PROJECT Three Sew clever

LEVEL Intermediate

Timber sewing boxes can be picked up at auctions, second-hand shops, car-boot sales, flea markets or charity shops. They come in all different shapes and sizes. They are not too easy to find, but if you keep your eyes open then you might be lucky. They are great pieces of furniture to display in your kitchen or living room, and you can mend anything at the drop of a hat.

Materials

Old timber sewing box

Sugar soap

PVA glue

Frog tape (a new painter’s tape that gives straight clean lines)

Sandpaper

Paintbrushes

Undercoat (I used Colourtrend undercoat)

Paint (I used all Colourtrend satinwood in i-white tea, Turkish teal, 0673 enchanted evening , 0682 pleasant stream, 1152 berry patch

1 Clean your drawers with sugar soap to remove any dirt or grime and leave to fully dry.

2 With a medium-grade sandpaper, sand the sewing box with the grain of the wood inside and out.

3 Using a clean cloth, wipe away the dust from sanding.

4 Prime with Colortrend undercoat and leave to fully dry.

5 Paint the outside of the sewing box with a colour of your choice. I used Colortrend i-white tea and inside I chose 1152 berry patch.

6 You may need up to three coats of paint, but leave to fully dry between each coat.

7 Optional: With the frog tape, section off the triangles and paint in colours of your choice (I used Colortrend 0673 enchanted evening, Turkish teal and 1152 berry patch.) Leave the paint to fully dry and peel back the frog tape.

8 Optional: I painted half of the handles by taping frog tape to one half, undercoating and painting and peeling back the frog tape to reveal a dipped look.

GET INVOLVED

Are you inspired to tackle this project? Let us know how you get on by tweeting Irish Country Living or email mmoynihan@farmersjournal.ie.