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Patchwork & Pastry

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Patchwork & Pastry

Tag Archives: cutting table

Sewing Room Furniture

25 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by frstborn in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cutting table, patchwork, puppy, Quilt, quilting, quilting table, seating

A few years ago, Charlie and I built a massive cutting table for my sewing/longarming room.  It was an IKEA hack, made of two bookcases, a couple of sheets of plywood and heavy duty casters.  It was 4′ x 8′ (122cm x 244cm).  I wrote a blog post about creating it here.  I have since come to realize that I can handle all I need to do on a much, much smaller surface.

Vor ein paar Jahren haben Charlie und ich einen riesigen Schneidetisch für meinen Näh- / Longarmierraum gebaut. Es war ein IKEA-Hack, der aus zwei Bücherregalen, ein paar Sperrholzplatten und schweren Rollen bestand. Der war 4 ‘x 8’ (122 cm x 244 cm). Ich habe einen Blogbeitrag darüber geschrieben. Seitdem habe ich erkannt, dass eigentlich so eine grosse Fläche nicht brauche.

4′ x 8′ cutting table

I am a BIG believer in repurposing/recycling; so I started thinking how I could reuse the components of the cutting table.  In consultation with my in-house-construction wizard (Best-Husband-Ever Charlie), I decide to de-construct the table and turn the bookcases back into “bookcases”.  You can see one of them in the photo below – it fit perfectly next to the window, and was just the right height, which is an almost miracle since the walls are slanted at an odd height and furniture is generally either too short or too tall.  The other bookcase is on the other end of the room, where the credenza used to sit.  There is enough room over there for another one just like it.

Ich bin ein großer Anhänger der Umnutzung / Recycling; also begann ich darüber nachzudenken, wie ich die Bestandteile des Schneidetisches wiederverwenden konnte. In Absprache mit meinem Inhouse-Baumeister (Best-Husband-Ever Charlie) habe ich entschieden, den Tisch zu dekonstruieren und die Bücherregale wieder in “Bücherregale” zu verwandeln. Man kann auf dem Foto unten sehen – eines der Bücherregale passte perfekt neben dem Fenster, und war genau die richtige Höhe, was fast ein Wunder ist, da die Wände in einer komischen Höhe schräg sind und Möbel im allgemeinen entweder zu kurz oder zu hoch sind . Das andere Bücherregal befindet sich am anderen Ende des Raumes, in dem die Kredenz saß.

Half way through the remake ….

The credenza, which in a previous life was our china cabinet (right after we bought it in 2005), then my office supply cabinet, then a dining room side board, and finally (and most recently) fabric storage underneath and ironing surface on top is now a combination of fabric storage, cutting surface and ironing board.

Die Kredenz, die in einem früheren Leben unser Porzellanschrank war (direkt nach dem Kauf in 2005), dann mein Bürobedarfsschrank, dann ein Esszimmer-Kredenz und schließlich (und zuletzt) ​​ein Stofflager unten und eine Bügelfläche oben; ist jetzt eine Kombination aus Stofflager, Schneidefläche und Bügelbrett.

The credenza’s most recent role as fabric storage and ironing board

To the right of the “new” cutting table/ironing station you can see Margaret’s chair.  Margaret the puppy loves to look out the window.  She is a great jumper, but because the chair swirls (which caused her to fall off it on her first attempt) she will not get on it unless the stairs are there.  All this takes up a LOT of space so I started looking for something I could use to make her a seat that she could climb/jump up on other own.  I found the piece in the picture below in our closet, and the feet in our IKEA spare-parts-box.  The feet had previously been on the bottom of a cabinet that is now hanging in our garage.

Auf der rechten Seite des “neuen” Schneidetisches / Bügelstation sieht man Margaret’s. Margaret (unser Baby Hund) liebt es, aus dem Fenster zu schauen. Sie ist eine tolle Springerin, aber weil der Stuhl wirbelt (was dazu führte, dass sie bei ihrem ersten Versuch davon fiel), traut sie sich nicht mehr darauf zu springen und braucht die Treppe. All das nimmt viel Platz in Anspruch, also suchte ich nach etwas, das ich benutzen könnte, um ihr einem Sitz zu machen, auf dem sie klettern und springen kann. Ich fand das Stück (auf dem Bild unten links) in unserem Schrank, und die Füße in unserer IKEA-Ersatzteil-Box. Die Füße waren vorher auf dem Boden eines Schrankes, der jetzt in unserer Garage hängt.

Charlie had a piece of material in his shop (I don’t know the name of the thing but it is what is commonly used for backing of cabinetry; it is thin and wood like). He cut it to size for me and I nailed it to the back of the box (using nails found in the IKEA spare-parts-box!).  I then attached the feet to the bottom – all this under Charlie’s constant supervision (I think he worries that I will maim myself horribly otherwise).

Charlie hatte ein Stück Material in seiner Werkstatt (ich weiss nicht wie das  Ding heisst, aber es ist das, was üblicherweise für die Rückendeckung von Schränken verwendet wird; es ist dünn und holzartig). Er hat es für mich zugeschnitten und ich habe es auf die Rückseite der Box genagelt (mit Nägeln aus der IKEA-Ersatzteilbox!). Ich habe dann die Füße am Boden befestigt – all das unter der ständigen Aufsicht von Charlie (ich denke, er macht sich Sorgen, dass ich mich sonst fürchterlich verstümmeln werde).

“New” seating for Margaret (where the chair used to be)

The top will get a cushion (an old pillow covered in a practice quilt) and will then be attached with stick-on velcro, so I can take it off and wash.

Die Sitzfläche bekommt ein Kissen (einen alten Polster, der in einem Übungs-Quilt eingewickelt ist).



I will work with this setup for a while to see how it works for me.  If the surface proves to be large enough, the I will turn the back of the credenza into a design wall.  If I have to enlarge the top a bit, I will add a larger top, as well as two legs on the back (in order to stabilize the larger top).  The area underneath would then become additional storage.

Ich werde für eine Weile mit diesem Setup arbeiten, um zu sehen, wie es für mich funktioniert. Wenn die Oberfläche groß genug ist, werde ich die Rückseite der Credenza in eine Designwand verwandeln. Wenn ich das Oberteil ein wenig vergrößern muss, werde ich ein größeres Oberteil oben drauf legen und zwei Beine auf dem Rücken hinzufügen (um das größere Oberteil zu stabilisieren).

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The Cutting Table (a.k.a. Work Table a.k.a. Craft Table….)

11 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by frstborn in Uncategorized

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

bookcases, casters, craft table, cutting table, easy build, IKEA hack, quilting table, space management

 

I promised a posting about my *fabulous* table…..

When I conceptualized this table, there was not talk of a Quilting Machine upstairs; the room looked like this:

IMG_0736There was plenty of room, and I really needed a good surface to work on.  The resulting work table, was sketched/drawn by me, then Charlie and I took a trip to IKEA to pick up some of the “bones”- we built it together.

Here is the write-up that I put together for the IKEA hackers website (a website dedicated to people that take IKEA items and create something different).

Materials:
2 IKEA Expedit (2 x 4) bookcases
2 sheets of plywood (3/4″)
5 heavy duty casters &  
5 washers & 
5 lockwashers
leftover flooring
trim
18 – 20 L-brackets

The Build:

1. Assemble the two bookcases

2. Cut the two sheets of plywood down to 6 ft (cut 2 ft off the long side). The sheets will now measure 4ft x 6 ft). Paint one side of each sheet to match/coordinate the finish of your EXPEDIT pieces. In my case, I just painted them white. Mount 4 of the casters in the four corners (within 6″ of the edge of the long side so that they will not interfere with the bookcases), and one in the center. The casters should be mounted on the side of the plywood that is NOT painted.


4. Position the bookcases parallel to each other but with 13 1/4″ of space in between them. Position the plywood (with the casters) on top of the two bookcases. You should now have a 6″ overhang on the long ends, and a 2″ overhang on the short ends. Secure the the plywood and the bookcases together with L-brackets (2 on each of the short ends and 1 in the middle of the long side).

rsz_photo_1

5. FOR THIS STEP ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED !! Turn the table upright (see photo above)

6. Attach the 2nd piece of plywood (painted side down) to the top of the two bookcases, using the same measurements you used on the bottom.

photo 1

7. Finish the top with the covering of your choice. I used leftover flooring for mine. In the main picture, I have attached the trim to the top but not yet to the bottom.

photo 4

And here it is after it had been put into service – it is now 2 years later and I still LOVE it!  Now that the space has gotten much “tighter” upstairs, the heavy duty casters were a brilliant (if I may say so myself) idea!  When I am sewing, I push the table closer to the Quilting Machine, and when I am quilting I push it closer to the sewing machine; but, the casters are heavy enough that the table stays put when I am working on it…

IMG_0729

 

 

 

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The “Upstairs” (aka the Woman Cave or the Studio)

10 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by frstborn in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

china cabinet, cutting table, design wall, Fiber Arts, greek flag, Handi Quilter, hutch, ironing station, long-arm, mug rug, Quilt, quilting, ribbons, sewing machine, sewing machine table, sewing room, storage, studio, thread storage, trash can, upstairs, works in progress

I don’t like that word : “studio” – for me, it’s a bit pretentious and grandios. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for established artists, commercial handicraft people maybe – but not for me… So, the “for me” area of the house is simply called “the upstairs” (it is the only room in the house on the second floor).

First, the bad news: this is what it looks like, when I am getting close to done with any project:

2015/01/img_3100.jpg

Absolute chaos! (And I have not shown you the floor). This was the state of things yesterday. I decided to go to work cleaning things up; Now I can show you how nice, comfortable and cozy it really is up there.

I started with the ledge and landing coming up the stairs. I cleaned the ledge and put the coaster that usually sits there back on it. The coaster was a Christmas present from a friend and is totally hand stitched (it reminds me of how kind hearted she is every time I set my water on it). The red bin is the “things that belong somewhere else” bin. Mostly, I put things in there that need to go to my guild friends.

2015/01/img_3101.jpg

Next, the sewing machine area (the table is my old desk painted white). On top of the desk (and under the acrylic table is a “mini trash can” (repurposed plastic ice cream container). The other container you see in the picture holds the feet to my machine – it is a re purposes pill organizer. Above the desk (on the ledge) are three terra cotta pots that hold colored pencils, markers and pens. Other tools (scissors, rotary cutters, stilettos) are in the right hand drawer if the desk.

2015/01/img_3102.jpg

From there I moved on to the ironing area. The ironing “board” is our old china cabinet without the top part (hutch). We had to take the top off because the walls up there are slanted and it won’t fit – you’ll see the top in the next paragraph. This cabinet holds fabrics, the drawers hold leftover pieces of binding. On the hooks above are pieces of cheesecloth, ironing sheet, a pair of scissors and an extra cutting mat. BHE got me a timer;’when I go upstairs, I plug the iron in, and if I forget to unplug it before I go back downstairs the timer turns it off automatically at 8 o’clock.

IMG_3104

Next, is the top of the china cabinet; because it would not fit on top of the hutch, I took it off and flipped it upside down (so it would not tip over).  BHE then built a new “top” for it, that I have yet to paint white.  The shelves hold a variety of items – in the basket on the bottom left are things (mine, not customers) that need to be quilted (table runners, quilts, etc.).  On the bottom right, are “orphan” blocks (pieces that I have made as samples, that I have found or have been given to me – these will end up in a quilt (someday).  On the shelves immediately above, are works in progress (Bianca’s quilt and my table setting mats for example.  Above that are smaller items (used frequently)….IMG_5010

Directly across from the hutch is my Long Arm (you can use the AC/heat unti seen in both pictures as a reference point).  The “husband” chair is located next to it.  The chair is dedicated to BHE and is there for the rare occasions that he ventures up here. Nothing is to be laid on it at any time, so that it is ready for his derriere at any given moment!

Behind the Long Arm is a Greek Flag (I don’t have an Austrian one or it would be hanging there too) and my ribbons.  The ribbon display is temporary – I will eventually take them down and put them in a box…

BHE improved my lighting greatly by mounting track lights above the Long Arm; this made a world of a difference as before that I could not quilt up there in the evenings!

The lamp above my cutting table is my old desk lamp (can you tell I LOVE re-purposing stuff?)  All my rulers are mounted on the wall (just a picture hanging nail in the wall and voila)…I wrote the size of the ruler in pencil under the nail, so I would know which ruler goes where…the cutting table itself will be discussed in a separate post, because it is just THAT great!  The wire that you see just beyond the cutting table, hanging on the slanted part of the wall, used to be my design wall.  Now, I hang things on it that I want to keep on the fore front of my mind but do not want to work on right now (you can see several Dear Jane blocks hanging on it).

IMG_5013

Last but not least my design wall:

IMG_5015

The room only has one wall that is taller than 48″, and that wall has two closet doors on it.  BHE mounted a dowel above it and we hung the design wall on shower curtain rings – this way when I need to open the closet door, I just push the design wall aside and can easily access either closet.  To the right of the design wall is a clock I looooove; to the left is a mini quilt I looooove – the mini quilt was made by an Australian designer I admire (Quiet Play).

I love this room just as much as Charlie loves his (several) man caves.  We both believe that each of us having a separate space somewhere – no matter how little is vitally important to our maintaining a good relationship.  And believe me, when we first moved in together, our respective “alone” spaces were really, really, really tiny.  There is only one rule: I don’t mess with his and he does not mess with mine!  Occasionally, I am allowed in his to clean 🙂

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