Our friends at Sew4Home offer some insight in getting the most from your sewing space – no matter how big it is – with their review of Arrow/Kangaroo Sewing Cabinets and Tables, available from participating Janome Canada dealers. Note, there’s still time to take advantage of some terrific savings with Janome Canada’s Autumn Sale-A-Thon. Check with your Janome Dealer for details!
Sewing involves a lot of bits and pieces, from big items like your hard-working machines to all the small tools and notions required to take your projects from start to finish. Making sure you have a place to keep everything is critical to making things easier and more enjoyable.
We’ve all likely spent our share of hours spread out on the kitchen or dining room table, and have crawled around on the floor to cut out patterns. Doable? Sure. Delightful? Not so much. That’s where sewing furniture comes in. And before you bring out the most common objections: I don’t have enough space, it’s too expensive, I don’t like the styles – take a look at the flexibility and variety of today’s sewing furniture.
We spent some time looking at the options available in the Arrow/Kangaroo lines of cabinets and tables available from participating Janome Canada Dealers. Not every dealer has every option, but we found plenty to inspire our organization imagination. And, we were pleased to find out that most dealers were happy to special order components in order to create the best working environment.
There are five main categories we felt the Arrow/Kangaroo Cabinets and Tables fell into:
Wrap Around Stations
Ready to spread out in style? You’ll want to consider the Aussie II, Wallaby II, and Kangaroo & Joey II. Whether you’re thinking about re-vamping an entire spare room into your sewing space or just want to occupy a corner in a larger space like a family room, these Stations open up to give you generous workspace and storage space on all sides – some even with a quilt leaf behind where your machine sits. We love the hydraulic lift ob all these models that positions your machine in either storage position, flat bed or free arm. Leave everything open and at the ready all the time, or quickly close-up to a clean finished cabinet. No one will even guess all that fits inside.
Modular Stations
This was a solution we hadn’t seen before, but one we felt made so much sense. You can build from basic to a full wrap-around station with five mix and match components. The central machine cabinet has an easy-touch electric lift with auto stops at storage, flat bed, and free arm. Surround this functional centerpiece with a five drawer unit, as well as five-thread and/or three-thread cabinets with vertical slide-out storage (a bit like spice storage bins), and a corner cabinet with an additional manual machine lift. So many configuration options.
Cutting Stations and Specialty Cabinets
Standing up to cut on a generously sized surface is one of the biggest improvements you can make in your sewing space. From standard adjustable cutting surfaces to cutting and storage cabinet combos, there is literally something for every situation.
We were intrigued by the unique Ava Multi-Needle Embroidery Cabinet with a 1” thick top to reduce vibration and increase stability, and special flat, shallow drawers for hoops. Or – check out the Storage Cube: a four-sided masterpiece of efficiency with a flat surface that can double as a cutting station, plus five shelves, over sixty thread holders and two rods for hanging tools, ribbon reels, and more. So clever.
Small Space Stations
Sometimes, all it takes is just a specially designed table or compact cabinet to take your sewing space from messy to manageable. Easy rolling casters allow you to move theses cabinet options exactly where you want it, then lock it in place when you’re ready to work. Most are available in a clean white finish or rich wood veneer, but there are even options in fun designer colors like Tiffany Blue and Pistachio Green with vintage gingerbread accent details.
Portable
For even more flexibility, you can choose a table that folds and rolls so it can be moved from a closet out into a main room when needed. Or, take it with you to a friend’s house for a community sewing club. All three models: Gidget I, Gidget II, and the Heavyweight have manual lift machine platforms. And, their powerful steel locking legs mean when the tables are set up, they are strong, safe, and sturdy.
These are all good looking, well made cabinets. Most come fully assembled and carry from ten-year to lifetime limited warranties.
Price ranges start as low as under $250 for compact storage cabinets to $2,699 for the top of the line, all-in-one wraparounds, and just about everything in between. In fact, although we usually try to give you all the various pricing options, this is one time where we strongly recommend you visit your participating Janome Canada Arrow/Kangaroo dealer to put together your dream sewing space. Bring your sizing constraints, a list of the machines and items you most want to organize, and be ready to discuss the type of sewing, quilting and/or embroidery you do so your dealer can help you plan the best configuration for your budget.
Don’t forget to also ask about the Arrow Sewing Chairs to complete your new sewing, quilting, crafting space!
Happy Sewing!
Janome Life 