Almost a year ago we moved into our new home and I began looking for a new sewing table to replace this one that I’ve had for over 20 years.

The quilt shown on the design wall is my Color Weave Quilt Pattern.

The main reason I want to replace it is because every single time I share a picture of it on social media, everyone wants to know where I got it from, and I don’t have an answer for them. I bought it from a dealer who’s no longer in business and I don’t even know the brand of table it is. I’ve looked long and hard through ALL the current companies out there and have never been able to find it again.

Another view of my sewing room, before we installed the design wall.

But more to the point, this table has served me well, but there are a lot of features I wish it had. For example, when I first set it up in the middle of my new larger studio space, it actually doesn’t work well here because there’s no ledge on the back of the table to keep the quilt from falling off while quilting. I quilted a few quilts like this but struggled to keep the quilt on the table.

So I moved my table to the back wall of my space, underneath the window in my sewing studio.

This is a current quilt pattern I’m working on, so stay tuned for details in a few months!

Pushing my table against the wall works better because the wall can block the quilt from falling off the table. However, I’ve had to add small tray table in front of the table to form an L and hold up the quilt to my left. Of course this isn’t pretty and it also blocks access to the drawer, but it works in a pinch!

Here’s a similar setup from my sewing space in my old house that we moved from. I used a plastic table or ironing board to hold the bulk of the quilt on the left. Again, this is practical, but not very pretty:

This quilt is Beaded Lanterns, a free pattern using precut Fandangle Strips.

I’ve gotten lots and lots of suggestions for other tables to try , but here’s the problem: They either aren’t all that pleasing to look at, or they are way too big. Or they have too many bells and whistles which jack up the price to be more than the cost of the machine!

Below is my setup again, and notice how I’ve also added another small table to the right of the machine, tucked into the corner. This is to hold notions and things that would fall off the side of the table. As you can see, when there’s nothing to hold up the quilt in the front of the machine, it falls off the table again!

This quilt in progress is made from neutrals from several of my fabric lines.

So one of my goals in the new year (or next several years) is to try and find a table manufacturer that wants to work with me to design and create the PERFECT domestic machine quilting table. To be clear, I’m not just looking for a “custom” solution for myself. I want to be an ambassador for THE PERFECT TABLE so that I can endorse it and share it with thousands of fans, followers, and machine quilting students. After all, one of my main reasons in being a quilting educator is to make the process easier for YOU!!

So here is what I’m looking for:

• The piece should be a table that stays up all the time, NOT an overpriced cabinet.
• It should measure between 60-66″ inches at the longest side. Anything larger than that and it simply wont fit in most quilters’ sewing spaces.
• The depth should be about 36″-40″
• It should have some sort of extension forming an L on the left
• It should include an optional fly out leaf on the right to hold notions
• The hole for the machine should be positioned as far to the RIGHT as possible,
  not in the MIDDLE!
• It should have a lip on the back to hold up the quilt if needed.
• It should retail for $2,000 or LESS.

I’m “scrunching and smooshing” my Infrastructure Quilt through the machine on my table.

I’m putting this out there to the universe in the hopes that the right partner will see this, or someone out there has connections to a company who’d be interested in working with me as their spokesperson. If I can find the PERFECT domestic machine quilting table, I’ll be singing their praises all day long!!

So how about you? What’s your wish for the perfect sewing table, or other studio furniture??