The vintage sewing box is updated & fabulous ….

Hi everyone

I shared the dated vintage sewing box in the previous post. It had been hand made at some point & I was told it belonged to one person since the 1950's and to my mind, it was still as it was originally made.

The rippled side boards were grubby & had to have a good wash down before I could paint. Because it was not very smooth, I took it outdoors & gave it a light sanding down. I had help - Vivaldi bunny came out to have a run around, chase our friendly robin out of the conservatory & generally just run around crazily while I sanded ….

I decided to give it a dark finish with Annie Sloan graphite paint to give it an even finish that would hide the blue undertones.

Once dry, I painted the side sections in the gorgeous Emperor's Silk red paint. I picked out the panels on the sides & the top, leaving the others dark.

I used the last of my Old White to pick out the beading on the top with a thin paint brush to highlight the detail. Emperor's silk always looks pink until it is wax ….

DONE - I left it drying overnight while I browsed some fabrics on EBAY.

I found the perfect fabric piece with a bold tartan / plaid pattern that I just knew was right. Bought it & then decided it was time to start doing some dark waxing.

Perfect - except … ooops - that side is not quite right - out with the graphite brush again  to fix up the back panel where the top piece needed to be graphite …

I have used the dark wax a few times so know not to panic when the darkness hits the paint - breathe, brush it on in circular motions then start to rub it off & give it a lovely sheen. I know - dark wax scares people but it really does give a richness to these paints that is not achieved with the soft, natural wax.

Time consuming but I love how the ripples are accentuated once they are waxed.

Fabric lining time. I have to admit at this point in time that I have not used fabric to line boxes before but I stopped in at a local craft shop & chatted to the very helpful owner about my plans & she recommended using bookbinding glue instead of normal modgepodge as it would give a better bond. I love how local tradespeople & shops know their products & are happy to advise on the right product. It reminds me why I love independent places ….

I cut the top panel fabrics to the same size as the old felt I had pulled out, applied glue liberally to the wood with a broad paint brush then smoothed the fabric down. Unfortunately, the end green felt was still visible so I looked in my sewing supplies & found some perfectly matched red bias binding that I used to finish off the edges by gluing it on.

The sliding box was lined to brighten it up, then I cut a large piece to line the base of the box. A liberal application of glue to the bottom then I carefully smoothed the fabric in place.

What a difference a small off cut of fabric made to the whole effort.

What do you think? Do you like the colour combinations?

It is almost ready to be used now as a very useful sewing storage box for behind the sofa over winter when I am sewing & watching TV …

Thanks for stopping by, always pleased to read your comments & return the visit.

Dee ~♥~