I Love My Quilt Room

The creative juices seem to be finally flowing again, and I'm back in my quilt room where I love to be. There's a new quilt on the design wall and with outside temperatures staying below zero, I think I'll be content to stay right there for the indefinite future.

This is the view across the room standing in the entrance doorway. The area behind the wall of folding doors you see straight ahead is all for storage.

Starting on the left of the room as you walk in, my "big board" (over-sized ironing board for pressing finished tops and backings) is stored behind the door. Then there's a four-drawer storage chest with TV (currently not working!) sitting on top. Shelves above hold more miscellaneous supplies and my stash of quilting books.

Next is my cutting table with storage underneath.

I'm a stickler for accurate cutting so I have a super-size cutting mat (2' x 3') that covers most of the top of the cutting table.

Behind the left set of folding doors is my main fabric storage area. Years of back issues of quilting magazines are in containers on the floor.

On the right is my storage of big quilts and seasonal wall hangings that I use for decorating. Also quilts in progress get stored here. I have two sets (one high and one low) of rods that the pieces hang over so they don't have to be folded. The large container on the floor contains batting. This is the only area of my quilt room that has proven to be inadequate . . . way too small! I have layers of quilts upon quilts. I definitely need more room for storing the quantity of things I try to squeeze into this area.

Continuing around the room to the right, my two thread racks, clock, calendar, etc. are mounted on this wall. Next comes the only window in the room which looks out onto our back parking area and woods beyond. It's north facing so doesn't ever get any direct sunlight, but I have plenty of ceiling fixtures which more than adequately light the room.

I absolutely love my big sewing table. My two machines are set up at all times. Each one has features that I like, and I alternate between the two frequently. Basically, I do all my piecing on one and all my quilting on the other. Also, I used to do shop samples and custom quilting for a local quilt shop so I felt I needed two machines just in case one had to go in for repair.

Over the sewing table to the right you can see my small design wall and farther yet around to the right the start of my large design wall. I gave up these wall spaces for storage areas because I wanted plenty of space to have more than one project at a time on a wall. One of the better ideas I had!

Both design walls are floor to ceiling and this larger one holds (almost!) all the pieces for a full size quilt. It's unbelievably handy for arranging and being able to see your design before piecing. I couldn't work without it.

That brings us back to the door again, a full circle tour around my quilt room. It's my own little area in the house, I'm surrounded with the tools and materials for something I love to do, and I can happily exist in there for hours and hours at a time. Matter of fact, I'm headed back in there right now!