Sewing Box Update

9 Materials
$10
4 Hours
Easy

While walking through the local thrift store, I saw this sewing box sitting on a bottom shelf. My grandmother had one just like it and to be honest, I have no idea what happened to it. But here was another one, looking pretty humble.

The finish was worn, the veneer was chipped, and it came home with me.

The first step was to glue all the loose veneer on the legs. I used wood glue and added binder clips to act as clamps...there's a little tip for you!

After the glue was dry, I did some filling with wood putty, sanded, and painted the legs, sides, and top with Ocean chalk paint. 

After two coats, I distressed the edges and it was time for decoupage! I scuffed the finish a bit with 220 grit sandpaper and wiped away the dust. The Mod Podge was brushed on, making sure to get it into the edge.  

After separating the layers, I placed the napkin on the wood and carefully smoothed it down.

I have a full tutorial on decoupaging with napkins that you can read here: https://theapplestreetcottage.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-to-decoupage-dresser-drawers-with.html

Out came the plastic wrap to smooth out the wrinkles.  

After everything dried, the edges were trimmed with an exacto knife and a second coat of Mod Podge was applied. 

I painted the knobs with gold craft paint so they would stand-out a bit.

And it was done. The inside was in good shape, so I didn't have to do anything to it.

Here's another decoupage project you may be interested in:


https://theapplestreetcottage.blogspot.com/2019/07/small-curio-cabinet.html

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  • LibraryKAT LibraryKAT on Jul 24, 2020

    Very pretty! A nice save; I liked the patterned paper you chose. Did you leave the inside plain wood? Thanks for sharing. :-)

  • Sharon Sharon on Aug 03, 2020

    I have a sewing box I want to try this on. The box is a darker color. My napkin is a sunflower design on a beige background. Will the dark wood show through? Do I need to lighten it up somehow?

  • Peggy Peggy on Aug 07, 2020

    I love how it came out! Beautiful job. I found one almost exactly like it only mine has legs and the inside is pretty worn. Any suggestions on what to do with the inside?

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