Almost a quilting table

Yesterday we made a lot of progress in setting me up with a more ergonomic sewing table for quilting on. After consulting various books and people we decided on the following solution. It consists of two tables, both from IKEA.

The smaller white one has adjustable height legs, which can be adjusted to any height. The larger table has a hole cut out of it the shape of my machine. The larger table has a top of solid beech wood 3cm thick, which still supports its own weight with a hole in it. This shows the hole with the smaller table positioned underneath:

The height of the lower table is adjusted so that the small table attachment that came with the machine still fits on but sits flush with the table top covering up most of the hole. Here you can see the machine in place and the two tables one over another.

Here’s a back view. There is a small gap between the grey table from the machine and the table top, but I don’t think it is going to be a problem.

There are a few little problems, but I think they are ones you can live with or alternatively make the hole a little larger. The on/off switch is not very accessible, but you can always just pull out the plug. You can just see the black switch towards the back of the machine (right on the photo).

The other snag is that access to the bobbin case is rather restricted and will entail removing the grey table each time. I shall have to see how I get on with that and whether it turns out to be a real pain. If it does we may have to cut a bit more out of the beech table top.

I haven’t tried out using the machine in its new set up yet, because I have to treat the table top with oil a few times yet and then it will need sanding down. So for now I am still using my old sewing table. When everything is set up in its final position I’ll post some new photos. These ones are taken in the middle of the cellar, where it is currently standing. Hence some of the interesting backgrounds to the photos!