EXPANDING MY SEWING ROOM...Before and After!

Now that J has moved out of the house, dear hubby and I have been contemplating the most efficient and FUN use of his former bedroom.  My vote was short, sweet, incredibly fun and totally expected...quilting!  Up until now I have been opening up two folding conference tables in my family room to form a 6 foot by 6 foot flat surface on which to baste my quilts.  There is no way I can crawl around on the floor basting quilts like I did in my younger years, lol.  If I'm not able to finish pin basting my quilt in one day (it is NEVER done that quickly) my main living area is severely compromised, both in space and decor.  A room where I can close the door to hide the inherent mess would be wonderful!

Dear hubby's vote was quite practical, about a 5 on the fun scale, and quite easy to incorporate into the space right along with my quilting...a TV watching spot.  Since we both suffer from insomnia (mine from pain, his from thinking about work), having a spot to go to and watch boring infomercials (which will hopefully induce sleepiness), without waking the other, is a wise and fairly inexpensive endeavor.  Likewise, on the evenings when we can't agree on a channel, a second viewing location keeps the peace.  We already have a TV for the room, we simply need a comfy chair and small side table to hold a warm mug of camomile tea on those sleepless nights.

To this end, R and J have emptied out the room and I have arranged with a painting contractor to eradicate the electric blue walls in favor of a calmer, more neutral gray.

J's PAX armoir from Ikea is absolutely HUGE and will provide tons of storage for my fabric and yarn stash.  I am thinking seriously of adding at least 4 more drawers (maybe 6) and quite a few shelves.  I will, however, make that determination as I begin to move my stash into this storage piece.

His three drawer Ikea cabinet (the bottom one is a hanging file drawer) will provide lots of storage space for my patterns, notions and books.  The TV will be at a perfect viewing height perched on top.

 I also still have two black Ikea Lack shelves that were removed from the walls a couple of years ago when a furniture rearrangement made them unnecessary.  It is still to be determined if we will need the extra storage space they afford.  At least we have them already so there will be no further outlay of cash!  Also, should an additional flat surface be needed, we have an unused black Ikea desk in the basement.  The black writing desk is smaller than the disassembled beech computer desk that you see to the right of the three drawer cabinet.  The computer desk will be relocated to my parents' basement the next time J is available to move it.  We have plenty of things to furnish this room...we just have to be careful not to "crowd" the more necessary items (like leaving sufficient space for the conference tables to be occasionally unfolded in the center of the room)!

The painting contractor is expected to begin work within the next week.  I just can't wait to get in there and wash down all of the furniture (there will be lots of sanding of the walls...sure to make a mess) and begin setting up the space.  More photos to come of the conversion as we move forward!