Before

Pin It This is a reprint of a blog post I made a couple of years ago when I blogged at Cottage Hill.  I'm re-posting it now because I will be revamping my sewing area in the next couple of weeks and wanted to share my starting point. It was lovely.  I miss it already.

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The transformation of this antique french armoire into a sewing cabinet has been months and months in the making but I think it's the best dang (math) project  I've ever done.

Not that I'm mathematically challenged.  I just don't challenge myself mathematically -- that's all.  But for this one, I had to rip out the old count-u-la-tor and a few extra brain cells to get what I wanted. 

The "fit" had to be exact and I'm not sure how, but I got it on the first try -- but just barely.  The problem was I needed the table to be as large as possible but still fit inside the cabinet.  Oh, and I wanted the doors to close, too.  Pesky doors.

I wish I had some really great tutorial to add here but everyone's armoire and measurements would be different so that won't really work.  I can post a boat load of pictures so you can see just how it works.  Here you go...

Little Miss Plain Jane...

 I used just one sheet of birch plywood, three piano hinges and drop leaf table hardware I found on the internet.

I had to lift up the back end so the height was right.

I added a yardstick to the front edge for convenience.

 And then I added a few bells and whistles.

Hooks on the back wall hold templates.

I wanted hanging storage on the doors but the doors wouldn't close with it hanging there so...

I stitched them onto child sized hangers.  I flip the hangers to the back when they're hanging on the doors....

Then I hang them in the cabinet when I need to close the doors.

My sewing machine slips right into place...

The table folds up...

And my sweet little grandtwin's guest room is back in business...

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