Being 6'3 a student, and having now moved into a much smaller house, there has been much against me in having the space to pursue tailoring as a hobby. However, after 6 months of saving, I have finished the last big piece of my tailoring equipment - the tailoring table. It is a 2m x 800mm table which should be big enough for all my needs. Due to my height, I have had to build this abnormally tall (and long for the drafts I'll be doing on it), and due to my living arrangement it had to be stable enough to support its self on 4 legs so it can live over my bed. While this precarious combination did have me heavily doubting its stability, it has thankfully turned out alright. The table is comprised of 2.5cm thick plywood, a material I chose for its famous multi-directional strength and comparative warp resistance to alternatives like MDF. I bought this plywood, in 2 pieces, from a UK-based company CutMy for the cost of £150 - I would highly recommend this company.

The legs of the table can be increased by 3.5cm, a feature I determined important as I was unsure how level the table would actually turn out to be given my inexperience in woodworking (aside from a few years in the school workshop). Thankfully, this wasn't required at all, but at least I have the ability to increase the height should I need it. Due to the robustness of the table, while it does come apart by removing the 2 lateral 2x4 planks underneath, it is a hassle and will mostly stay up unless I'm hosting.

The table can be disassembled and reassembled as many times as I should wish without the wood thread wearing. This is because every screw on this table has a corresponding hex nut which has its own internal machine thread. The two table pieces have been constructed with 6 dowels which both ensure (near) perfect alignment and to take some of the strain off the lateral 2x4s. The surface of the table is a huge mat of wool felt and cotton moleskin, as recommended by Reza. I have used this surface before on the dining table which I was previously using for this purpose, as evidenced by the burn mark on it. I have already had the pleasure to finish a (shirt) collar on it, and I cannot emphasise enough the comfort in sewing with an upright posture rather than hunched over and clamoring across a low board with chalk and shears. The table cost around £200, and the mat cost £60 or so. I have been greatly surprised and pleased by the sturdiness of this design, as it can (somehow) support the centrally positioned weight of my cast iron singer 201k without the slightest creak or sign of bending. Keep in mind the wood alone weighs around 21kg, and the machine adds another 13kg onto that!

Between moving house and changing university course (I am now studying History & Economics), I finally feel in a place where I have the tools and the space to truly pursue tailoring, uninterrupted. I look forward to many months of mistake-making, learning, and the ever evasive pursuit of perfection. To those of you who have a fire burning within you to pursue tailoring, but think you don't have the space, the money, or even the time, I'd like to say that if you really want to take tailoring on, there is a way to make it work. Another personal example is that I can't afford a heavy duty sewing machine, so instead decided to restore an old Singer, which I have since fallen in love with.

If, like me, you've not yet got the purple box but would still like to support Reza in some way, I'd highly recommend his Patreon, as this gives you a channel through which you can make payments spread out each month, and start/stop any time you want and give any amount you can afford.

I wish you all a wonderful day, and thank you each for your collective dedication to this beautiful craft.