Jen, Over the years I've sewn on everything from the dining room table through an old plank in a closet, to my current, dream setting---a Koala cabinet. (that's one of the cabinets with the hydrolic lift for the machine and all the compartments, folds up to a large table and down into a compact cabinet). What I've found over the years is that as long as I've got good light, and a chair with good back support, the table isn't that important. Budget and space usually were the determinants for me. I also found it helpful to have my machine tilted at an angle toward me. You can get special platforms designed just for this purpose, or use some inexpensive door stops to tilt your machine. You'll find office supply stores have some great, inexpensive and adjustable furniture. Good luck! Jill

Like the above poster i've also had my machine on everything from the kitchen table(up and down,up and down)when my kids were little,on to what i have now ,which is big office desk.I like this desk as it gives me plenty of room.I have my machine in the middle of it,and have room at each end.It has 5 good size drawers,which come in very handy.I often open one drawer and lay my small cutting/pressing board acros it when making quilt blocks.I got this desk for 35.00 at the goodwill and it's in very good shape.I've had it over 10 years.I also now have a sewing/craft/computor room,so i can leave everything up and shut the door if need be.
Kathi

I think office furniture is a good place to start looking.

The purpose built cabinets that fold up are a great idea if you can afford it.

If you want something smaller and portable this Sew-Ezi looks good, but it is quite pricey.

Good luck with it!
AJ

Here is a link that might be useful: folding table

I've seen the SewEzi table at a sewing/quilt expo. The price was $229. If I bought it at the show, they'd pay for shipping. It's a very nice product, and they provide a plastic insert so you have a flatbed surface across the entire table. It is especially nice if you need to take a sewing table with you to class or traveling.

I have had my sewing machine on a desk for years. I recently got a "new" desk at Goodwill for $25 with a set of drawers on the LEFT so that I could put my machine in the right front corner. (If there's only one set of drawers, they are often on the right - not the ideal setup for a sewing machine.) Gives me the maximum space to the left of the machine, which is what you want.

I want to cut out a section of the desk top and build a small platform underneath to hold my machine, then get a platic insert so I can create that flat-bed table setup, similar to the SewEzi table. If the table is only for sewing, there's no reason not to alter it to meet your needs. Get a kitchen or dining table or desk at Goodwill and customize it to fit your needs.

Another idea I had was to build a leaf for my dining room table with a platform and insert. Then I could put the leaf into the table, and have a flat-bed setup for really large items (quilts, for instance). The sewing machine leaf would not have to match the dining table, it just needs to be able to "mesh" with the rest of the table hardware, but it could be any wood or even a formica surface.

Here's my dream sewing table from Horn. These are not cheap; I think the price is around $3500.00. I don't know why, but sewing cabinets and furniture are incredibley expensive. This table has a motorized lift that adjusts the height of the table. You can adjust the height up and use it for a cutting table, then adjust it down to sew. You can get it at just the right height for you; this would be very nice if you are either tall or short.

CMC

Here is a link that might be useful: Horn Sewing table.

One of the quilt shops i frequent has a nice set up of tables for classes etc,and she said they all came from IKEA.Very nice,but i have no idea on the price of them.
Kathi

I have 2 tables on wheels, actually they are called office machine stands. They aren't used in offices anymore, but I bought mine at thrift stores. They have a drop leaf which gives extra support for the sewing project. I live in a small apartment and they can fit into a small area. My sewing machine is on one and the serger on the other. They are not as high as a regular table which makes it convenient for me.

Hi everyone, thanks for your comments and suggestions. I can't believe two of you found nice desks for cheap at Goodwill! Maybe that's where I should start looking. I will definitely take a look at the desks at office stores.

Thanks again for your input and suggestions. I'm just starting to consider this and you've been very helpful. I plan to be back at this forum many times now that I'm using my machine again!

Jen

CMC, did you ever cut the hole in a table or leaf like you were thinking of doing? I just came across this thread while looking into sewing cabinets. I had though about doing the same thing and getting an air lift for the shelf, but I don't know how easy it would be to get everything lined up properly.I like the ready made cabinets that fold up, fully enclosing everything, but they seem overpriced.

No, I haven't taken the plunge yet and carved up my Goodwill desk or created a new leaf for the table. My bother, who worked as a carpenter, then as a cabinetmaker for years, is willing to do this project with me. Right now, he's replacing my ugly kitchen ceiling, for which I am very grateful, so I donÂt want to bug him about another project right now.

I still think these are excellent ideas.

IÂve talked to him about how expensive sewing furniture is. There are a lot of reasons for this. Compared to, say, kitchen cabinets, sewing machine furniture is a niche market. You can go down to Home Depot, order "standard" kitchen cabinets, and the manufacturer has a huge factory set up with special tools and jigs to manufacture them quickly and efficiently. Sewing furniture manufacturers donÂt do the kind of volume that would allow them to invest in mass-manufacturing equipment.

I encourage you to search the internet for sewing machine furniture plans or find a commercial design you mostly like. Then, work with a custom cabinet maker to design and make a high-quality cabinet that suits your needs perfectly. You pick the materials, the size, the way it opens, etc., etc.. For the about the same price as a Koala or other name-brand cabinet, you can get EXACTLY what you need, including the lift you want.

For example:

http://www.how-to-plans.com/sewing_cabinet_plans.html

Also, since I last posted on this subject, IÂve talked to the owner of Unique Sewing Furniture at a sewing expo where I got to see their products close up. They make very high quality cabinets and they will custom make anything that you can dream up, or adapt one of their standard products to exactly your specifications. I think they have the sturdiest and best designed cutting table IÂve ever seen. Beautiful furniture, made with real wood, and they really understand what sewers want and need. Price ranges are about the same as the big name manufacturers, perhaps a bit lower, depends on variations in prices of their materials (yes, still expensive), but the quality of the product is much superior.

http://www.uniquesewingfurniture.com/index.html

When I adapt my simple desk, IÂll post how that project turns out!

CMC

Here is a link that might be useful: Unique Sewing Furniture

Thank you for your reply CMC and the link. Those look like very nice cabinets. I tried calling to see if there's a dealer around me, but the number was disconnected. I thought that was a little strange. They'd most likely be more money than I'd want to put out right now.
I'd love to try making one, but I'd need my husband's help and we have other unfinished projects laying around, so he doesn't want another one started. I don't blame him.

I have a very small sewing space. I only started a few years ago, and was remodeling a utility room at the time. I decided I would sew in there and be close to hangers, the washer, and the iron.

I used melamine and cut it to fit the space (which has an odd angle to allow the door to close). I have used it tons since then and really enjoy it. I made places to put my stashed materials and supplies also.

Cindyandmocha,
I'm glad you posted your picture, as your set-up looks like something that will fit in a closet I am thinking of converting into a "sewing room." I notice you have a light mounted under one of the shelves. What kind of light is it and are you happy with it?
The reason I ask is that right now I am testing the closet/sewingroom idea out by setting up a cardtable in the closet, and I find that the light overhead is not sufficient. It is in the center of the "room" and my body casts a shadow on my work. The itty bitty sewing machine light really doesn't cut it now that my eyes are approaching 60 years.
Thank you.

I have a computer desk that I bought at Walmart several years ago. The legs are square tube steel similar to the Horn tale that CMC posted above (but it doesn't have wheels, which is a nice feature). There is a keyboard tray cutout that is height adjustable. I just set the keyboard tray so that the bed of my sewing machine matches up with the table height. Most of the table space is on the left which is nice for larger projects. On the right I have space for a small rotary cutting pad. On the right of the machine, down on the keyboard tray, I have a small box that holds my scissors, stilleto, seam ripper etc. The other nice thing is that the three drawer rolling carts slide right under it so that I have everything at hand. I only paid $99 for it. Works great for me.

MeMo

This is my first time visiting this forum, I am usually over in Garden Junk. I am like a lot of others, and have used any means possible to have a sewing table. I recently bought a 6 ft table at sams club for my basement, to do misc crafts on, then bought another 4 ft folding table(39.00) at sams specifically for my sewing table. It has adjustable height, and works great for me. I also found an empty sewing machine cabinet on the curb, someone was throwing away. The machine was not in it. It has 4 small drawers, so I screwed 2 sturdy boards underneath and my machine sits right in it. When not in use, I put my machine in its case, and close the cabinet and its really handy.

Sherrie

I have a nearly-identical table to the one ETSPenguin posted, but I paid less than $100 for it at the Bernina shop.

Mine has the fold up portion that fits around my machine, or open it forms a nice crafting table.

Sadly, mine is ugly brown so I keep a small table cloth on it.

I'll second the SewEzi table, it's a wonderful, small, portable table. I use one in our RV.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Wandering Quilter's Life in a Box!

Is the SewEzi sturdy enough?