I spent much of Sunday at the computer trying to catch up. I feel so behind in bookwork and emails and writing blog posts. It started about a month ago and the behindedness has just stuck. I thought I might make a dent if I stuck with it for a few hours but I still feel behind. I’m sure I’ll catch up at some point but I can see, it won’t happen soon.
After so long I wasn’t concentrating and decided enough was enough. I was going to head to the sewing room. I had plans to get the dresser that I painted together. The drawers were still in the garage and I needed to put the drawer pulls back on. The problem, my dresser is the white one on the far left in the photo. Whoever painted it, did a crappy job of painting it which was okay as it was easier to paint once I got it. The problem was they paint the drawer pulls too. UGH.
So I showed them to Karl. He said, no problem mom, behold a grinder.
Karl ended up buffing them with the grinder and got all of the paint off of them. They look fabulous. Seriously, if I bought these drawer pulls in town, I’d have likely spent the price of the dresser. I went to screw them on and that’s when I realized the screw heads were painted too. So the screws all go buffed too.
I carried the drawers upstairs and put them in. Now the moment of truth, do I like it? YES. I really like it. That’s my old living room television up here now. It’s perfect.
My mission was to get rid of these plastic drawer units that were in my closet housing my batiks.
I had them in the drawers by color.
Now they are all moved to the new dresser. They are in rows by color.
I ended up only needed two full drawers of space…
and started the third drawer.
For batiks, I also have a bucket of scrap. This is mostly string pieces.
I ended up finding a tote and the tote fits PERFECTLY on the shelves of the red cabinet we wrangled upstairs on Saturday.
I do have one tote of batik pieces that are over a yard in size. They might end up getting moved to the bottom drawer of the dresser. Like I said, I kind of like to think it all through before I change things up.
I sorted a few more things but that’s about as much organizing as I felt like doing. I often have to think about how I want to do things, do that step, and then think it all through again.
So I took a break, turned on the television, and watched some flosstube while I started binding the baby quilts I machine quilted last week. It was such a treat to be able to sew and use the remote to search for the show I wanted. Previously with my old television the screen was so small that I could see the letters I was typing in and it wasn’t because I needed better glasses. The television was just that small.
I am loving my sewing room. It’s really getting closer and closer to the haven I was hoping it would be. In January it will six years that I’ve lived in this house. Can you believe it has taken this long?
It was totally worth the wait if I do it all the right way. So that was a sneak peek…More to come another day.
I recently discovered your blog and always get energized just reading about all you manage to fit into a day! The renovation/upgrading of your sewing room has been really fun to watch. Thank you for including us in the estate sale, moving-in, restoring process Those handles turned out amazing–I’d have just chucked them and bought replacements at a box store. Kudos to Karl!
Oh Wow!! Your gray dresser is fabulous!! Who knew such quality was hiding behind a poor paint job. Jo if you ever get tired of quilting you could go into decorating and probably make a good living.
I have a feeling your sewing room is going to get rave reviews from just about everyone. Congratulations on taking care of something you weren’t happy about. Taking the time it takes to get it right for you.
It’s looking good, Jo! Love your pieces you’ve found. So glad you are getting the room you want. Cheers!
Karl really rescued those pretty drawer pulls! So much detail in them!
The dresser is beautiful! Your sewing room has really progressed amazingly well. I keep seeing the violets and they are so beautiful, too, and remind me of my grandmother’s.
I store my fabric in a dresser also. In fact, my rule is, I’m not allowed to get more fabric than will fit in the dresser unless it’s a backing. For the most part that strategy works, HA! I’m getting so excited to see the tour.
Your sewing room is really shaping up Jo! I love the red cabinet but really love that dresser you re-painted. And those handles! Karl did a wonderful job cleaning them up. You two are a good pair!
I can believe that it’s been six years—sometimes I feel like you have to live/work in the space before you really know what you want in it! Looks awesome!
I love the dresser and the room! You have done a fabulous job on all of it! I have to stop and think things through also. I am working on making myself a sewing room that is in a very small room. I just acquired a set of those plastic drawers and boy are they flimsy! I bought this 3 drawer set for my son when he went to college back in 2010. He brought them to my house to throw away a few weeks back. 1 wheel was missing and the hole for another was broken and the top is sagging down into the drawer. I salvaged it and removed the two remaining wheels. I put my batik scraps that are separated by color into one drawer and put some projects I am working on in it also. One man’s junk is another’s treasure. LOL! I have chest of drawers in my small room along with other stuff and I just can’t seem to find the time to get it organized the way I want it all. I work and have these other people that live here like my husband and 4 dogs and the son and DIL come over a lot too..two dogs are theirs. I only own two dogs of the 4. I have lived in my home for 33 years. It’s just a small 3 bedroom ranch. I did have the medium sized bedroom for my craft room pre son days. I wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids and boom…there he was. My miracle child was worth getting rid of the craft room 28 years ago. Son went to collage and husband claimed son’s room and it’s also a room for the kids to use when they come to spend the night or nap. DIL is a nurse and with her crazy hours, she needs a nap now and then when she comes to visit her dogs. I got the small room for my craft/sewing now. I not only quilt, I cross stitch too, needlepoint, macrame, paint and rug hook. I have a ton of stuff to store and organize. I have given much stuff away to others that use the types of things I have given. But, i still have a lot for a tiny room. I also have a midarm machine with a 10′ table or maybe it’s 12′..I can’t remember but it requires a 9’x14′ area to put it in. Well, had a carport that is enclosed that houses that and the husband also has a bunch of his stuff in there too. Yeah…33 years here and I have yet to really get it together for the last 28 years to make myself a room that is usable. We won’t talk about the sewing machine on the kitchen table! ROFL! Hey..I have to have somewhere to sew!
Dresser looks great….we have soaked pulls in stripper to remove paint..
I absolutely love that dresser! Those handles are gorgeous! What a great find!
Hi Jo,
Just wanted to tell you the new dresser is beautiful. Love the drawer pulls, they are so pretty! Glad for you that you are getting your sewing room organized and re-vamped the way you want it to be. Makes your sewing time so much more relaxing and fun.
I think those drawer pulls are beautiful, thanks to Karl! (The Rehab Addict on tv puts painted metal into hot water and lets it sit, then the paint comes right off.) I, too, have to do re-organizing in several steps – because as soon as you have one thing put the way you want it, you realize its relationship with everything else has changed, so now you need to figure out what is next to be re-arranged.
I have found that those plastic drawers can only hold lightweight items, because the heavy drawer sags down into the one underneath. There is something very satisfying about using actual wooden drawers instead. Your room looks more streamlined so far, easy on the eyes.
I’m loving your sewing room overhaul, Jo! Looking forward to each new reveal as the room comes together.
Now if you want to make your TV viewing even easier get the Roku remote app for your phone. You can use it like the Roku remote but if you want to search for something in particular you can use the phone keypad instead of the whole click to a letter, click ok, click to a letter, click ok, etc., etc., etc. It’s a game changer!!
The dresser looks terrific! Your sewing room is going to be really special. I can hardly wait to see it finished.
When you said they painted the drawer pulls, I thought, “Why is that a big deal?” because they looked like they were just pieces of wood painted and from a distance. The “after” showed me how wrong I was! I can’t believe someone painted over those lovely detailed metal pulls!
I have gotten paint off of metal hinges before, I think by soaking them in WIndex and water, or maybe a mix of Windex and Dawn dishwashing liquid. I don’t remember for sure but it was a tip I saw online and it did work quite well.
Your sewing room is coming together so beautifully! Mine needs an overhaul, too; it’s so hard to get around in there!