new quitling studio

[Judith T.]

I am out of the basement!!! I am finally getting a real 'quilting studio'. I need some advice.

Is there a wall color that is best suited for creating?

How about carpeting, looped or not? Hardwood is out of the question...too expensive.

What kind of ceiling lights for task lighting?

I welcome any advice or suggestions.

Thank you in advance,
Sylvia in rainy NH

[Judith T.]

Lucky you!! I can't wait till all the kids are really really gone and Ican set up my studio. Have fun!
Sherry

[Judith T.]

Congratulations on moving out of the basement! Can't wait to make the same move, myself! As far as wall colors maybe something light, on the pastel side? On the HGTV.COM site they do have suggestions for different settings.

Maybe regarding the type flooring perhaps laminate flooring if it doesn't work in contrary to the style of the house with a few area rugs in key locations ie. at the cutting table,etc.

As far as lighting, maybe track lighting to spot specific areas, if you don't have the flexibilty to install pot lights along the perimeter of the room, most definitely you need ample lighting around your cutting table and your design wall, something that will not cast shadows on your work.

Perhaps while planning your renovation you could consider installing fixtures that fit CFL's or perhaps using carpet remnants as area rugs. Just thinking Green here.

Congratulations again.

Lissette

[Margo C.]

Congratulations Sylvia! I can just tell you what works for me....I like white walls and furniture both to reflect as much light as possible, (senior eyes need all the help they can get!) and because I don't work well with a lot of clutter, and cabinets with white doors help that. It also protects the fabric from light that might fade it. I like a hard surface on the floor rather than carpeting because a sewing space will always have dust and threads and pins that need to be swept up. If you are installing special lights, I like the new florescents that have "natural light".
There is a book called "Dream Sewing Spaces" that will probably give you lots more ideas. Have fun, and keep us posted!!
SEW LONG!

[Margo C.]

Margo has many good points. I have hard wood floors that we installed ourselves. We got it at Home Depot and it was unfinished oak and it was a lot of work but it is beautiful and cost less that the carpeting we put in our small bedroom. You might check into this if you don't mind the extra work.

[Margo C.]

Congrats on your new space! I also can't afford hardwood but do not want carpet. If you are on a slab you could paint or stain the concrete- that is what I am going to do.


Lisa

[Margo C.]

We just put a new flooring into our family room from Home Depot that you might want to look into. It is a vinyl wood looking plank that You can put right ontop of existing lynolium, wood, concrete ,supflooring. It was very easy to install. I love the look. My hubby had installed laminate flooring in my sewing room, and in his oppinion, the vinyl was much easier to install.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...atalogId=10053

TRack light is wonderful but I have a problem with too much heat from the halogen bulbs. My room is in the basement without windows. I did find a florescent replacement for halogens that are much cooler, but they don't give off as much light. Not to mention the time it takes for the florescent bulb to brighten up.

As for color, I would probably choose a neutral color since you are dealing with so many color choices in fabric. I say "I would choose," because my hubby painted my room while I was away with a bright yellow. I certainly makes it "sunny" in my windowless room, and it took getting used to.

[Sherry B.]

Everyone has such good suggestions! I can't wait until you post pictures of your new studio! Like Margo, I prefer white walls.
And I too don't function well in a lot of clutter. The one thing I would do differently in my next sewing space is have laminate floors instead of carpet. The chairs would roll so much easier and it would be easier to clean up all the threads and pins that end up there

[Sherry B.]

I would definitely go with neutral walls since you'll be wanting to hang all your wonderful quilted wall hangings!

I wouldn't mind carpeting like a dense burber, but I would think you'd want a wheeled chair, so you might be better off with a floor of some kind that doesn't make it hard to roll. Also, consider finding pins and such in carpeting. My sewing room is ceramic tile since it's supposed to be the laundry room and is kind of an extension of the kitchen.

Let us know what you decide and how it works for you! Nancy

[Patti P.]

Boy let me say a word about Berber. I did Berber in my last condo because I wanted a light oatmeal color and Berber was supposed to be able to hold up to the cleaning of a light colored carpet. It is also expensive and the first thing I did was catch a snag and boy did it unravel smack in the middle of the livingroom. It was impossible to avoid the snags altho being very careful I still had about 3 in the most trafficked areas.

[Patti P.]

I am enjoying all your suggestions so far, keep them coming.

I picked a neutral paint color today, it's called Navajo white. It is on the cream side, not stark white. I have a dark bookcase that I will paint an off white like you suggested. I do have odd pieces of furniture that I will have to make do with till my DH builds built ins. I'll paint those built ins off white as well. In due time.
DH is tearing down a wall between the two rooms as we speak. I will post a pic tomorrow.
I will check out the florescent light (natural light). I will also call Barnes n Noble for that book Margo....thanks

Better get off my computer, bad thunderstorm is nearing!

Thanks everyone
Sylvia

[Patti P.]

We're moving my sewing room so I will have two rooms, one for sewing and the other for fabric "storage". In the sewing room we put down a floating hardwood floor that we bought at Lumber Liquidators. The price was excellent and it didn't take us long to do it. It was easy enough.

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/home.jsp

As I vacuumed the fabric storage room, (former sewing room) and found pins and needles on the carpet, I was so pleased that we didn't carpet my new sewing room. When a pin hits the floor, the sound tells me about it right away. I chose "Swiss Coffee" (sounds yummy!) from Dunn Edwards Paints. When DH painted over the old Navajo White, it (Navajo) looked almost brown. I like my new bright sewing room. I'm still arranging it. I do suggest a pegboard on the wall for tools, it's the best thing for that.

Good luck with yours, I am enjoying all these ideas and am eager to learn more about lighting.

JoAnne in a very hot & humid southern California

[Patti P.]

This is an interesting conversation. I'll add a couple of thoughts. As for lighting, your best option is "full spectrum" lighting, as it is closest to natural daylight so that you see your colors in the truest possible light, so to speak. LOL. The Ott lights are full spectrum. I know you can get florescent tubes in full spectrum, too. Better for your health, also.
For flooring, look at the Marmoleum products. They have some linoleum-type squares in many great colors. They're earth-friendly, too - their flooring is free from the toxic glues and binders that continue to off-gas and be not so great to breathe. :roll:
Then for color....every color has a frequency, a vibration. The color orange is the "creative" color. You don't have to paint your walls orange, but consider adding a derivative of that color somewhere. The walls in my studio are a sort of Terra Cotta/Salmon color. If you're into stones, the Carnelian has energies/properties to stimulate creativity!
Have fun coming up with what feels right for you
Jan in Spokane

[Patti P.]

I'd recommend the book "Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: sewing room makeovers for any space and budget." It has a lot of great info, and tons of idea pictures.

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Your-...992&sr=8-1

[Margo C.]

I'd recommend the book "Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: sewing room makeovers for any space and budget." It has a lot of great info, and tons of idea pictures.

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Your-...992&sr=8-1

Thanks, ThrowerBev! I knew there was another good book out there, and couldn't remember the name of it. I know that one has some great ideas!