Sewing Room Essentials

Wouldn’t it be nice if we each had a large sewing room with plenty of space for cutting, designing, ironing, fabric storage, and multiple sewing machines? Yes, that would be ideal, but it just isn’t the reality for most of us. We’re here to provide sewing room ideas for small spaces to help you fit everything you love about quilting into the space you have. 

We often get asked, What does every quilter need? Or, What do I need for beginner sewing? And the answer to both questions is simple: A sewing machine, some fabric, and a desire to make something beautiful! 

Wondering What supplies do I need for sewing? You’ll need a cutting mat, rotary cutter, a good pair of sewing scissors, needles, and thread to get started. These sewing room essentials don’t take up much space; they can be packed up into a tote with a handle that you can pick up and put away when you are finished sewing.

What does every sewing room need? When you think about it, all you really need to sew is a place to set your sewing machine, cut, and iron fabric. A sewing machine isn’t that big in and of itself. It could comfortably fit on a small table or a portion of your dining room table. As for setting up a sewing room, you may not have an entire room to dedicate to your hobby and that’s okay. Claim whatever space you can and make it your own. If you’re struggling to find sewing room storage space, think about simplifying first.

When it comes to sewing room must haves, you will need a table for your sewing machine and a place to keep your supplies. If you’re short on sewing room storage, remember that dressers can hold a lot of fabric! You’ll also need a place to iron as well. If you don’t want to set up a big ironing board or don’t have the room, try using a folding tray table and add an ironing pad on top to make a pressing table that you can fold away. Once you have that squared away, you can also use it for cutting by putting a cutting mat right on top.

If you’re still wondering how to organize a sewing room, remember that even if your space is limited, we have plenty of sewing room organization ideas that will help you make your space both visually appealing and accessible. Once you’ve got a space for your sewing machine, think vertically! You know those neat peg boards that have been used as garage organization for tools? Why not use them for organizing sewing room supplies? Storing notions vertically opens up space on your sewing table. You can also hang a couple shelves over your sewing table and arrange your notions up above your workstation to keep your table clear.

Jenny’s sewing room is packed with everything she could need to create her next project and she says, “I like drawers for thread and rulers, although I prefer a hanging pegboard rack for the rulers I use often.” Here are some additional sewing room ideas from Jenny, “I also like containers that are decorative and useful.” Like our cute little thimble containers! We just can’t get enough.

Sewing room organization doesn’t need to be complex. Keep it simple and think of the overall layout and how everything works together. If it’s a tight space, you may not have to walk far to your pressing station from your sewing machine, but do you prefer it on the right or on the left? Are you always tripping over the iron cord? Keep these considerations in mind when organizing your sewing room so that you’ll always feel comfortable and your creativity will flow easily. 

No matter what size sewing room you sew in, you can make it work for you with some careful consideration about your fabric stash, sewing supplies, and overall layout. Then, check out These Sewing Room tutorials to help you create your dream sewing room organization and storage. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!