Sewing Pretty

This ReFab was a bit more personal....

My mother had won this sewing machine when she was young at a county fair. It had been through multiple moves and had made its share of curtains, clothes, and decor, but the cabinet had been through its share of trouble, too.

There was the large scratch on top that was left by a potted plant being pushed across.  There was water damage from the time the roof leaked during a summer storm. 

Seeing this damage, I decided to strip this cabinet and refinish it when I was a teenager... my first attempt at restoration that was not very successful.  It turned out the cabinet was made of maple on the legs, veneer on the top and plywood on the sides.  By the time I applied stain to all of these different types of woods, it looked like a patch work quilt... 

Disappointed with the outcome, and too young to persevere... it stayed this way for another 30 plus years until I decided to try again.

This time, the outcome was much better! 

Experience had taught me that it had been painted for a reason and I was better off just settling on a paint technique instead of using a stain. 

After stripping and sanding these very familiar pieces, I applied a brown basecoat with an off white, top paint layer.  It achieved a soft feminine look that was well received by the original owner.  Mom approved...