Sewing Centers / cabinets available for retail purchase tend to be large fold-out and fold-open units using mostly man-made materials and mass production joinery. After consultation with my local expert seamstress it was resolved that the primary needs were solid support for a portable machine coupled with a large cloth material support area and plenty of pullout storage. She also wanted it to look like cabinet furniture and match our Arts & Crafts bedroom suite.

My design is centered around a pullout machine platform with generous leg room and a 48 inch wide cabinet divided into 3 deep compartments with slide out shelves. The right side compartment stores the sewing machine in it’s carry case and has a high shelf for in-use tools, thread, accessories etc. The other compartments have a mid shelf for cases and trays of sewing equipment, cloth, etc. The center has overall dimensions of 49L by 24Dp by 30H. The full assembly weighs in at 160 lbs.

The construction uses M&T frames front and rear connected by side panels, a bottom panel, and cross support beams under the top. A divider assembly panel partitions the tri-space and functions as a rigid support structure for the pull out machine platform. The platform rides on 24 inch 230lb rated full extension drawer slides which are internal to the pullout and external to the support frame, thereby eliminating any contact of seated seamstress or cloth material with the working slide parts. The pullout platform length and overall cabinet length permitted for a side access drawer that appears, when all doors & features are closed, as a mirror image of the machine pullout.

The frames are all solid cherry with cherry veneer ¾ inch plywood for the side and bottom panels, shelves, and machine pullout. Solid maple is re-sawn for the door panels and left at a full 1 inch thickness for the top. The back frame has ¼ cherry plywood panels installed. The internal divider assembly and pullout frame uses ¾ inch Baltic birch plywood and there are a few poplar internal parts as well. The maple top is secured to the cabinet cross members but will float with moisture changes.

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