Sewing Table: How to Choose One That Fits You and Your Machine

Height: what the sources say

The one figure written for home sewing comes from New Mexico State University’s extension guide to designing a sewing center: “An average-height person should have the working table 28 inches from the floor and the chair seat 16 inches from the floor.”¹ The same guide wants the machine bed level with the table: sewing machines “need to be at the same level of the cabinet or table (28 inches from the floor) at which you will be sewing; machines that sit higher than this create too much drag and poor stitches on large projects”.¹

That figure is for an average-height person. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), writing about seated work in general, gives positions instead of a height: “Keep elbows at an angle around 90°, close to the body”, “Keep feet flat on the floor or on a footrest”, “Keep the wrists straight and aligned with the forearms”. It also says: “There is no one or single body position that is recommended for sitting.”⁴ For a foot pedal, CCOHS advises pedals “located directly in front” of the worker “to prevent their hips from twisting”.¹³

So treat 28 inches as the starting point and adjust the chair. If you are much taller or shorter than average, a table with an adjustable height removes the guess. A German study of industrial sewing workplaces (not home sewing) designed its model worktable to adjust “so as to permit any desired alternation between seated and standing performance of the task”.¹⁴

Do not sit for hours either way: CCOHS suggests about five minutes of activity such as walking “for every 40 to 50 minutes of sitting”.¹³

Flat top, platform or lift

Three designs put the machine at the right level:

• A plain flat table. The machine sits on top, so its bed is several inches above the table. Fine for small jobs; on large projects the fabric drags, as the New Mexico State guide notes.¹
• A drop-down platform. Sew Ready describes its tables as having a “sewing machine platform that adjusts in height to accommodate the height of your sewing machine’s base”.¹⁵ You set it by hand, once.
• A lift. Arrow: “Sewing lifts allow a sewer or quilter to move their sewing machines, up or down, to preferred sewing positions: flat bed or free arm sewing.” It lists three types: “manual, hydraulic and electric”.⁵

With a platform or a lift, a gap remains around the machine. Arrow sells custom acrylic inserts that “fill the gap between your sewing machine and cabinet opening for a flush sewing surface”, each one “built to fit your specific sewing machine and Arrow cabinet combination”.³

A sewing machine cabinet goes further, with storage and room for larger machines. See our guide to sewing machine cabinets. For what goes around the table, see thread storage and, if the machine travels, carrying cases.

Measure and weigh your machine first

Arrow’s instruction is short: “Measure Your Sewing Machine”, then “Determine the lift opening size based on the dimensions of your sewing machine.”⁶ Its folding tables use two openings: A3, 17 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches, and A7, 23 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches.⁶ Sew Ready platforms are about 23 inches wide and 10.75 inches deep.¹⁶

Measure the machine at its widest and deepest points, with the handwheel, spool pin and any table extension you leave on. Maker figures do not always include them: BERNINA’s manual, for example, gives the size of its 335 “without the Spool Pin”.¹⁷

Then weigh it, or read the weight in the manual. Four examples from the makers’ own figures:

Machine weights from the makers, against table limits

Machine	Weight (maker)	Under which published limits
SINGER Heavy Duty 4523	6.6 kg (about 14.6 lb)11	All of them
BERNINA 335	8.0 kg (17.6 lb)17	All of them
Janome HD-3000	18.7 lb18	All of them, close to the 20 lb platforms
JUKI TL-2010Q	11.5 kg (about 25.4 lb)12	The 35, 40 and 45 lb limits only

Weight is only half of it. The JUKI TL-2010Q’s manual gives the whole machine as 45.2 cm wide and 21.9 cm deep (about 17.8 x 8.6 inches): already more than the 17 3/4 x 7 1/2 inch A3 opening, so that machine needs the larger A7.^6,12 If your machine is a quilting or embroidery model, read our guide to sewing machines for quilting for the bed sizes involved, and expect to need a cabinet. For the SINGER Heavy Duty family and similar machines, see our heavy duty sewing machine guide.

Ten sewing tables compared

Sewing tables by published size, height and machine limit

Table	Top (W x D)	Height	Opening or platform	Machine limit
Arrow Gidget I19	40 1/2 x 19 3/4	28 1/2 (folds to 4 1/2)	17 3/4 x 7 1/2	35 lb
Arrow Gidget II3	40 1/2 x 19 3/4	28 1/2 (folds to 4 1/2)	23 3/4 x 12 1/2	45 lb
Arrow Eleanor II10	43 3/8 x 23 5/8 (52 3/8 open)	28 5/8 to 48 3/8, electric	23 3/4 x 12 1/2	40 lb
Kangaroo Tasmanian8	63 x 35 1/2	28 1/2 to 38, crank	23 3/4 x 12 1/2	45 lb
Sew Ready Dart2	41.25 x 23.5	30	23.25 x 10.75	20 lb (platform)
Sew Ready Eclipse20	44.75 x 23.5	29.25	22.75 x 10.75	35 lb (part not stated)
Sew Ready Comet Plus21	45.5 x 23.5	30	23 x 10.75	Not on the page we read
Sew Ready Pro Stitch22	56.75 x 23.75	30	23 x 10.75	20 lb (platform)
Sew Ready Eclipse Ultra16	60.25 x 23.75	29.25	23 x 10.75	25 lb (platform)
Horn 91009	72 1/2 x 36 open, 60 x 26 closed	29 to 40, electric	31 x 15 1/2	Not on the page we read

There is no single best sewing table in this list: the best one for you is the smallest table whose opening, limit and height match your machine, your body and your room. Six of them, by situation:

A small room: tables that fold away

Folding sewing table with a 2-position manual lift

Arrow Gidget I

Open

40 1/2 W x 19 3/4 D x 28 1/2 H in.

Folded

4 1/2 in. high

Opening / limit

17 3/4 x 7 1/2 in., 35 lb

Strengths

• Folds to 4 1/2 inches
• Lift moves between free-arm and flat-bed positions
• Arrives preassembled, says Arrow

Drawbacks

• The smallest Arrow opening: many machines are deeper than 7 1/2 inches
• No storage

Good fit: you have a small or medium machine and the table must disappear after sewing.
Skip it if: your machine is wide, deep or over 35 lb.

Arrow’s product page says the opening “accommodates standard sewing machines on the market, up to 35lbs”; its sheet says “most medium-sized sewing machines”.^19,23

Folding sewing table with the larger opening and wheels

Arrow Gidget II

Open

40 1/2 W x 19 3/4 D x 28 1/2 H in.

Folded

4 1/2 in. high

Opening / limit

23 3/4 x 12 1/2 in., 45 lb

Strengths

• Same footprint as the Gidget I with the A7 opening
• Wheels on one side
• 45 lb limit

Drawbacks

• No storage and no extension leaf
• Out of stock on Arrow’s site when we read it

Good fit: you have a full-size machine and still need a table that folds.
Skip it if: your machine is larger than 23 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches.

Sitting and standing, or sewing and serging

Electric sit-stand sewing and serger table

Arrow Eleanor II

Height

28 5/8 to 48 3/8 in., 4 memory settings

Top

43 3/8 x 23 5/8 in. (52 3/8 with the extension)

Opening / limit

23 3/4 x 12 1/2 in., 40 lb

Strengths

• Motorised height, published range
• Open front for a serger
• Removable left extension

Drawbacks

• Casters are optional, not included
• The sheet prints the range two ways (28 5/8 to 48 3/8, and 28.7 to 48.4 inches)

Good fit: you want to alternate sitting and standing, or keep a sewing machine and a serger at one table.
Skip it if: your machine weighs more than 40 lb.

This is the table in our list made for 2 machines: a sewing machine in the lift, a serger at the open front.⁷

Quilting and cutting: a large top

Crank height-adjustable sewing and cutting table

Kangaroo Tasmanian

Top

63 x 35 1/2 in.

Height

28 1/2 to 38 in., by crank

Opening / limit

23 3/4 x 12 1/2 in., 45 lb

Strengths

• Large surface to support a quilt
• Rises to 38 inches for cutting
• Locking casters

Drawbacks

• The K9111SP version has no lift: check the SKU
• Out of stock on Arrow’s site when we read it

Good fit: you quilt and also want a cutting height in the same table.
Skip it if: your room is small: the top is over 5 feet wide.

Arrow’s sheet: “Transition from sitting to standing with the turn of a crank, moving table from 28-1/2" to 38" tall”.⁸ For cutting fabric, the New Mexico State guide describes the ideal cutting table as “36 to 40 inches high (or 3 inches below your belly button), 3 feet wide, and 6 feet long”.¹

Electric sit-stand sewing table with an electric lift

Horn 9100

Height

29 to 40 in.

Open / closed

72 1/2 x 36 in. / 60 x 26 in.

Cut-out

31 x 15 1/2 in.

Strengths

• The largest cut-out in our table
• Lift with flat-bed, free-arm and storage positions

Drawbacks

• No machine weight limit on the page we read
• Horn’s site points to a dealer locator, not a cart

Good fit: you have a large machine and want a standing option.
Skip it if: you need a published weight limit, or a table you can move alone: it weighs 260 lb.

A wide top with drawers, for a light machine

Wide sewing table with a drop-down platform and drawers

Sew Ready Eclipse Ultra

Overall

60.25 W x 23.75 D x 29.25 H in.

Platform

23 x 10.75 in.

Limits

top 100 lb, platform 25 lb

Strengths

• Limits published part by part
• Three fabric drawers and a lower shelf
• Folding side shelf

Drawbacks

• Platform rated 25 lb only
• Studio Designs does not sell direct: you buy from a retailer

Good fit: your machine is light and you want width and drawers for fabric.
Skip it if: your machine weighs more than 25 lb or is deeper than 10.75 inches.

The four smaller Sew Ready tables in the comparison follow the same design; the Dart and the Pro Stitch platforms are rated 20 lb.^2,22

Buying in Canada

• Arrow and Kangaroo: “We can ship to all provinces except Quebec.” Arrow recommends that Canadian customers shop on arrowsewing.ca, a site it says it does not manage; when we checked, that address redirected to Arrow’s US site.⁵
• Sew Ready: Studio Designs says “We do not sell directly to the public, but our furniture is sold through both local and online retailers everywhere.”²⁴
• Horn: its site points to a dealer locator. We could not confirm a Canadian dealer.⁹

A table is heavy and bulky freight: before ordering across the border, check the delivery cost and the return terms with the seller.