Tag: Cutting Table

Finding the right cutting table

A few weeks ago I had coffee with a new quilt guild member. As we were visiting in my studio she pointed to my cutting table and asked for more information. 

I realized that I haven’t shared it before, so here is the back story…..

Back in 2020, Michael suggested that we knock out a wall and increase the size of my studio by about 75%.

I said “YES PLEASE”!!!

I had previously used a collapsible hobby table similar to this one….

It had worked well for me when I had limited space. (Click HERE for more information).

But since I now had more room, I wanted a good, sturdy cutting table. 

There were two other requirements…..It had to be completely covered with a cutting mat and, because I am 5’10”, it had to be taller than a normal table.

My original plan was to build it myself so I started looking to see what size cutting mat I wanted to buy. As I researched them, I decided that I wanted a Martelli mat and their largest was 30″ x 60″. That should work.

As I started planning my building project, I happened upon a picture of a standing desk like this one……

(It can be purchased on Amazon…….)

It would allow me to easily move the table higher or lower depending on my needs AND the top was exactly 30 x 60. A match made in heaven AND I didn’t have to build it myself!!!

When I set it up, I found that it has plenty of room underneath for storage towers of scraps…..

…..and a small shelf unit to hold additional supplies, and of course, my scrap bin!!

I have been using this setup for the last 3.5 years and it has worked PERFECTLY!!

One note here…. I originally had the desk up too high and found that I couldn’t press down easily while using a ruler to cut. The problem was solved simply by lowering the desk a few inches.

So, if you are in the market for a new cutting table, I would highly recommend checking out a standing desk in whatever size you need.

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Picking out furniture!!

The painter’s arrive on Monday morning and hopefully my expanded studio will be finished early next week. As the end has come closer, I really started thinking about how I wanted to arrange things and also make decisions about what furniture I wanted to add.

My first decision was about fabric storage. Previously my fabric has all been stored in plastic boxes which get HEAVY and, when I am working with many colors, REALLY messy. I knew that I wanted to have everything out on the shelves and easy to see (and get to)

After LOTS of searching online, and reading TONS of opinions, I have decided to go with Ikea Kallax shelves…..

…and have figured out that I have space for 2 sets of 5×5 shelves. From what I have read online, I can fold my fabrics to be 5 inches wide and get two columns of fabric into each cubicle.

Next was a way to store threads….. again I went to Ikea and decided on the Alex drawer system…..

I have some ideas about how to set the drawers up but will have to try it first before I tell you about it!!!

Finally, I wanted a new cutting table. Because I am taller, I really wanted something that could be 38 or 39 inches tall. Those are NOT easy to find. I had planned how to build one but knew that it was going to be difficult, time consuimg and fairly expensive to do!! My plan was for it to be 36″ x 60″. The first step was to buy a cutting mat that was the correct size……PROBLEM…..they don’t make them anymore!! I only found one online and it had horrible ratings!! I did find the Martelli mat and knew that it would be a good product, but it was only 30×60.

I took this as a sign that my cutting table should only be 30×60!!! When I started looking for cutting tables I ran across the idea of using a standing desk…..and magically, they are 30×60!!! I have ordered this one…..

It comes with very high ratings and, when I tried one in a local store, it seems to be very sturdy and steady. It can rise to over 40″ tall but can also be lowered if I ever want to work from my chair.

So now I wait…..and wait……and wait!!! Not really…… most of this should be in next week and I can finally get it all in place.

I can’t wait to get up there!!!