Ultimate Sewing Station

In my home workshop, I was finding myself wasting a lot of time getting my tools, finding the right needle/thread for the job and just plain keeping organized. I needed a nice way to keep myself in one place that complimented the look of my workshop. 

These off the rack organizers are just too ordinary for me. :) 

I took my inspiration from the wall mounted sewing station here: 
https://www.instructables.com/id/Wall-Mounted-Sewing-Station/

List of materials required: 
Frame that you love - take whatever dimensions fit the tools you need. Inner dimensions on this were 23X19 inches
Plywood or MDF (1/4 thick)
Fabric
Sewing Machine
Wooden Dowels + same size drill bits (+ drill)
Wire Cutters
Miter Saw
Spray Paint
Scrap piece of wood (as a guide for drilling)
Hot glue gun
Staple gun
Hooks

Total cost for this project - $20
Total time for this project - 15 hours including planning

Prep your frame
Start by getting your layout. Place  your tools the way you will work best and plan out where you want the pockets to go so you can get the correct dimension. 

If you buy a used frame like I did, remove the canvass, any nails and extra staples.
I chose to spray paint this one white to better match with the fabric. 

Layout
Map your layout on your piece of wood, starting with the spools of thread. 
If you follow the same template as I did, here are my dimensions:

8 bobbin hooks, wooden dowel cut at 1/2"long, spaced at 1" apart
8 embroidery thread hooks, wooden dowel cut at 1" long, spaced at 1" apart
30 spool hooks, 6 across by 5 rows down. Spaced at 1 3/4" apart across, and 2 1/4" apart down
4 serger spool hooks, 2 1/4" apart across and down. These were cut from a 1" thick dowel and screwed in from behind.

Drill + Paint
Pre-drill your holes for the bobbins, embroidery thread & serger spools. 
Use a spare piece of wood to create a guide for the rows for the thread spools. You need to use a miter saw to cut a 45 degree piece.
I chose to cut 2 pieces, and just glued them to the main guide. You can see by the picture that this will help you drill at a perfect 45 degrees.
Dry fit your dowels and spray paint them. 
 

Sewing the pockets
Measure your pockets from your layout. You want to leave an additional 5/8" seam allowance on all sides, and an extra inch on the top 3 sections to allow for your hem. 

To make a manufactured look that is very strong, fold the fabric in on itself twice so that you see no raw edges, and stitch along each seam. This is optional, and definitely time consuming. However I chose a fabric that frays very easily, so it was worth it. You can see that the end result is much more professional.

To sew the bags to the fabric, pin each side down flat in place, and sew them on one side at a time. Sew back along your hem as your guide. This will make sure that you're sewing the pockets on straight. I doubled the fabric in the back to help with strength along the seams.

Now you can line your fabric up over your board, making sure that your pockets are where they need to be away from the holes for your bobbins and spools of thread. Hot glue the back of your seams to the board as you go to help hold them in place. 

Stretch your fabric over the back of the board, and staple gun it in place. Again, roll it over twice if you're concerned with fraying. Then staple between your frame and your board to attach the two together. 
 

Dowels
Start by using a seam ripper or a small pair of scissors to pierce the fabric from the front, this way you wont pull it when you push the dowel through. 
Through the back of the board, put a bead of hot glue in your pre-drilled hole, and insert your wood dowels. 
Don't go more than 2-3 holes at a time, the hot glue will dry very quickly and plug the hole before you can squeeze the dowel through. 

Use hot glue instead of carpenters glue, it will hold the fabric in place better and you wont have to worry about staining your fabric around the holes. 

For the serger spools
Pre-drill a hole in the middle of your dowel.
Screw in from the back of the board until your screw peeks through and you can get it onto the dowel, and tighten it. Make sure you hold the dowel firmly, otherwise you can pinch the fabric and twist it. 

Hooks
Double check your placement of the tools you want to hang, and hand screw in the hooks. I took ones that were covered in white rubber already. 

Finishing Touches
Lastly, cut small pieces of cardboard the same length and width as each of your pouches, and fit them into the bottom for more support.

Fill 'em up, Hang and enjoy!