I would like to tell you a little about my workspace. This summer we finally got around to making me a sewing/craft/office-room. And in future posts, I’ll give you a tour of My Room (yes – it’s written with capital letters! I feel very lucky to have it – and it is almost sacred to me. It’s also very small: 1.8 m X 4 m ( 6 feet X 13 feet ).
The first thing you notice, when nearing the room, is the cutting/pressing table. Not-sewing friends ask my why I don’t get rid of it, because it is very dominant to the room:
The light is so bad today – I had to turn on the lamp. But you get the idea.
We made this table in December 2007 – since then, I’ve added another layer of cotton fabric (only because I got tired of the old one, and didn’t want to tear it off. I just stabled this on top of it.)
It’s working out great. I use it for almost all my pressing, and to cut out smaller items (it’s big enough for shirts and skirts, but a little too small for dresses and trousers.) I also store a lot of stuff on it – and the cats love to sleep there – under the light.
Here is the original post that explains how to make a cutting pressing table:
I (and by “I”, I mean Dennis) have made a cutting-pressing table for my sewing area.
I’ve been wishing for one for quite some time, but haven’t had room before. But now I have a corner of my sewing area to use (even though I don’t have a real sewing room, I do have quite a lot of room).
The table isn’t big enough for cutting fabric for trousers or jackets, but will work for most home dec projects and t-shirts. And even though it doesn’t completely replace the ironing board when it comes to ironing large pieces of fabric, it will be great for most things – especially with my pressing tools.
Well, How was it made, you might wonder…
Here is how:
You need
1 table top (I used an old worn one, that I used as a desk several years ago)
The old table top
4 table legs, that are high enough for standing height.
1 large piece of pressing felt or table felt (I used table felt in a double layer)
The table felt
1 piece of fabric
duct tape
stables and stable gun
——-
The first thing we (my husband) did, was to place the table top on top of the folded felt. He then secured it temporarily with duct tape before using a stable gun to stable it in place. You might need to be two people to do this, as it is important that you tighten the felt.
Table felt secured
Then he stabled the felt to the table top all the way around the edges before we removed the tape and cut the remaining felt off.
Trimming the felt
Then we placed the table top with felt on top of the fabric (I chose a somewhat childish design – mainly because I love the colours), secured with tape and stabled the fabric in place..
Stabling the fabric in place
Then we (he) put on the legs. They are from IKEA and are adjustable, so you can get them in your perfect working height and not hurt your back.
Putting on the legs
As you can see in the first picture, I still have the iron holder from the kitchen department in IKEA (my favorite store:-)) .
I love my cutting/pressing table. If I had more room, I would make another one, and stand them next to eachother, to have even more cutting/pressing space. Do you have a cutting or pressing table? Tell me about it!
I have a table that I use for cutting, but it’s too low and I usually end up using the dining room one because it is a bit higher (but still not perfect). I’m very jealous of yours.
I have seen those table legs at the IKEA in College Park MD USA and thought they looked like a great idea. I think now that I’m going to try making a table of my own like this one.
Oh you should, I’m thrilled about mine! Let me know how it goes (and ask away if you have any questions!)
Maria, i love your pressing table..
>> It’s also very small: 1.8 m X 4 m ( 6 feet X 13 feet ).
Could it be possible that something’s wrong with measurement ???
6 ft by 13 ft is reallly long..and can’t possibly fit in a room that’s 1.80 m x 4 m small. (5.9ft x 13ft) esp, when the table is across the width of the room..
Hi Kay.
The room is 1.8 m X 4 m ( 6 feet X 13 feet ). The pressing table is 120 cm x 75 cm (4 feet x 2½ feet):-) And it fits inside:-)
~ Maria
What a fantastic idea! I have a cheap ironing board and it is really unstable. I’ve burned myself a couple of times simply because I put the iron down on the board and then accidentally bumped the board – knocking the iron over and onto my arm. By the way, I love the podcast that you and Tini do. Thanks so much for doing it. You have both inspired me to expand my sewing horizons.
Thank you so much. It’s so nice to hear that you enjoy the podcast!
And go ahead and make a pressing table. It’s really easy!
Thanks for sharing your story!. Right now I’m planning my sewing room and was wondering if you have had first hand experience with floating tables and/ or the folding kind… and I know this is far fetched but who knows: the ones hanging from the ceiling operated with pulleys.
Anyhow, thanks again and I’ll be glued to your blog since you share very valuable info. You’ve made me a happy “darter”.