Nikki’s New Sewing Room

My new sewing room is already bringing me great joy! I am so happy to be able to share it with you now it is (very nearly) finished.

You may have seen our latest vlog on Youtube where I took you on a tour of my new sewing room (linked below incase you want to watch). I wanted to write a blog post for you all with all of those little details. For me, it has been more than just finding the best table to sew at. It has been about making the space mine and feel like a little bit of me.

When planning the new sewing room I wanted to make sure that each area was thought through for the best productivity. What was mainly needed was a cutting area that was easy to use, had everything to hand, and didn’t cause my back to ache! I needed a space to sew that was big enough to accommodate up to 3 machines (sewing, overlocking, and coverstitch) Also I needed a little bit of flexibility with the tables so that multiple people could sew if necessary. (Of course, I love having Rachel over to sew with me)

This new sewing room has been much longed for and I needed to make sure it was done properly.

The Cutting Table

So let’s start with the most important part, yes it’s the cutting table! As a tall woman, I have always struggled with cutting fabric on your average table. It’s just too low and I find my back aches terribly by the end of a cutting session. I wanted to create a solid feeling, raised table with storage underneath. It needed to be wheeled about to create more space in my new sewing room, if necessary. The unit should also be able to move freely so that I could cut all the way around it for tricky items.

The Ikea hack using 3 Kallax units was what I decided to go for, the ones with the 4 cubes. There are lots of blog posts and tutorial videos on how to create this but I will take you through some of the basics.

Put two Kallax units back to back and another one on the end facing out, secure these together. Then add them onto a piece of plywood or hardboard that you have already added castors to. Attach them to the wood and apply another piece of ply to the top for your tabletop, securing it again to the units.

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There is lots of sanding and screwing involved but it is SO WORTH IT! I don’t have to bend at all now to cut my fabric, the job is a delight! With this arrangement of Kallax units I have managed to fit in two A1 sized cutting boards, with an little extra space at the end for the likes of pattern weights and pins.

It Swivels!

I can swivel it into the main part of the room if I want to walk all the way around it to cut. It can also swivel against the wall if I need more space in the room. For extra storage, I added these really clever drawer and cupboard elements from Ikea to the front-facing Kallax. They are just perfect for the storage of smaller items.

The Ruler Shelves

To finish off the cutting area I needed to have a good way to store my multitude of quilting rulers. As I am a quilter at heart I have a great deal of love for quilting rulers. I am proud of my collection so wanted them on display in my new sewing room. I wanted to be able to see them and be able to grab whichever one I wanted without hassle. Finally, I needed rotary cutters and scissors to hand.

I had the idea of attaching a piece of wood battening with hooks underneath for the scissors and cutters. There was lots of space for the rulers, but the wood wasn’t wide enough to store the rulers (without risk of them falling on my head!) Again it was Ikea to the rescue with two of their Picture Ledge Shelves (Mosslanda). These are wide enough for lots of rulers and have a handy lip at the edge and a groove perfect for sitting smaller rulers in.

The Spray Painted Elements

I was hugely inspired by a picture of painted Ikea Peg Boards (Skadis). In the end, it was the catalyst to many style decisions in my new sewing room. You know how I love a rainbow hehe.

Rainbow Peg Boards

I did some research and came across a brand of spray paint that looked like it was perfect. It would spray onto anything and come in an amazing array of colours. They are Montana Black Spray Paints and I bought them from Fat Buddha Store.

After much thought, I ordered 6 colours and couldn’t wait for them to arrive. As soon as they arrived I just knew I would want to start spraying. I used a good quality masking tape beforehand to seperate the areas and was careful to do each colour to avoid any overspray. Make sure you spray outside as it is very smelly!

The results were so impressive and I had so much fun spraying that I couldn’t just stop there! I started looking around for what I had that I could spray.

Rainbow Mini Filing Cabinet

We had an old Ikea mini filing cabinet that was destined for the charity shop. The handles on my Kallax drawers and cupboard and my waste bin also got the spray paint treatment!

I did all of this from my 6 cans and have a little left in 3 of them. It can be a lot of money to spend on spray paint, but I feel that these touches helped me make my new sewing room my own. I made it personal to me (and my love of rainbows and bright colours!)

The Final Touches

Full Length Mirror

Once all of the main pieces of furniture were in I could unpack. I moved in all my sewing bits and my huge fabric stash. It was so good sorting it all out once and for all. I have always wanted a lovely big mirror for viewing new garments and bought this lovely rose gold hexagon one from Amazon.

Art

I definitely needed some art and decorative items to add some more colour and interest around my new sewing room. A few of the items are from local independent shops near me but I bought the poster art from Posterlounge.

The Little Extras

The final thing I wanted to show you were these amazing mini hexagon pinboards. I was looking for something colourful but useful to add to the wall. I was lucky enough to find these amazing Hexagon Pin Boards on Amazon. They simply stick to the wall with little double sides stickers. They are so cute and come in lots of great colours and different shapes. This was two packs mixed together to make a larger display and I totally love them!

So all I have left to do is get the ceiling painted which I am leaving that to my wonderful decorator in a few weeks, as I would just make a huge mess! Also, I have ordered two burnt orange velvet chairs for Rachel and I to sit in, and possibly vlog from in the future, and these should arrive next month.

So, How Did It Turn Out?

Overall I feel that this is my space and it still has lots of room for me to grow into it. I will love filling it with my own unique handmade items and things i’ve picked up along the way.

I would love to hear what you think about my new sewing room and let me know if you have any questions about anything at all.

Make sure to check out all the great classes we have on offer if you fancy a spot of sewing this weekend.

Happy sewing!