A Proper Sewing Desk

One plan for this vacation home has been in place from the very beginning - there had to be space for sewing. That meant I needed a table or desk for the sewing machine. We have a nice desk back in Ohio that is not currently being used, but we didn't want to haul it to Florida what with all the other stuff we knew we needed to bring. 

And there's one thing that Florida has plenty of: estate sales/thrift stores. We felt pretty confident that we could snag a suitable desk for sewing purposes with little effort. As it turns out, that is exactly what happened.

I saw this desk at a local thrift store about a week ago and passed on it. I thought it needed more work than I was willing to give in order to get it to the condition I wanted. But at $35, when we went back a few days later, I gave it another look and decided that a coat of paint would be all that it required. I'd not make it a bigger job than it warranted.

We hauled it home on Saturday, and Sunday afternoon, I was sanding and painting. I think the color I chose will surprise you - it certainly surprises me! I don't typically 'do' color in my furniture, so this is way outside my norm. But, hey, it's a Florida vacation home and a bright cheery color seemed to suit.

The color is called "Refresh" which I think is just perfect - both in name and in color. The exact number from Lowe's is HGSW6751. I went into the store with a totally different color choice in mind, but came out with this. 

After letting the paint dry most of the evening, DH helped me carry it in and set it up in the guest room, where I will be sewing. When we have guests, I will stow away all the sewing stuff and guests will be able to use it as a dresser or desk or whatever.

And now I am sewing! Hooray! The desk is going to work nicely. I don't need tons of space for the type of sewing I will be doing these next three months, so a pared-down, simple, multi-functional room is just the thing. Looking at this last picture, I will thread that cord behind the desk and plug it into the foot pedal from underneath. It would eliminate the tripping hazard and provide easier access to the drawers. So far, the drawers are empty, but eventually...

Bought on Saturday; painted on Sunday; using on Monday. For me, this is a turnaround time of incredible proportions. Now on to making a whole bunch of tiny 9-patches.

Happy Quilting, Friends!