Sewing Upgrade

I have a lovely friend who has passed her sewing cabinet to me, and it is changing my life!

Here is the before picture:

Because the steelcase fold-up table is large and ugly, I only pull it out when I have machine quilting to do, and a few other tasks before banishing my sewing machine back to my bedroom.

Instead, I now have this:

Note the handy cubbies on the swing out door to the left.  And the sewing machine sits on an elevator, which goes up or down.

Here it is lowered, with the plastic inset for a flush surface--I was able to have the existing inset recut to fit my machine thanks to the lovely people at TAP Plastics!

And when I am done sewing for the day, all nice and tidy:

 The basket on top is my defense against the temptation to pile ON the nice flat surface.  Next up, replacing the metal rolling chair with a nice wooden one, if I can find one comfortable/ergonomic enough.

Having my sewing machine in the main living space means I can sew for short periods of time (the table in the bedroom is covered in archaeological layers of stuff), and without separating from the rest of the family.

Instead, I think the space upstairs might get turned into a reading corner, when isolation from the television and family sounds might actually be more desirable.

When we first discussed this a few years ago, I pictured my mother's sewing table.  Four thin legs, and a table in which the sewing machine resided sideways, to be lifted out.  One small swing out leaf for an extended table.  Nothing like this modern wonder!