Hello!
So I know I've been behind on my review series but we have been having so much fun already this new year that I just didn't have any time to sit down and write.
Well today I finally found that magical time. I will be reviewing my new fancy sewing table! I'm so excited about this table that I'm a little sad I'm writing about it instead of using it ;).
So let's jump right into it.
For those that don't know I've been sewing as a hobby for about 5 years now, ever since I received my Nana's sewing machine after she passed away. It's from the early 1950s and has a matching sewing table. The machine fits right down into it and it folds up pretty small. It was perfect for my tiny apartment. But once we moved into our rental house and started expanding it stopped being so perfect. It was never big enough and no chair ever fit between the legs without some serious gymnastics involved. I constantly had bruised legs and knees from trying to sit at it. But it was sentimental, it was my Nana's. I let it slip one day to my dad that I hated that table. He said he was surprised how long I had kept it! WHAT?! Apparently my Nana hated it too and never used it!
So guilt free I slapped a brand new South Shore Crafting Table on my Christmas wishlist. And my beloved husband actually bought it for me!!
This table is amazing. And I know what you're thinking...South Shore makes a sewing table, aaaaannddd you bought a craft table? Yes. Frankly this one isn't very cute and doesn't have the storage I was looking for. The sewing machine fits in the slide out area but the rest is drawers and I was really looking for more shelving and cupboard space. And this one is A LOT more expensive and has the same storage issue, even if it does look a bit nicer.
But the crafting table is perfect.
Pros :
- It's gorgeous. The beautiful white goes with any decor, even my terrible Arizona brown room. If you've seen my house you know what I mean. One day I won't be renting and I can paint the walls...one day.
- There is endless amount of storage. So much that I have many blank spots left to fill!
- On the left side (though you can swap the left and right sides to fit your room) there is a cupboard with two adjustable shelves and an open face shelf. These are my extra spaces. I haven't quite filled them up yet. I guess I'll just need more stuff :)
- And behind that you have to shelves that are perpendicular to the cupboard so you can easily access them when it's up against a wall like mine. Right now I keep books, instructions, and spare parts back there.
- In the middle there is a single long drawer. In here I keep current project pieces and my measuring tape. That way when I come back to a project after a long break everything is all in one place.
- On the right side you have the same cupboard setup except it's not quite as deep. In here I keep all my small parts; extra needles, pins, bias tape, zippers, rotary blades, etc. There's also extra pieces that attach to the inside of either door for you to hang scissors. I chose the right door since I'm right handed.
- Behind that you have multiple open face shelves. In the pictures online they show these shelves angled for scrapbook paper. You can keep these flat if you want but I angled them and put all my paper patterns in them. I split them up between: tops, bottoms, and dresses. Then under that I have a basket of fabric.
- The table top is huge. Well at least for me coming from basically no table top. It measures 23.5" deep x 53.25" wide. The top is also very smooth which is great so it doesn't snag on fabric and my machine slides easily on it so I can push it back or move it with ease.
- The space for your legs is also very wide. It easily fits my chair with extra space and I can even turn around without banging my knees. It measures about 27.75" wide, which is enormous compared to my previous 19".
- Basically my biggest pro is that everything with this table is easy. It's easy to lay my fabric out next to me as I sew, it's easy to grab all my tools and it's easy to tuck them away from Jack when he's around. It holds all my stuff with extra space. And it looks great in our family room.
Cons :
- Extremely heavy. I mean like this thing weighs 295 tons. Max always recounts his argument with the UPS driver when it was delivered. And it was so heavy he could barely wrap it. I think it will take 4 people to move this thing when it comes time to leave our little rental.
- Pretty difficult to build. We all know Ikea is the leading cause for divorce so I was determined to build it by myself. On the first page of instructions they tell you not to work alone. Listen to them. I attempted to do it all by myself and got pretty far. But because it is so heavy it was not easy. I built both leg portions and added the middle drawer to the table top before I needed serious help. Max helped place the top on the legs and helped me hang the cupboard doors. I really do suggest using two people so one can hold the heavy pieces while the other screws them together but it is possible to do alone if you are really determined. It took about 4-5 hrs to put together. The pieces are marked clearly so that helps but it was hard and long. I'm just glad its over.
- The scissor holder inside the door does not hold very well. According to the instructions you put it on after you hang the doors. This is stupid. It would be much easier to lay the door down flat and screw in the holder so you could really push on it but with them already hung getting enough pressure was difficult and thus they aren't as secure as I would like.
- They also say not to use a drill. I'm not sure why. It's dumb. Use one. Obviously don't over do it, you don't want to split the wood but seriously your hands will thank you. And everything will be a bit more flush and finished.
- The middle drawer doesn't pull out very far. It's a rather large drawer but it only pulls out a few inches which makes it hard to reach things in the back. Mine also doesn't pull out evenly, but I think that's part of the "putting it together is hard" point above.
- No place for my machine. This seems obvious since it's not a sewing table per-say but it was a little disappointing. I thought it would fit inside the deeper leg but it's roughly 1-2" short. Close but no cigar. So my machine stays on top and I'll make a machine cover for it soon to keep all the dog fur out.
All this being said I am beyond happy with it even though I'm still a little sentimental over my tiny table that served me well for so long. But I still have my old steel machine from 1951....well at least until Max wins that argument too and buys me a new one ;).
Let me know what you think of this table and any suggestions on new fun things I can fill it with!
And don't forget to check out Max's blog to see all the fun we had during my hiatus. Spoiler : there's snow!