Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I'm sew happy

Before I moved to San Diego I was on a Craigslist hunting spree. One day, I stumbled upon an item I wasn't even looking for ... an antique, working sewing machine in a wood cabinet. I was in love! Not only could it be used as a functional table, but I could learn how to sew.

It was perfect but at $100, a little out of the range I was looking to spend on something I didn't technically need. The posting said the owner was moving that day so I took a chance and offered less to take it off her hands in time for her move. We chatted for awhile and I soon discovered she was the nicest Craigslist seller ever! She gave me the table for $50, not because she was moving, but because she'd had it since the eighth grade and wanted to make sure it got a good home!

Well I haven't learned to sew yet but I have given it a good place to live! It was a little worn down so Derek and I gave it a fresh coat of pretty orange paint and sprayed the handle white.


As usual, please ignore ugly wall color - we can't paint this apartment! Ugh!

Before:


After:



The seller tossed in a pretty wooden box of sewing accessories which sits on the top along with a piece of wood printed with "New York" that my parents found at a flea market and an Empire State Building thermometer my Dad got in NYC when he was just 17!



We added a globe we found at a thrift store for just $12 to round off the top. For some inexpensive but meaningful art, I framed a photograph of Derek and some of his buddies in the Air Force. I also found this intro page to an article in a 1940's issue of Cosmopolitan I picked up at an antique fair. It's entitled "The Veteran Goes To College" perfect for my studious man of service!


What do you think? Any sewing tips for a beginner?

5 comments:

  1. Start with pillows! Pillows are nice and simple, plus it's a cheap way to decorate your beds and couches!

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  2. whateer sewing tips you get, i'm borrowing. just thought you should know. ;)

    i just took my sewing machine out of the box. it was a Christmas present. last year. and not last year as in 2010. laaaaast year, 2009!

    i want to sew, so bad. ha. and already bought a hideous chair i want to slipcover. let me know if ya try something and how it turns out!

    xo-
    amanda

    www.perfectimperfection13.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. let's try *whatever*, not "whateer". k? k.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. omg I so want to learn how to sew, too!! Please let me in on any tips you get!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! I'm so excited to hear from you.

xox,
Taylor