This is the last look at my sewing area, and I thought I’d show you my setup that helps keep me on track with getting things done in a nice, ergonomic way.  I have a lot of issues with RSI if I don’t do things in a certain way, so everything is set up to put the least strain on any joints, including my spine.  It’s not the biggest space in the world, measuring in at 7′ x 10′ between the walls, and the open space between the furniture is a whole 7′ x 4′, which the ironing board takes up part of, and my chair has to fit in too.

The table that my sewing machine sits on is on adjustable legs from Ikea, so it’s actually much lower than a normal dining table (which it technically is, I just don’t use it as such any more!).  I had tried using booster cushions on my chair to get higher so my shoulders weren’t hunched when sewing, but they didn’t work very well, so if I couldn’t go higher, the machine had to go lower – a sewing table with a cutout doesn’t work for me for a few reasons, firstly this is the dinner table and I might at some point need one, and secondly, I can’t use the free arm if it’s set in a table and it would be just too much faffing getting it in and out.  My cutting table is to the left (I’ll show that better further down).  Behind my chair is the ironing board, so as I finish sewing things I place them on there to be pressed, before moving to the cutting table if there’s further work to be done on them, or back to the sewing machine if it’s just a case of joining bits together.

At the left hand end of my sewing table I have my notice boards.  There’s 2 white boards that I keep note of future projects, a cork board for pinning important notes and pattern idea cards, and then another white board above which is a weekly planner and lets me plot out what I need to work on for 6 weeks at a time.  On the table below I keep pens and pins, and the white unit you can just see next to the cork board is a wee tray unit, again from Ikea, where I keep my pattern writing notes.  I split the trays up by project type and have notebooks for each one.  On the floor next to the table is actually my packing for going away, so lets ignore that, but underneath the table are my Featherweights, Little Brother, Big Brother’s Little Brother, and packing supplies for sending things out.  It also has my small tray that fits on my free arm for Big Brother when I’m not using his extension table (which is in place most of the time)

My cutting table is high enough for me to stand and cut at comfortably.  There’s a drawer unit supporting the table at one end, and a trestle leg at the other which means I can store things there too.  It’s quite a small table top, but it just fit into the space, and most of the top is filled with an A1 sized cutting mat:

Under the table I have batting and interfacing offcuts, or pieces cut off the roll in the case of the Bosal.  There’s also my thread boxes – the thread used to be in the lower drawer, which now just has a few odd threads that didn’t fit in the boxes, and the upper drawer contains some bought patterns.  My rulers all prop nicely there, and a good chunk of my bag making hardware (more of which next week) is on the shelf under the drawers.  The bag hanging on the end over the thread is for my scraps that I’ve generated recently – it gets emptied into my scrap bags every few months.

So small, but perfectly formed.  Just don’t ask to come to dinner any time soon ;o)