sewing space ideas? frugal shopping ideas?

[Casha'sMommy]

I plan to make some training pants for 2yo ds and 5yo dd wants some summer dresses so I'm going to start to ready a space in my dining room/school room. I'd love to see pics of your sewing space. The area I'll be using is our dining room turned school room and now sewing room.

To make cutting easier I'd like to purchase a self healing mat, rotary cutter, and cut ruler. Any suggestions where I might get the best price on these items?

[motherhendoula]

I would use the Joanns coupons that come about once every two weeks or so....40% off 1 regularly priced item.  - and watch their sales, sometimes they ill do 50% off all 'Olfa quilting supplies'  .....i am watching for the sale now as well - my 19 month old broke my mat in half! 

I also sew on my dining room table!  If at all possible, use a computer chair (instead of an ordinary dining room chair)  its much easier on your back!   I hate when my In Laws come over for dinner and i have to pack everything up and put it all away!!

[mommy22IN]

I sew in my eat in kitchen.  I don't leave everything out though.  I made a space in my bedroom to store everything.  I got some command hooks to hold my cutting mats and sisscors above a small folding table.  Then all my sewing projects that I'm working on I keep in a large basket with a handle.  I am able to carry everything I need to the table along with my sewing machine. 

I would agree watch the sales at Joann's and use coupons. 

[Casha'sMommy]

I thought Jo Ann's was going to be a good solution.

At this point, my dining room is a work room/play room. This is our first formal dining room so we don't have much of that kind of furniture. I have a nice, level oak table that I currently use for a cutting table in there. The dining room is open to the living room which is more of a hang out room than a formal living room. I like the proximity of the work room to the hang out room so we can always be together even if I'm working on a project. We keep our homeschool stuff in the dining room as well. DH is planning to build a long-ish desk top to act as a computer bank of sorts and along either side of that will be a book shelf. That will remove the free standing shelf from the room as well as the desk and printer cart (this will go on a shelf). There will be a lot more free space in the dining room so I was hoping I might be able to put a sewing cabinet of sorts in one of the corners allowing me to look out into the room while sewing. I'd be able to see the kids on the computers or working at the tables. OH! I was also hoping to get two gate leg tables from ikea and stow one at either end of the book shelves, if that makes sense.