My sewing obsession began while we were stuck in Delaware City having our sailboat engine rebuilt during summer 2023. While I had a little sewing experience with my Sailrite making various boat covers and repairing canvas on the sailboat, my skills were very limited. Since we were stuck in a small town, I knew I needed to find something to occupy my time while Randy dealt with the engine. I purchased an inexpensive sewing machine on Amazon and a pattern to make a zipper pouch to store my knitting projects. After completing it, I purchased another pattern to make a fanny pack for myself. I was having so much fun and an obsession was born! I loved sewing sewing bags and accessories. Even while we cruised south to the Bahamas and then up the East coast to Massachusetts, I was sewing. Shortly after returning from the Bahamas, I began an Etsy shop, called The Crafty Cruiser, and started selling my bags. Sewing bags on the sailboat was no easy task. Of course, we had to be in a calm anchorage in order for me to sew, but the real issue was the space. I sewed on the table that we also had dinner…the only table or space we had. I had to break down my sewing machine and stow everything away at the end of the day just to drag it all back out again the next day.

When we started discussing purchasing an RV, one of my “must-haves” was a dedicated sewing space; one where I could leave my machine and tools set up. We had seen Facebook posts where spaces were converted into offices for remote work and many of them were bunkhouses. Bunk beds in RVs have been turned into pantries and closets as well. So, we began looking at RVs with bunks. One blog post by RV Love caught our eye, especially since they had the exact RV model we were considering, the Tiffin 35QBA. After a few measurements of my sewing machine, we knew this bunk conversion would work for us. Once we had moved onto our new RV, Randy went to work at dismantling the bunk beds. It came apart fairly easily, especially since we didn’t have the DVD units to disconnect. We kept the bunk pieces and stored them at my sisters in case future owners might want to convert the space back.

Once the upper bunk was removed, Randy inspected the floor to see if it would need additional support as mentioned in RV Love’s post (it did). Since we needed a little extra advice about how to go about the build out, we face-timed my father and came up with a plan. Instead of just one workspace, I wanted a second one on the opposite side that I could use as a workspace to cut fabric, install rivets and snaps, etc. We would use the support bar from the upper bunk to mount 2 separate tables. We took our measurements and headed to Home Depot to have lumber cut and to gather the rest of the supplies.

While Randy added some extra supports under the floor area and began fitting pieces together, I stained the work spaces. This was all done while we stayed at River Forks park while in Georgia. Once the stain was dry, it was time for assembly.

Thanks to my Dad’s advice, and Randy’s handy-man skills, it went together beautifully. I’m so thrilled with how it came out and I’m so much more productive to have my stuff organized in one area. I purchased some plastic pegboards off Amazon and mounted them above my workstation for additional storage of my tools. My swivel stool is compact and perfect for rotating between my sewing machine and my work station. I still have the use of the 2 drawers that slide out from under the floor which I store additional supplies and rolls of vinyl and waxed canvas. The best part is the window I have for light, beautiful views and airflow when opened. The total cost of this project came in under $200 including all lumber, stain, screws, and pegboards.

I imagine this type of conversion could be used by any hobbyist or application where a workspace may be needed.