Sewing Machine Cabinet

Another Upcycled Rustic Paint Project

Sometimes, you just come across the perfect project; a month or two ago, I found an old industrial sewing machine at the recycle center, recognized it right away for what it was, and grabbed it.

The hunt was on for a technician to clean it and find a replacement bobbin or two, and the shuttle for it, and after some hunting, I found just such a person in Oliver, about two hours drive from me.

After some back and forth, the tech and his fiancee came and picked up the machine, to take it back and do the work on it. Now that's service!

A month or two went by, and they came to deliver it back to me too. I discovered that it had been gone over with a fine tooth comb, bushings replace, a new foot pedal and wiring and lots of other goodies.

In the interim, the eyeballs were peeled for a sewing machine cabinet to put this baby in; no ordinary table will do, because industrial sewing machines have a lot of power - they'll bounce themselves right off the edge.

This one is heavy, and probably has a lot of down pressure as well; can't wait to use it to make curtains, bedspreads and upholstery.

As luck would have it, there was just such an animal at the recycle center;

What a plain and uninteresting piece of shoddy workmanship

Don't overlook those plain and uninteresting pieces of furniture; they are just the canvas for a guilt free project.

Now as you might have guessed, this is really not my style; even if it was real wood, it wouldn't be. So, a painting project is in order. First, the ugly drawer pulls were removed.

The first coat is a mixture of many colors; the more variable, the better and the more natural it looks.

Then the first coat of paint went on; this is all acrylic craft paint; a mixture of white, black, silver, blue and burnt umber were put into a small container, and then dabbed and brushed on in random stripes and blobs.

second coat of paint adds more depth and detail

The second coat adds more depth and detail.

More detail, and more layers of similar colors of paint, mostly white, black and silver for this.

The top of the table is a masterpiece of texture and color; whether or not it looks like a piece of driftwood or barnboard is in the beholders eye.

The top of the cabinet which folds out to make a table to work on is very textural.

The final touch; twig handles. These are just wired on with tie wire; no fancy tools or special techniques needed.

Finished, except for the sewing machine itself.

A close up view of the twiggy handles, adding a ton of charm and character.

The twig handles are the final embellishment...

...and they add so much character.

So, next time a piece of furniture gets that, oh-no-not-my-style reaction, grab it anyway. If it's simple in shape, you can do almost anything with it, and make it in to any kind of style.

My favorite thing is recycling, and making something out of nothing; free is always the right price.