labor issue would be a major concern for me and I'd probably go right to custom. I don't mind putting together a few cabs, but wouldn't build a kitchen LOL

>I don't like my table to be bouncy when I sew if that makes sense)

Don't know if this would be of interest, but she has a lee valley lift for hers:

Here is a link that might be useful: office/crafts/sewing room

LOL Writersblock you are welcome to design a sewing room for me anytime! Wonderful ideas! I love that lift, I was just going to do mine permanently down but that's such a great idea I'll be ordering the lift soon! Wowsers :) Thanks!!

Igloo, do you plan on doing any machine quilting? Because if so, parking your sewing machine on a perimeter wall won't work so well for handling the fabric bulk. In my dream quilting space (will remain in my dreams for a long time yet!), I will have a large sewing/cutting table (4'x 8' would be nice), with a recess for a machine in the southwest corner. I find it way more comfortable and efficient to have the machine bed at the same level as the main table when handling large projects. Currently, I do my MQing on an antique cabinet-mounted machine with extra tables arranged in front of it.

For the time being, I'm one of those poor souls without a dedicated sewing room/studio. So I have just appropriated every unattended horizontal space in my house for sewing and/or machines. You think arranging three machines is challenging? Try 50+! Okay, I have a serious collection, but of the ones I do use, at least 4-6 are set up to use at any given moment. I posted on the "eat-in kitchen" thread last week, but I forgot to mention how my formal dining room table was used more often as a sewing/mech'ing/classroom surface than an eating one.

igloo- I have one of those lifts in my cabinet. It is fantastic. I like it almost as much as my Bernina!

Though I would share that when I worked at IKEA 10 years ago, I was in charge of the textiles department, and we did a major remodel. We trashed (I wince as I type this) a giant cutting table probably 12-15 feet long by about 5-6 feet deep. With the citting groove, storage....oh how I wanted to take it home with me, but alas, it was the size of my entire apartment!

Have you even looked at Horn or any other sewing room furniture? I have a Horn sewing machine table that I adore. It has features, including a lift and an insert that fits around the machine to make a flat surface, and a drop leaf in the back for large projects, that no kitchen cabinet has ever dreamed of. There are lots of other sewing specific designs too for cutting, storage, etc. Do check them out if you haven't seen them yet!!

plllog- that sounds just like my cabinet! I love it!

You might want to contact a cabinet company out of Sequim called Discount Cabinets of Washington. They don't have a storefront, but they will come to your house with samples. They carry Dynasty by Omega, Omega Custom, Homecrest and Fieldstone. Their pricing is fantastic. Cheaper then Direct Buy. I know several people that have used them and are very pleased. If you want phone numbers contact me.

IKEA's other furniture, like their bookcases, are not at all like their kitchen outfit. It's like they should be a separate store. Their kitchen cabinetry is completely different and the quality is very good. It is not for everyone as they have limited styles and colors. I am looking at homes at the moment and just looked at a mid-century mod with custom Italian kitchen. The kitchen cab fronts were thinner and less sturdy than my IKEA cab fronts. So it depends on the custom job of course.

(The mod home kitchen also used travertine countertops and they were badly chipped and etched. Just say no to travertine countertops!)

BTW, the great thing about a lift isn't so much the closed position, in a dedicated sewing room, but that you can have the arm at table height, or you can have the lift base at table height. I like the Debra Wagner "harp" position for machine quilting. Pop goes the lift, and bob's your uncle!

Check out Allbrands, which seems to have the most different styles of machine tables on one page.

LOL Ya'll are having fun with this room! I love the lifts, but have to say, I've used a few sewing desks and seen ooddles and didn't love them. Great for a small space where that's your "sewing room" but I have a neurotic need for the entire room to be "done" in all the same stuff...it's a bit neurotic....ok it's a lot neurotic, but I don't want a series of desks because for me they don't flow well. Ok I'm just anal LOL but that's me.

I don't machine quilt...i'm very lazy that way :) (probably why I prefer to crazy quilt) but I do embroider a lot and need the machine to be able to be raised and lowered so the lifts are a great addition. I'll definately add that!

Kalapointer...hummm wonder where you live LOL And my place is a bit of a give away heh heh

{{gwi:1563984}}

That's why I'm being so goofy about not drilling into the brick and changing the floor...it's a special house and I don't want the local neighbors going on a witch hunt because I filled in the original floors :oP (People are pretty funny about this house...I get people who ask me "are you going to ruin it" far too often...what the heck do they think we do? Move, trash a joint by adding a silly addition or tearing down half the house???? Sheesh umm who told LOL KIDDING!)

Thank you for the information. I'll check them out and at least get a bid. I know Omega and dynasty quality (have omega custom in our other house) My only issue is that whole need to be able to move the whole room elsewhere eventually...I do like the IKea idea for that option. OK and I'm probably burnt out on remodeling and a bit fearful heh heh Our kitchen install was a nightmare...so bad that I...control freak extrodinare....dream of a new kitchen by Christopher Peacock...just give the man the keys and come back when it's done....ahhhh heaven (it will never happen, I really am too anal, but it's a lovely dream).

Where was I? Ohh down in the basement....so, no actual quilting is done, or very rarely and so rarely that it wouldn't be a biggie to move the machine to a different table (the dining room table is 9' long...big enough for a quilt I think) if I really wanted to quilt. I don't dream of long arms...I dream of professional embroidery machines heh heh and I have a spot in mind for one....now if I could just win the lottery!

Ok I'm in bid mode :) I'll make a few calls and do a visit to ikea to check suitability as well. Mom loves to go :) and we can have cheap swedish meatballs!!! heh heh

Do you mean you don't make full sized quilts? Because whether you're quilting or machine embroidering you still need to support the weight.

Not trying to design your room for you though. Just making sure you have all the information.

BTW, Horn also sells the multiposition lifts. I don't know if they're the same as the Lee Valley one or not. I definitely recommend the insert that goes around the arm.

I can't say as I've ever had trouble, even making larger items. I suppose when working on very heavy drapes (lined, interlined, etc) I will want something deeper, but again, the dining table would probably be the best option there so I can sew long legnths, but for king size and less quilts, since they're not backed, there isn't really much weight (and lets be honest, I rarely make king size LOL). For the crazy quilts I do end up with some weight, but that I do on a serger.

I have several good quality folding tables (came with the house LOL) so I would imagine keeping one or two tucked in the wine room storage closet would be worth while for when I want to work on something larger. For me, the need for a larger surface normally comes up when I want to cut, more so then when I want to sew. I don't like cutting heavy drapery fabric that's 110" wide (love that stuff) on small tables. I've in the past been able to go do that at a friend's fabric store...I guess I might need to make a friend here LOL

Don't tell DH...but included in the budget is another babylock machine for straight or "normal" sewing only heh heh My embroidery/sewing machine is a dream, but it's HUGE and a real hassle to haul around so I want to get something I don't have to call a mover in to take upstairs (ok it's not that bad but it's heavy LOL).

Banquet tables? 8'? You could set them up side by side in the center of the room with PVC pipe extenders to make them the correct height, and you could lay out the drapery fabric flat without having to move it upstairs. Put a big bedpad and sheet over the tables, clamp in place, and you can iron right there. Hm... Maybe couldn't stretch across three tables. Maybe two, and let them hang over just a little...