This antique sewing drawer set was not the project I planned on sharing with you. Mother Nature wouldn’t let me finish the easy project I wanted to share. Maybe next week for that one.
While I was looking on Pinterest for how to decoupage the hydrangea napkins onto the single drawer I recently did, I saw that people use these antique sewing drawer sets as stand alone pieces.
Antique Sewing Drawer Set Makeover
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Antique Sewing Drawers
I have two racks, but only 1 set of drawers. Did you notice one is missing a knob? The frame is in good shape, but the antique drawers need to be painted.
So many years ago, I made a table out of 2 sets of sewing drawers.
Remove Hardware
My first step was to remove the hardware on the bottom and the knob from the front of the drawer.
Not shown: I sanded the drawers inside and out. That made quite the mess! Because I was working in the basement shop, I didn’t want to use my leaf blower.
Clean Well After Sanding
How about a quick splash with the garden hose to remove all that debris? Water and wood aren’t on friendly terms, but a quick cleaning won’t hurt the antique sewing drawer set.
It’s very important to allow the wood to dry thoroughly. However, while the wood is wet, it’s a good indication of what it would look like if it was sealed. So, this is when I decided to leave the sewing drawer frame unpainted.
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Paint Sewing Drawers
Going to my paint stash, I found DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint. I used a chip brush to apply it to the outside of the sewing drawers.
I prefer to apply several light coats of any kind of chalky paint, including my own diy chalky paint primer. To get the best sheen, I like to lightly sand between coats. This image is after applying and sanding the first coat.
Cut Top for Set of Sewing Drawers
In order to “close” up the top of the antique sewing drawer set, I chose a thin piece of plywood from my scrap pile. Because I didn’t want the top to look boxy, I cut the corners off on the miter saw.
Using a sanding sponge, I rounded of the sharp edges of each corner. Can you see the difference in the top and bottom corners?
I took this opportunity to test the top on the antique sewing drawer set. In addition, I checked to see if the knobs I wanted to use would actually fit.
Clean Up Excess Paint
To ensure that the drawers would glide in out out of the frame easily, I used a putty knife and sand paper to remove the leftover paint from the top and bottom of both sewing drawers.
This is before and after of the bottom of the two drawers.
And . . . the top of the sewing drawers.
Add Wipe-On Poly to Sewing Drawer Frame
To enhance the beauty of the wood of the antique sewing drawer set frame, I opted to use wipe-on poly. This was applied with a small rag.
The wipe-on poly really helped the frame’s appearance, don’t you think?
I also sealed the inside and the top of the drawers. Due to the age of the antique sewing drawer set, I had a hard time securing the screws for the knobs. A small washer may have worked, but I improvised using a small piece of wood drilled out with a countersink bit. Voila! Worked perfectly for now.
Makeover Sewing Drawer Set
I staged the drawer set over in the Sugar Shack atop a gray chest of drawers. The top hasn't been attached to the antique sewing drawer set. I like to see how things look in pictures first. The easiest way to attach it is with Gorilla Wood Glue, but that would definitely make it permanent. What if the person who buys it wants to remove it for some reason? What would you do?
gail
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Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.
Colette
Love the sewing drawers. I have my momās sewing drawers. They are singles. I saw your other post decoupaged sewing drawers. I think I will decoupage some and paint a couple to coordinate with each other. I appreciate your ideas and instructions!
I moved from TX to AZ. In AZ I have found the shoppers expect much lower prices. No appreciation for the value of your time and work. I find it hard to ābreak evenā.
Gail Wilson
What an awesome tribute to your mom! I'd love to see your projects when you're done.
I'm always here if you have any questions.
gail
Donna Reesor Boyd
Just put that your prices are firm and stick to your price, no matter what. You put the effort in all your work, you deserve the price you ask.
Gail Wilson
Thank you for the pep talk Donna! Some people just want to get something for nothing. One person asked to me drive 20 miles to deliver a $15 project. Since I don't regularly deal with Facebook Marketplace, I guess that's the way things are done sometimes.
I appreciate your kind comment!!
gail
Robyn Wright
I love them! Great color choice. Beautiful!
Gail Wilson
Thank you!!! I'm so thrilled with the way they turned out. My friend loved them so much that she wants them for her craft room.
gail
Lori
Hi Gail, I love this set of sewing drawers. I just bought a beautiful set of these drawers from eBay and you give me inspiration. These are beautiful. I have also seen the frame for these drawers being used for wine bottles.
Gail Wilson
How wonderful for you Lori! So happy to inspire you. I have seen the frames for wine also. I have several sets of drawer-less frames. So, ya never know! š
I really am happy with how these turned out. I'm loving the two-toned color. I would love to see your project when you're done!
gail
Jennie Wallick
I love these. I never see these here and havenāt in probably 20 years unless the whole sewing table is in an antique store, or sitting out in the heat of the Arizona sun. These would be darling in a craft or sewing room. Is the Sugar Shack working out for selling your items?
Gail Wilson
Thank you Jennie! There are so many options of formatting these drawers. But for now, I could only put my hands on this one complete set of 2. š
The Sugar Shack is helping me out so much, mostly with storage! I haven't been very active in posting my projects online. People are always trying to get such a huge discount, offering $12 for a $20 item! Very discouraging. Something I've never had to deal with before at Glendale or the Vendors' Village. So, I'll have to learn to "pad" my prices more. Thanks for asking!
gail