Upcycle an Ugly Sewing Box

My very first sewing box, a sorry sight indeed. I think I was about 10 when my mother bought this for me and although it was well used and very much loved it was a major eyesore....so a revamp was in order!!

Here's how I did it....

Most of the embellishments like the lace trim and bow were just glued on and came away easily when gently pulled.
Next came the removal of the pre-existing fabric, not an easy task. In the end i decided to leave the fabric around the sides as it was glued tightly to the box. The lid was easy to remove, it was just a piece of cardboard with a layer of foam inside, classy I know!! Lastly the handle, this was held on by 2 little pins which popped out easily enough with a set of pliers. the fabric just slipped off as it wasn't glued to anything, easy peasy.

Next I painted my bare sewing box white with some acrylic paint I had lying about. It was perfect and gave the box a nice finish.

Then the tough part, covering the box with my new pretty fabric.

The centre piece I cut to the exact height of the space between the top and bottom rim, and using latex glue (copydex) simply glued this piece over the existing fabric making sure to make a little hem on the crossover to keep it neat.

The lid was easier to cover than I thought, I covered the piece of cardboard with a square of fabric making sure the corners folded neatly so there were no major lumps or bumps. When the glue dried I then placed a sheet of card on the inside of the box hiding all the seams of my fabric. To keep the lid on my sewing box I glued a piece of fabric to the lid and to the inside of the box and added a little ribbon to make sure the lid didn't fall off every time I opened it.

Lastly the handle required a piece of fabric sewn into a tube shape and the handle was passed through this to cover it.

And here is the finished product!

If you have an old sad sewing box, don't get rid of it, just give it a much needed facelift.

Sure you may as well!!!