As I mentioned in my Big Move post, we are working hard to renovate and create a cozy space in our new-to-us 512 square foot cottage. One of the challenges of a smaller space is making sure that everything has its place and that the overall effect leaves it feeling as large and open as possible. Before we moved, we created many different floor plans, and the trickiest part of my sewing space to place was always the ironing board. I love my large quilters ironing board that we made years ago, so we kept brainstorming ways to make it work in our new home. We considered mounting it to the wall in a flip up / flip down method, and that was the plan for a long time.
Then, when I began boxing up my sewing room, it was time to really consider what I was taking and why. When I boxed up my travel sewing machine, I started looking at the table it was sitting on with a very critical eye. The table is a purchased wheeled TV table with storage* that I picked up from Wayfair, and the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced it could be the perfect solution to my ironing board needs.
*Non-affiliate link; just a link to a better view of what I’m using.
Nesting Ironing Table
And boy am I tickled with that choice! We unbolted the custom ironing table top from the traditional scissor leg base and brought just the ironing top and the wheeled table. Because I like to be able to sit or stand when I am sewing, the top of my combination cutting/sewing table is 36″ above the floor (I sit on the edge of a bar stool height chair when sitting at my machine). I adjusted the height of the rolling table to leave just a little bit of clearance above the top of the ironing board when nested / stored away under the table.
Nesting Ironing Table
Another thing that I like about the table is that it has a few small shelves, which are perfect for storing my iron when it all gets tucked out of the way, too. I have had to replace quite a few irons over the years from accidentally dropping them on the floor. Knowing that the iron will be safely tucked away on a shelf when I need to move the ironing table gives me a lot of peace of mind and hope that this iron might last me a bit longer. We’ll see!
Nesting Ironing Table
As you can see, the gap between the top of the ironing board and bottom of my sewing table is enough room that it also doubles as a great place to store a work in progress! In this case, when I was done cutting my fabrics for the Bokeh Quilt Along, I moved them to the ironing board and tucked it out of the way.
At this moment in time, the ironing board is not bolted to the top of the table, due to the fact that the sewing table is also still needing to double as our table top for meals as well. Once we get a table established, I can final adjust the position of the ironing board on the table top and bolt it down securely.
The table is a much sturdier base for the ironing board than the previous scissor leg base of a more traditional ironing board. I’m very pleased with the change and thought it might inspire someone else. And because I need to maximize my use of space, I’d love to know: have you found any unique storage solutions for any of your quilting supplies?
I like how you thought outside the box and came up with a great work around.
What a smart solution, Yvonne! Love when things work out like that!
This is so clever, Yvonne. Everything works so well, the shelves to hold the iron and notions, the height so it tucks under yet still holds work in progress. It is very fun to see your new home coming together!
You are such an inspiration! I still don’t quite understand how the ironing board is supported. The tv table doesn’t look very big?
Debbie
This is perfect! I have been thinking of switching up my ironing board but need to do some planning….this is such a great solution for your small space. Mine is more an issue of wanting more storage…and using the space underneath the open board. Love seeing the engineered solutions you come up with.
Brilliant – You two are so creative with this sort of thing Yvonne. Also when did you change your pic at the top of the page? I LOVE it. So pretty. 🙂
Genius!!!
You two are so ingenious! Love that you are able to find workable solutions to your limited space.
I’m enjoying hearing about your move and how you are making it work in a small space. Also glad you shared this table. I’m considering some changes in my studio this summer so it’s good to know what types of things are out there. This is one I would never have known about.
Yvonne, this was a very clever idea!
What an awesome idea! I am currently adding cabinets and the stackable bins from JoAnn’s that hold 12″x12″ squares or folded fat quarters so you can see them all, perfectly in to a tall thin shelf that goes from floor to ceiling. The footprint is approximately 15″x15″ and holds 18 of these awesome plastic bins so you could store loads of sewing materials in a tiny vertical space.
What a great idea! Wish I’d thought of it. But having said that, I do have a setup that works for me.
My sewing room is quite small and half of it is set up with our computers, printers and filing. So I had to figure out the most efficient use of space as possible. I have a very good quality “scissors” type ironing board so I attached a 1/2″ piece of plywood on top as many others have done. Unfortunately it was way too heavy for me to manage easily. So I came up with the idea of buying a small-ish wooden kitchen island from Wayfair. It’s the right height, heavy enough and stable enough that I could screw my plywood on top of it and have a perfect ironing board. It has a shallow, wide drawer right under the top and two open shelves below. I put useful ironing accessories in the drawer and keep several of my vintage sewing machines, my fabric cutter and a box full of extra threads on the shelves. I’ve arranged the sewing half of the room in a “U” shape with my cutting table and ironing table as one leg of the U, my favorite vintage machine in it’s table as the bottom of the U and my quilting machine in it’s table as the opposite leg of the U. The quilting table has two folding extensions, one on the side and one on the back to hold up a quilt and prevent drag. To sit at the table I open the front panels and on the inside there are thread spool holders and small shelves for machine extras. The whole arrangement is a bit tight, but with my small rolling chair it works perfectly for me. I have windows on two sides and have put up shelving around for my patterns, machine accessories, rulers, clear boxes where I keep my zippers & elastic, quilting tools, binding clips, reinforcements (like stitch witchery), fasteners (hooks & eyes, snaps), and varieties of pins and needles, all labeled for easy reference. Other shelves hold my cutting machine dies and sewing/quilting books. My quilting fabrics are wrapped around individual comic book boards and stored on shelving on one side of in the closet along with my scraps in individual bins sorted by color. The other side of the closet has my batting, various types of Pellon, stabilizers, clothing fabrics and decor fabrics. It all works well for me and one of the benefits of a smaller space is that most things are close at hand, I know where everything is and it’s not difficult to keep it neat and tidy.
It sounds very efficient and super organized! I love that. When are you coming over? I could usea hand with that. Lol
very good idea!! I hope you a good settling in !
You are very good at this sort of thinking! It looks like the perfect solution.
What a creative solution!!! I like it!!
This is such a smart idea! We have investigated (and implemented some) Scandinavian design for quite a few years now for storage and set-up ideas for small spaces. I also love the kitty mini which is your beloved Puppy. 🙂
A very elegant solution to a sticky storage problem.
Such a great way to solve a problem! My ironing station is a cabinet with lots of drawers for storage but my iron doesn’t fit in any of them so has fallen on the ground multiple times as well.
Thanks for sharing such insightful info with us.