Friday, April 27, 2012

Before and After: Sewing Machine Table

This little sewing machine table came to me in pretty sad shape.
The sewing machine was long gone and the table still had a lot of the other hardware and cords inside that were no longer necessary. You can see that the right side of the table hangs a little crooked when folded out, and how useful is a table with a big hole in the middle anyway?
Instead of trying to figure out how to make the fold-out top functional again, I got rid of it completely. This was much harder than I'd expected it to be, but ultimately it was a good decision. The base of the table got painted with a beautiful blue that I mixed up myself (again in a chalk paint mixture), then I got to work rebuilding the top. Thanks to my pathetic math skills, I made two trips to the hardware store for lumber, and twice came home with not enough wood to cover the top with equal length pieces.
Being the impatient DIYer that I am, I could NOT stand to wait until I could get to the store to buy MORE wood, so I improvised.
Two sections of planks are pieced together, like an old wood floor. I decided I liked it later, but to begin with I just wasn't sure.
I beat the boards with a hammer to age it and give it some more character, then stained it dark. I used the same dark stain on the base of the table in areas where I wanted the exposed wood to be darker.
SO VERY in love with this accidental turquoise paint color!

That red ceramic knob just seems so perfect on this quirky piece. Did I mention how much I LOVE that vibrant blue paint?

12 comments:

Kandi said...

That is beautiful, I'm looking for something just like that it's a shame I am on a different continent!
Kandi x

Anonymous said...

I found an old sewing table at Goodwill last week, 50% off! I couldn't figure out what I could do with it...so I left it! UGH!! Too bad I didn't find you sooner! I found you on Pinterest...I'm a follower now! Can't wait to see more of your projects!!

Anonymous said...

Hello. Wish I had known you wanted to get rid of the top. My sewing cabinet is exactly the same and the top was a bit damaged. I would have paid you something for it, and shipping too. :(

nankc said...

I want to cry when someone does this to a vintage piece. You probably could have sold it--WITH the machine in it, no matter how bad it seemed to you, for a VERY hefty amount of money. There are people who collect and restore these even if they are really bad and rusty. Check us out on Facebook, Yahoo, etc.

Anastasia said...

I love it!
I restore vintage sewing machines and I'm glad to see a common mid-century table put to good use. I don't know how many of these tables I see for very little money (without a machine).
I always hope someone is loving the machine even if they don't love the table. There are usually plenty of collectors in any area for machines, just throw up a quick ad on craigslist if you need a machine to disappear.

Anonymous said...

OOOooo! I REALLY LIKE YOUR SEWING CABINET REPURPOSE. I have a machine cabinet that i am undecided about. Doing this will silence the undecisiveness. I love the peace that comes with unfinished business.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I own your creation! I bought it at Unique Boutique! So funny to stumble upon this on Pinterest! Thank you!

coleenehanson said...

Can I ask you - did you stain the bottom and then sand afetr painting for the stain to show on the bottom section, or did you rub stain on OVER the paint? My mother just passed away and I inherited her sewing table like this and am paying tribute to her by repurposing it!! I look forward to hearing from you!!

Anonymous said...

I have an old sewing machine that my father in law gave me many years ago. I haven't done anything to it but have wanted to. I Love this! Thank you for sharing so it gives us different ideas of what to do.

Anonymous said...

I have my grandmothers sewing table and it is just like this! The top is also in pretty bad shape on mine too. I have begun the primer process and can't wait for the final result!

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