hi Internet Lovelies

Earlier last week I promised via Instagram to show how I chopped up an old wardrobe to make a swanky new work surface for my sewing room.

The old wardrobe wasn’t doing anything useful really just kinda lurking around and getting in the way.

It had sliding doors that were always falling out of their grooves and although I had covered the doors in rather pretty wallpaper when we first put it up there, we never really got on and I always resented it for taking up space and not giving me anything back.

Ok, a few bit and pieces were stored in it and on top of it but with the door problem they weren’t easily accessible and to be honest it covered up to much of my blue wall, when painted half the room was a rosy pink and half (and ceiling) a lovely baby blue, but with this looming wardrobe I seemed to loose too much blue.

I should point out that it was inherited, not bought for the sewing room, but it was too good to waste you know what I mean. But in the end the one door was completely out and leaning against the window and that was the final straw. It had to go…..

So I assessed it, inside there was the a drawer thing and a shelf thing which in the wardrobe where completely useless and made the hanging space suitable for shirts only, (no good for longer dresses which is what I wanted to put in it to start with) but should still be used, and the sides, good solid pine, could not be wasted either. I have inherited this trait from my father, wood is good and there can always be another use for something; his garage was an Aladdin’s cave of interesting bits if you’re that way inclined, or a lot of junk if not! I am!

Anyway good sides and storage could not be wasted. So I thought about flipping it on it’s side for a work surface, but it would have been too high and not stable, no a saw was needed here, and I was warming to this project. Ok I thought if I take the draw bit and shelf bit and separate them they can become pedestals to support the side as a lower work surface. The only flaw in this plan was that they shared a side like Siamese twins, I would have to separate them.  ha ha ha feeling like a Dr Frankenstein of wood I decided to get to it.

Of course the wardrobe was assembled when the room was empty and now the room was packed to the rafters with material and wool and shelves and tables and stuff, so I needed a little creative thinking, but piece by piece I was able to dissemble it. And out it came to the garage to meet the ‘saw of death’.

The ‘saw of death’ is a bit of a worry really, it’s a circular saw rather large and heavy, old and wobbly and the bottom plate kinda falls off when you pick it up, But the most worrying part is that the safety switch no longer works and when plugged in and turned on at the wall it comes straight on and only turns off when switched off at the wall. This means you have to be prepared when you use it and also be fairly close to the switch, not always that easy.

But I got ready and sawed, the top and the bottom wood got sawed down the middle and became 4 lovely shelves, and the pedestals where separated. Then after a bit of sanding everything got taken back upstairs and reassembled in a different order, with the lovely Dr J. putting up the brackets for the shelves while I was sawing so it all got finished in a jiffy.

 And here is all that was left, Dad would be proud of me, and I’m still wondering what can be made of this lot. Surely those doors ………

Well till next time, take care everyone, especially if doing DIY.

 PS makes a lovely surface for photoing dolls too !