Hi Gail! It’s so good to be back as a guest blogger on My Repurposed Life! This sewing cabinet project I am especially excited about sharing because sewing cabinets are something that I’ve seen a lot of in the past and have passed up because I wasn’t seeing beyond their intended use. Now that I’ve upcycled this cabinet into a fun and useful drinks serving station, I would definitely seek out these cabinets in the future.
I purchased this sewing cabinet for $35 from an estate sale because I really liked the character of the piece. Since the machine was not in working condition, I bought it only for the cabinet. My first move was to remove the old, built-in sewing machine and recycle it for cash. The machine netted me $5.55 in scrap metal payout.
I was torn between two design directions: a sewing cabinet bar cart or a game table. The answer was clear to go with the bar cart idea after I removed the machine. The top of the cabinet was on hinges that allowed it to open to the left. With the machine gone, the cabinet easily tipped over in the open position. I needed to detach the top and therefore upcycled it into a removable serving tray.
I decided to do a distressed look on the cabinet using Vaseline. Vaseline prevents the top layer of paint from sticking and therefore you can achieve an easy worn look and interesting brush strokes with transparency to the under coat.
I kept the metal storage container on the door that was originally used for machine attachments and bobbins, and repurposed it to hold shot glasses and wine glass markers.
This bar serving station with removable serving tray is all ready for the holiday season!
Below are links to more information on the details of this sewing cabinet project.
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| How to distress furniture using Vaseline |
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| Sewing Rocker restoration – this rocker was purchased with the sewing cabinet |
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| The scrap metal experience and cash realities |
Thank you Cristin for sharing a wonderful repurposed project with us today. You are so right, these sewing cabinets are easily found at thrift stores, on the side of the road, and most importantly, asking family members! I love your bar cart!
gail
kimberly says
June 26, 2015 at 11:22 pmhi, this came out awesome! quick question… did you leave the hole in the top where the machine would sit once flipped up? and did you fill in the hinge holes once you decided not to keep the top attached?
gail@myrepurposedlife.com says
June 27, 2015 at 8:53 amKimberly,
this isn’t my project, it was a guest post. I’m assuming that you are correct in both instances. If you look closely at the very small picture where the door is open, you can barely see that the hole in the top is still there. And if I were to do this, I would fill the hinge holes.
I hope this helps.
gail
2chance says
November 19, 2012 at 1:10 pmBrilliant!!
It’s a great idea and I love the final color 🙂
Lucia
Cassie @ Primitive & Proper says
November 17, 2012 at 3:34 amlooks awesome!!! i love the black with red peeking through!
Mindi@MyLove2Create says
November 17, 2012 at 3:34 amI love the transformation! It is so pretty with the black and red! Going to check out more!
Pam Jackson says
November 16, 2012 at 10:44 pmHow cute is that…and I love the vaseline trick. Nice….hope your shoulder is doing well.
Full Circle Creations says
November 16, 2012 at 8:15 pmLooks great!
Corn in my Coffee-Pot says
November 16, 2012 at 5:26 pmNice. Turned out great…went over to read some more!
Patricia
Wild Oak Designs says
November 16, 2012 at 4:16 pmWow! Very clever, and it looks wonderful! Makes me want to look for more of these old treasures!!
Nancy
http://wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com
Bliss says
November 16, 2012 at 2:47 pmExcellent, heading over to pin it.
Bliss
Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal says
November 16, 2012 at 2:07 pmThat is a fantastic idea for those cabinets! I have passed up quite a few of them. I will look at them in a new light now. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
I Play Outside The Box says
November 16, 2012 at 1:07 pmThat looks great. Wouldn’t someone with a teeny studio apartment go crazy for something like this!!
Terri says
November 16, 2012 at 12:36 pmThis is adorable…how many sewing cabinets have I passed up at various sales. Now I have to rethink that! Beautiful job!
Rooster Boots says
November 16, 2012 at 12:19 pmLOVE the idea. I have an old sewing cabinet sitting in the barn already refinished, but I never put the the pieces back together because I just wasn’t sure what to do with it! You’ve inspired me!!!
Karen @ Dogs Don't Eat Pizza says
November 16, 2012 at 1:28 pmThat is beautiful! I saw a sewing table at a thrift store yesterday…maybe I should go back and get it! Thank you for sharing this idea.