Saturday, August 29, 2015

Instead of Sewing...Organizing

Why must organizing anything, 
take so much longer than you anticipate? 
Even when it is kind of fun? 
It's my toys I am organizing.

For at least 15 years...this has been my self-made cutting table. I bought six unfinished wooden cabinets with lots of little drawers. The cabinets were meant for scrapbookers. I painted them white to use as a base for two hollow-core doors, also painted white, to make the table tops. I was able to fit four rolling wire cabinets underneath the tops, two on each side. 


It's a great table size but the cabinets with all the little drawers were really not a great source of storage...tiny drawers.


Tiny things, like beads...are great for these drawers.  I'm not a beader...I'm a quilter and I need bigger drawers. It has bugged me for years!


But I love the wire rolling carts. I have a mini one at my sewing machine table. I'm tired of the white finish on everything. So...last week I spent several days spray painting two of the rolling white carts to a antique bronze. Love the look. It required a ridiculous amount of spray paint...very expensive. But I do love the color.


Next was lining the drawers. I looked into purchasing some liners made for these drawers...only found them at a place called, "The Container Store." When I lived in Texas...it was one of my favorite stores. None in Alaska and the shipping on their mail order is extremely expensive...there is a $30 sure-charge for shipments to Alaska and Hawaii. That is just crazy!!! So time to improvise. 

I found some heavy duty opaque shelf lining plastic sheets. These big sheets are meant for going underneath a sink cabinet. Very difficult to trim with all these creases. I tried hot air from a blow dryer to relax the plastic...not hot enough! 


Then I came up with the perfect solution...hot water bath. 
You can see the fold lines but it lays flat now.


Here's drawer with a liner...perfect!


Only one problem...the paint does rub off the formerly white wire if bumped. 
I will have to do some touch ups now and then I suppose. 


No quilting getting done on my midarm...heavy sigh...I really am a tortoise. Machine quilting is a high intensity activity...it must happen in the daytime when I have my wits about me and it's hard to find an hour or two of uninterrupted time. But I do get a little handwork done most evenings. I'm working on the fronts of a set of ornaments...I'll attach the backs and stuff all at once since most have a white felt backing.


Ukraine Santa...more limbs emerging.


Monday will be a big day...out of the blue we had a phone message that our household goods from Paris will be delivered on Monday morning...can't wait to see if we got everything.

3 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

oh so glad that your goods from Paris are arriving - I hope you have all accounted for! love your big work table set up - we have a Container Store about an hour or so away from us, I have found some good things there but always have a feeling if I was to really set up some storage space using their things the price would add up quickly. Have fun quilting - all of a sudden my fingers are aching and I think I will need to slack off on this quilt and really take my time.

Sally said...

Oh, my! Household goods arriving? How exciting. Keeping fingers & toes crossed that everything is there.

Donna quilts said...

Household goods arriving Monday! Finally!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. What a great cutting surface you've got - but I see what you mean about the shallow drawers.