I have 4 needs in my sewing area:

1) You need a desk that is solid, will not vibrate. The machine shouldn't "move" when your sewing. Room on the desk for fabric. A side table for piping spool. 2) When I lean forward, my chair shouldn't move or have wheels. Cushioning. (Bernhardt chair, leather seat) 3) Dust free floor. If you drop something .....and you will...it shouldn't be nasty when you pick it up and easy to find. 4) Good lighting pointed at your work surface. There's a 9 light chandelier above.

When I had a sewing room I used a simple secretary chair. You're right, you really don't lean back much unless you're doing hand work. If I was going to be doing a significant amount of hand work, I usually moved to the couch. I did find the rolling chair pretty convenient.

I use an office chair on wheels with good lumbar support and no arms so I can scootch in as close as I need to.

I too use an office chair on wheels. I like to scoot it from sewing machine to serger. A little messy right now.

This is all very helpful--thank you! I've got the table part covered, as many years ago my husband gave me a piece of furniture designed for sewing. It has a square storage unit in the center, and sides that come up to create a lot of space for the machine and fabric. It's going into an alcove I'm redoing, and I ordered a rug.

Nicole, I forgot all about lighting! Duh . . . if I sew during the day I'll have lovely north light from a big window in the alcove. But I can't rule out sewing in the evening, so I'll have to come up with some good task lighting. I don't know what a piping spool is, so I guess I won't need a side table. ;-)

I love seeing where everyone sews! Lots of inspiration--thanks!

Will you be hand sewing or machine? Happens I do each in a different place in my home & the seating is different.

I have lower back issues too & have the good fortune of having strong secretarial chairs, molded seats w/ built in backs, on casters which move easily.

If seating at a machine, I'd try for a chair w/ a built in back so you have options of back support when needed, including a back against which you could place some kind of lumbar or lower back support to ease comfort, like a rolled up towel or small pillow.

I recently put this strip LED lighting on my machine. You can cut it to fit your machine. I love it! Got it from amazon, about $16.

Something not mentioned and it would depend on what you are sewing but with setting up your area. You may need an ironing board. Find one that if you are using a rolling chair that your knees will fit under so you do not have to be up and down. Arrange it so you do not have to walk around it to leave the area.

I do have a question. I have not sewed in years and most of that was hand sewing but don't sewing machines still come with lights? I seem to remember the bulb did not come with the machine but there was one.

Yes, sewing machines come with lights, although not very bright ones.

Here's my sewing chair:

As you can see, it has a low back, and the seat lifts up to reveal storage. I reupholstered this chair a couple of days ago. I don't lean back when I sew, and so I do not need a chair with much of a back.

And yes you also need an ironing board set up in the sewing area. Also important (for me) is to have a table to lay fabric out for cutting.

Here's my sewing area before I upholstered the chair:

I did set up an ironing board in front and to the left of the table, next to the bar. This chair is from 1923. I put the table where it is in front of the windows so that I can get a lot of light.

Here’s my chair. I like that it rolls, has a back & height can be adjusted.

I also use an office chair with rollers. I do lean back when I am snipping threads off or picking out basting and such. I have one of those clamp lamps with an adjustable arm in addition to the machine light and the overhead. One end of my room had a bank light on the ceiling but I usually position one of my looms there. I have an entire room devoted to all things fiber.

Sewing machine technology has kept up with the times: they have LED lighting. But you will still want more lighting to sew after dark.

I have a dedicated sewing room in Los Angeles with a closet overflowing with bolts of fabrics, but here in Cathedral City, I have a makeshift emergency sewing area. If my brother were not using the office for his work-at-home, I could set that up as a sewing room. My sewing room in L.A. and the office here also double as guest rooms, but we rarely have overnight guests, and so it would be a waste of space to have dedicated guest rooms. We have inflatable beds that we use when we do have guests.

Yes, the sewing machine I use isn't very old and has a good light. But Latifolia is right about sewing after dark. Also, Lyme disease left me with an extreme sensitivity to light, so single light sources can be a problem if there's no (or insufficient) ambient light. Bee, I wish I could stop by and see how well I can handle your light strip!

Oh, geez . . . an ironing board. I forgot all about that! Definitely no room for an ironing board in the alcove I'm planning to use unless I use a table-top board or sleeve board, both of which I own. That might be all I need; we'll see. As I said, I don't plan to sew to the degree I used to.

Envy is such an unpleasant emotion (lol) but you folks do have some wonderful sewing spaces! My very old farmhouse is . . . um . . . a little different. I've seen other inspiring photos of rooms devoted to quilting or rug hooking (my craft). When I was younger I would have luxuriated in something like that, but this house was not accommodating. It has its charms though.

I think I'll probably go with an armless chair on rollers, with a back. I don't imagine it will roll too freely on a rug.

Karen, I'll be machine sewing. When I need to do any hand sewing I use a wing-back chair in my living room. Comfy. Lumbar support is always appreciated, but scoliosis adds another dimension. Crookedness, for one thing. I can tell as I write this that I'm leaning to the left in my chair. And as the day wears on the C-curve in my spine starts to rub against the bottom of my ribs on the left side, and then the muscles surrounding often go into spasm. In that event, the only thing that helps is to lie down until everything relaxes. This doesn't usually take very long.

Thank you all for the help. Post more pictures! So much talent hanging out here.

I have a comfy office chair on wheels in my craft room. It has a full back.

I do a lot of other crafts besides sewing at my worktable. And I regularly lean back in my chair.

Alisande, it is very bright lighting. With your sensitivity I would speculate that a strip with many lights might be too much for you. There can also be some glare off the machine’s foot & metal in that area.

My machine has 2 built in lights, but my aging eyes need more.

I also have another light source on my machine (the left side/end) that is flexible, & I’ll add another pic. I can twist & direct the light right down close to the needle area. I like the flexibility of it. Perhaps that might be a better option for you?

I use an office chair on wheels, also when I sew. I like the back when I am taking a break, but still at the machine. I have a floor OTT light which gives great additional lighting. I am set up in my office/sewing room/guest room, but also only have overnight guests a couple times a year. My machine/table is set up under the window, but when the sun starts to go down, on goes that extra light!

What's "OTT" - "over the table"?

"Out To Tea" ... as an alternative to "out to lunch"!?

ole joyful

OJ....OTT is a really nice bright-as-day lamp for crafters. It's a brand. I have one by Sharper Image....same thing....but a knock off....down the hall....and 2nd sewing machine for mending.

Yep.....and an ironing board, cutting table and cutting board . Also Sulky storage(click to view) boxes for thread, regular and embroidery. Then storage for fabric and chest of drawers for notions.

I use a rolling office chair with good cushioning. I have a mat on the floor for the chair to roll on since that room is carpet. I have an ironing board that hangs from the top of a door and folds up flat when not in use. My machine is on a big table and I have a good led light on the table. I have a smaller table that folds up and slides along side of the table. I use it to lay out fabric for cutting etc. I much prefer a chair that easily rolls around for my movements.

https://www.amazon.com/Household-Essentials-144222-Ironing-Natural/dp/B00BZH4PFS

I have an office chair with a good lumbar support back. After using it as a computer chair for a number of years we brought it into my sewing room. I removed the arms because they were constricting.

As far as the location of the ironing board, if you’re doing small piece quilting which requires frequent pressing, a close location for the ironing board is more ergonomic; however, if you’re doing more intensive, long time sewing, you’re better off putting the ironing board further away so that you are forced to get up to take a break and move.

I have a 2nd small iron that I use on a TV table for pressing parts of blocks as needed.

I like to change position often without getting up. I have an office chair with no arms & wheels.

I also have a TV in the room and sit up/stretch/twist when I'm not ignoring the reruns I watch. I have to have some sort of noise in the house.

Dust free floor. If you drop something .....and you will...it shouldn't be nasty when you pick it up and easy to find.

I'm gonna use that as the reason I quit sewing in my 30s...

Look what I found--the original catalog page showing my "sewing center"! It's dated 1980.

Update: Well, it appears unlikely I'll be doing any sewing in my "sewing nook." I finished emptying and cleaning it, emptied and restored the drawers in the sewing center, reattached one of the drawer fronts and replaced the knobs, put the rug down and the sewing center back in and . . . the space is really too small. I can't open both leaves of the sewing center, and any kind of ironing setup is out of the question.

I'm not all that disappointed though. For one thing, I'm proud of the transformation. For another, the space won't be wasted. The sewing station is a great place to store my sewing notions and supplies--including the sewing machine, which is light enough to carry downstairs when I want to sew. Also, with one leaf open in front of that north-facing window I can see myself making art. I ordered a floor lamp with that in mind.

I tucked a cat bed in a corner, and Peachy took to it right away. :-)

Thanks for all your advice. It gave me a lot to think about, and helped me a great deal when it came to making this decision.

I recently purchased a saddle stool (Amazon) to use on my long arm for micro stitching. The other day, I used the stool at my sewing machine and found that I love it! I also recently redid my sewing room with a new table. I do wish I had a table where my machine was recessed, but didn't want to pay the high prices for the big table space. The saddle stool is adjustable and raises high, so I don't find myself hunching over, especially if I'm doing free motion. So... the saddle stool has turned into my new sewing machine chair. I found I wasn't leaning back in the office chair that I had been using. I liked the office chair (armless), but love the stool so much better.

A little update: I turned the alcove into an "art spot" instead. I moved the floor lamp downstairs to the piano and bought a neat little desk lamp:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GDGY33Z

And here's the chair I finally decided on. I put it together this week, and I like it a lot. Seems to be well made.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019QITJ8

Thanks for the update! I like that chair. The one in my sewing room has fabric covering the cushions and it's constantly covered with thread and cat fur. I think the vinyl would be much easier to clean. :)

Donna

Alisande, could you update how you feel about this chair? I need to buy a new seat for my sewing area. (Mine broke recently, causing me to fall with my arm coming down on the edge of my Ikea Raskog utility cart and then we both crashed to the ground. Didn't break my arm but it was swollen and burning sore for a few days. )

I was also wondering how you've made out with the Lazy Boy Arden seat you got a few years ago.

As folks can tell, I was sifting through old posts for opinions and ideas of seating options.

Thank you to anyone else who wants to jump into the discussion!

Following my friend's death, his family gave me an adjustable fluorescent lamp with two hinged arms which allows me to adjust it in various ways.

It has a shaft to plug into a hole to locate it, and I drilled a hole into a board that I clamp to the edge of my desk and can clamp it at varying locations around the edge of the desk, making it quite adjustable.

We get milk in cardboard cartons, and I cut a couple to about 7.5 to 9.5 in. X 3.75 in. and glued in cardboard walls at convenient height about 3/4 in. to make spaces to store bobbins carrying thread of various colours.

Soda cracker boxes cut down with installed walls to hold spools of thread I've found quite convenient.

ole joyful

LOL, I saw this post and wanted to contribute. I took a picture of my chair to show you. It wasn't until I got to Alisande's last post that I realized this thread was months old. And your chair, Alisande, is nearly identical to mine. My sewing room is only 10' x 13'. With 4 sewing machines and a serger, I love that my chair rolls. My 3'x5' cutting mat fits perfectly on my craft table and I often roll from a sewing machine to the ironing board and to the cutting table. My chair can be used with or without the back. Initially, I used it without the back, because I seldom sat close against it. But a few months ago I decided to put the back on and I do find it more comfortable. I like having the choice. Please excuse my sewing room. I know it's a mess. But if I spent my free time cleaning, I'd never get any sewing done, LOL. I get up at 4:30 on weekdays just so I can spend time in my haven before going to work.

Donna, your chair really does look like a dark version of mine! Cara, I like mine a lot. I'm glad I bought it. And I'm equally pleased with my Lazy Boy desk chair. I'm sorry you were injured! Glad it wasn't worse. To quote Judge Judy: "If you want to live a long life, I have two words for you--don't fall." I repeated this to my son the other day when he asked if I'd like to have a bicycle and go riding with him and his boys. :-)

As I said, I haven't been sewing in that alcove, but I signed up for an online watercolor class during the pandemic and have used the new chair and that space quite a bit. Unfortunately, I'm cut off from it temporarily because it's not heated and when I tried to use an electric heater I discovered the wall outlet was faulty. My son tried to replace it for me, only to find the ground wire hadn't been connected to it. I consulted with the helpful guys at the Electrical Wiring forum, and on their advice ordered an outlet tester. So I hope to be back using the alcove soon.

I'm also happy with the lamp I linked. I like it so much that I bought a black floor lamp by the same manufacturer, for the piano.

Thank you, Alisanda and Donna. I ordered the chair!

I forgot to mention that I also like that I am also happy that I can raise and lower the seat on my chair. I use it at its highest when at my cutting table doing paperwork. I stand when cutting. I have my ironing board at a height that is nearly the same as my sewing machine and I can just roll a bit to the left and iron a seam and roll back to the sewing machine.

A back support would be nice when taking a break. Most quilters I've seen are leaning over the work area when stitching, and only lean back when taking a break. Have you labored over a jigsaw puzzle? What posture and seat you found best for this is likely the same for quilting. Of course, I am speaking about quilting on a quilting frame and stitching by hand. If you intend to quilt with a sewing machine, that's an entirely different action.

I sew a lot and have sciatic nerve pain that acts up from time to time. I use a basic wooden kitchen chair, turned at an angle to the sewing cabinet, so that I sit over the corner of the seat. Does that make sense? The corner of the chair is forward and one of my legs is over what is the front side of the chair and one leg is on a side of the chair. Sitting this way, I sit on the forward part of my rear (over the triangle created by the corner of the chair), rather than on the back, where the pressure is intolerable. I can sew for quite a while in that position.