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    Furniture Makeover » sewing cabinet bar

    sewing cabinet bar

    Published by Gail | Published November 16, 2012 | Updated June 28, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    How to make a sewing cabinet bar. Old sewing machine cabinets make great new useful pieces including bar carts. Easy weekend project to DIY. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #furniture #sewingcabinet #bar #weekendproject via @repurposedlife

    Thanks to Eve of Reduction for sharing this sewing cabinet bar with us! I love how it turned out, don't you?

     

    repurposed-sewing-cabinet-portable-bar

    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.

     

    How to Make a Sewing Cabinet Bar

    sewing machine beforeI 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.

     

    Paint the Sewing Cabinet

    repurposed sewing cabinet

    Distress Paint with Vaseline

    vaseline distress paint

    Apply Dark Top Coat of Paint

    vaseline distress paint
    I sanded and stained it with gunstock wood stain.
    repurposed sewing cabinet DIY bar cart
    The second challenge was making the inside of the cabinet useful for storage. After the machine was gone, the inside of the cabinet was completely hollow. So I installed a sturdy board that I screwed to the underside of the cabinet. The board was cut to size at Lowes. I needed to use my jigsaw to cut the corners so it could fit around the back legs.

    Make Tweaks to Inside of Sewing Cabinet Bar

    repurposed sewing cabinet
     The board inside the cabinet was removed.

     

    This repurposed sewing cabinet bar with removable serving tray is all ready for the holiday season!

     

    DIY bar cart from sewing cabinet

     

     

     

     

     

    beverage bar from sewing cabinet

     

     

    diy bar cart tray
    DIY beverage bar table

    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!

     

     

    See More Sewing Cabinet Project Ideas

    sewing cabinet project ideas

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    1. kimberly

      June 26, 2015 at 11:22 pm

      hi, 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?

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.com

        June 27, 2015 at 8:53 am

        Kimberly,

        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

    2. 2chance

      November 19, 2012 at 1:10 pm

      Brilliant!!
      It's a great idea and I love the final color 🙂

      Lucia

      Reply
    3. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper

      November 17, 2012 at 3:34 am

      looks awesome!!! i love the black with red peeking through!

      Reply
    4. Mindi@MyLove2Create

      November 17, 2012 at 3:34 am

      I love the transformation! It is so pretty with the black and red! Going to check out more!

      Reply
    5. Pam Jackson

      November 16, 2012 at 10:44 pm

      How cute is that...and I love the vaseline trick. Nice....hope your shoulder is doing well.

      Reply
    6. Full Circle Creations

      November 16, 2012 at 8:15 pm

      Looks great!

      Reply
    7. Corn in my Coffee-Pot

      November 16, 2012 at 5:26 pm

      Nice. Turned out great...went over to read some more!

      Patricia

      Reply
    8. Wild Oak Designs

      November 16, 2012 at 4:16 pm

      Wow! Very clever, and it looks wonderful! Makes me want to look for more of these old treasures!!
      Nancy
      http://wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

      Reply
    9. Bliss

      November 16, 2012 at 2:47 pm

      Excellent, heading over to pin it.

      Bliss

      Reply
    10. Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal

      November 16, 2012 at 2:07 pm

      That 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!

      Reply
    11. I Play Outside The Box

      November 16, 2012 at 1:07 pm

      That looks great. Wouldn't someone with a teeny studio apartment go crazy for something like this!!

      Reply
    12. Terri

      November 16, 2012 at 12:36 pm

      This is adorable...how many sewing cabinets have I passed up at various sales. Now I have to rethink that! Beautiful job!

      Reply
    13. Rooster Boots

      November 16, 2012 at 12:19 pm

      LOVE 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!!!

      Reply
    14. Karen @ Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

      November 16, 2012 at 1:28 pm

      That 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.

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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