A Table Fable

Granny D here.  Next to my fabric stash (and it is a STASH as you'll see in the pics below) is my beloved sewing table.  I used the dining room table for a while with my sewing machine sitting on one end.  You can get away with that when you live alone.  I've even cut out things on the bed which is dangerous.
 But, oh, let me tell you the story of my table.
I came home from work one evening only to find this...well, this monstrosity sitting in my back yard.  It was a table, at least that's what it appeared to be, probably 8 feet long, about 40 inches wide.  It looked like it weighed a ton and I found out later it felt like it did, too.  The top was covered in old curling, peeling linoleum with rusting metal trim around the edges.  Some of the pieces looked dangerously sharp.  The wooden legs were peeling and the drawer handles were all rusty.
I stood there on that late summer evening and thought, "Why does everyone bring me their junk?"
About that time, the friend that 'donated' the table drove up, held up both hands in surrender and said, "Wait, let me tell you about this table."
Against my better judgement, I waited.
The table currently gracing my yard was built in 1953 specifically for the ladies at Verona United Methodist Church (Verona, VA) to use to make their famous apple dumplings.  It was made a little short just to fit these busy little ladies and it was in use up until about 1980 which was when my friend's father bought it from the church to use in his workshop.  It was so short, he had to put bricks underneath the legs to bring it up to the right height. In 2008 he decided he didn't want it any longer and it ended up in my friend's barn.  It got in the way there and they just moved it outside where it sat out in the weather for two years prior to being given to me. 

While he talked, I walked around the table, this time really looking at it.  And I saw something...something beautiful. 

 Instead of an old table, I saw what a beautiful lady she could be.  She had 6 nicely sized drawers, 6 outlets which were still wired and three pull out cutting boards.  And a full shelf underneath.  Whoever engineered that table, knew that when a woman's working, either making apple dumplings or sewing, she needs everything right at her fingertips.
"So why did you bring it to me?" I asked.
He shrugged, "You like to sew.  I thought it would be a great sewing table."

Turns out, he was right.  I peeled off the ugly linoleum.  The top was trashed but I could fix that.  The rest of the table was sturdy and just needed a lot of TLC.  And paint.  I scraped and cleaned and scrubbed and then realized, it was too long to fit down my basement steps.  Another friend came up with a plan for that.  We cut that table into two pieces, created an L-shaped table and he removed a drawer and made a place for my sewing machine to fit right in.  We covered the top with really good plywood and trimmed it out neatly..  I painted and painted and painted. And now, it is the most beautiful table in the world.  Since I'm short, it fits me just like the apple dumpling ladies back in 1953. 
Ah, but it's not just a sewing table.  It's more of a magical place that sparks my creative fire.
I've neglected my sewing and my table for the past few years. But now that retirement is right around the corner, I can slow down and think about sewing again.  Do you have  a special place where you can just let your creativity run wild?  We'd love to hear about it.