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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

My Perfect #DIY Cutting Table

Hi Darlings!

The first thing to get set up in the new house has to be the sewing room because I have deadlines to meet but I was in serious need of a new cutting table and so while at Ikea looking for inspiration my hubby spotted the perfect pieces to frankenbuild my table.

The difficult part was finding something that required little time to put together and that was TALL because in order to cut comfortably your cutting table should come up to just below your elbows. It also needed to have sufficient storage AND it had to have a wide enough and long enough cutting surface so we ended up choosing Ikeas TARVA Dressers and they are perfect ( they are 36" High and 61" Wide and 15" Deep which is perfect to start with) This is how we put it together to create my cutting table.
TOOLS NEEDED

You need 2 Tarva Dressers  $149 x 2 = $298
Staple Gun = $18.99 + Stapes = $20
Muslin = 2 yards x $4 = $8
Cotton Batting = 2 yards x 6.99 = $14.00
Plywood Cut to 39 x 64 = $25

My Total $365 
Compared to retail tables @ $1600-$1800 Online and they are NEVER wide enough or have enough storage for me.
First place both dressers with their backs to each other
Now you have a width of 30"...for now and a total of 12 drawers for storage!!!!


Then go to home depot and have them cut a piece of plywood to the following dimensions
34" x 64" That is the total cutting space you now have! FABULOUS
Place your batting over the top of your plywood and then lay your muslin on top of the batting / make sure the fabric is flat and there are no ripples and then (have someone help you) flip the plywood over so you can pull and staple.
IMPORTANT
Staple one long side first, then staple the other long side and pull until snug while stapling, then do the corner of one short side, then staple in the center of the short side, then do the other corner and finish stapling the short side (do the same to the last short side left) cut off excess fabric after done.

Now turn your table top plywood over and secure to the dressers using L brackets or just leave unattached if you want. My plywood is pretty heavy so unless I push it hard its not moving.

Finished!!!


Finished!!! Total Cutting Space is 34" by 64" and the 12 Drawers are going to give me so much storage space for all of my notions and rulers etc..
xoxo
Mimi G














30 comments:

  1. Looks great! Are you looking to paint it or finish it? When ever I get a dedicated sewing room, I want it to be colorful :-)

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  2. Nope, I dont want to paint it, I like it unfinished.
    But if you wanted to paint yours it is raw and unfinished so it would be easy to do.

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  3. That is awesome!!! For those that like to cut with rotary cutters (I do) you could also order a cutting mat to fit.

    ALLLL That storage??? I wouldn't know what to do with myself!!

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  4. Perfect idea! I can't wait until I have a sewing room for this. :)

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  5. This is awesome! I was just thinking about a cutting table with storage this morning. Right now i use a folding table and while it works as a cutting table - there is wasted space underneath. Thanks for the great idea!!

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  6. So not relate to the cutting table, but I love how you shrink wrapped your fabric shelf for moving. ;) NICE!

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  7. Another thought or addition. You can have a cutting mat cut to size to fit the top. I used kitchen cabinet bases from a cabinet outlet as my base, a hollow core closet door for the top which got me 48" wide and 96" long work space.
    Awesome.

    Somewhere I missed you getting a new house. We'll expect lots of updates on your new studio.

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  8. Great idea! I so want a sewing room. I ain't about this sewing in my bedroom life anymore man.

    guyanesesista.com

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  9. Genius....that's what I love about you Mimi, you know how to save a buck. Very important in this day and time.

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  10. Brilliant idea! and on a separate note, how you've managed to move house and still post regularly is beyond me!

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  11. That's super awesome. Why didn't I think of that!

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  12. that is such an awesome find. wish I had the room for it in my quilting/sewing room. thanks for all the great ideas and inspiration.

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  13. Now that was a great idea. Enjoy the sew room... i love mines!

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  14. Brilliant! I've been trying to figure out how to get more cutting space for awhile now - and also something that's not so low, because I swear I'm killing my back! I'll def. be looking into this.

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  15. Mimi, you could put magnetic paint or more batting on the side, and use it as a big pin cushion.

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  16. Hey Mimi, this post was right on time!! I was just thinking I need to find a cutting table and your post popped in my inbox. :) I love it!

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  17. Please enter me into the giveaway!!! Instagram Name: bornstunnaah !!!

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  18. Thanks for sharing this idea! I have a long table that I bought that I currently use for cutting, but I would LOVE to copy yours and set up my spare bedroom for just sewing. Love the look of it as well as all of the extra storage! It would get rid of a lot of my clutter.

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  19. Does he have a brother? He is the best! I've been meaning to ask you how tall a table needs to be. Mine hurts my back which frustrates me when cutting.

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  20. Hi Mimi, thanks for your tutorials, I have 3 very young children so getting to a basic garment making class is near to impossible for now. I just got my first new sewing machine this past Xmas from my husband...total starter machine. I also have an old, used, heavy Singer which I rarely touch but keep for sentimental reasons. If I win this it would go to my 13 yo niece. She's a crafty teen, and very petite so tailoring her own clothes would be ideal. Thanks for the giveaway.
    On another note, have you ever been told you look and sound a little like JLo??

    NiCaam
    nldcam@gmail.com

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  21. What a wonderful cutting table! Thank you for posting the instructions for making this. I don't have a sewing room, but with the really nice Tarva dressers I might be able to get away with putting it somewhere in my livingroom. (It's big.) I could just remove the cutting top when company comes over. Great idea! Thanks!

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  22. Mimi, your blog is always so interesting and full of useable information. Thanks so much for your generosity and your heartfelt concern for sewers of every level. God bless you.

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  23. *sigh* I have sewing room envy lol. Love this idea. And I love how supportive hubby is.

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  24. I did the same thing with 2 dressers for my cutting table but instead of clothe I put counter laminate on a piece of MDF and edged it for my cutting surface. That way I don't pin my fabric to the cutting table when cutting out patterns.

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  25. Oh I love it! I'm going to copy it for my sewing room!

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  26. Brilliant! a much better solution than shelves as things always fall out of shelves and never look neat! Thanks Mimi!

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Thank you for taking time to comment ;-)

xoxo
mimi g.