Before & After: DIY Vintage Nightstand Makeover

Shabby chic: ya either love it or ya hate it.

I happen to love it... as long as it's not total overboard like you're living in some countryside Northeastern (1980s) bed and breakfast. I like the muted whites and florals that the look is known for, but I also love color and other graphic prints too much to go full-on with it.

And of course I love vintage, retro, antique... just plain OLD stuff. Always have. So that's perhaps what I find most appealing of all about the SC aesthetic. The aged, loved, worn, and yes, distressed (even it's it's faux distressed) fabrics and woods.

Don't be hatin'.

Among the old things I don't love: 1970s veneer. So when I bought this nightstand, I full intended on painting it all along.

And here she is now!

I know you've seen these "white with distressed paint" makeovers all over the blogosphere so it's nothing really special, but I'm really happy with it!

It was my first attempt at making over a piece of furniture. Oh, I've painted plenty of stuff, but I've never sanded, primed, chosen new hardware, done specialty finishes like faux distressing and blue washes, then sealed.

My previous endeavors were "paint over the old paint until you can't see said old paint any longer aaaaannd.. done".

It'll now live next to my bed and probably hold some sewing stuff spilling over from my craft nook. I hope I get to do more projects like this in the future!

Colette Sorbetto: purple floral

Here's yet another Sorbetto.

The black floral making up the main part came from the stash I inherited from my beloved Grandma, and is probably from the early 90s. I bought the purple stuff I made the bias tape from at WalMart, when I went there to pick up some Thomas and Friends fabric. I'd already been planning to make this one, and when I saw the purple stuff, I thought it would be perfect!
You may notice the purple strip down the center of the pleat. I had a lot less of the black stuff than the 1.5 yards called for in the Sorbetto, but I knew there was still enough to squeeze a top from it. So instead of cutting the front on the fold, I just cut it twice in two different spots. To stitch it together, I put a strip of the contrast in between, but only decided to do so after I cut it into a 1.5 wide strip.
The Sorbetto is still a little wide in the hips for me, but I've gotten it to the point that it fits much better than my first Sorbetto. I'm basically cutting a 16 down the sides and at the top shoulder seam, while leaving the armscyce, neckline, and length an 18 (or longer). The darts I put at size 16.
1990's Floral Tank
Pattern: Colette Sorbetto (free)
Materials: Purple floral quilting cotton (I don't remember what I paid for this half-yard, but I think it was ~$6/yd - WalMart), black & purple floral fashion fabric (free - Gramma <3)
Total Cost: Under $8, probably around $5 or less

Thomas the Tank Engine Toddler Stack and Slash Quilt

Are you sick of seeing Thomas the Train here yet? Because I've got more...

But today is my son's first birthday, so I promise we're almost done!

Also done: his first birthday quilt.

There are loads of mistakes, but it IS my first quilt in a good 15-20 years, AND my first one all by my lonesome (without my Grandma's help). I'll get better... hopefully.

There are six "stacked and slashed" fat quarters, with the seventh FQ providing sashing in between each row of two. It's a combo of tied with red yarn and machine quilted.

Thomas & Friends Stack & Slash Toddler Quilt
Materials: Thomas & Friends FQ Bundle ($7 - WalMart); pillow ticking, yarn, and red fabrics all from my Grandma; extra Thomas fabric from for the border; batting (~$7 - Jo-Ann sale)
Total cost: Under $20, but we all know quilts cost waayyy more to make than just the materials!

DIY Thomas & Friends birthday party bunting (fabric)

Here's some Thomas & Friends birthday bunting I made for my son's first birthday party!

Here's the method I used:

• I did some light math and determined how many triangles I wanted, how far apart, and how large they should be.
• Based on those measurements, drew and cut out my Isosceles Triangle pattern.
• Cut out twice as many triangles as I wanted to end up with, so that each would have a front and back.
• Sewed down each of the longer two sides, right-sides together.
• Turned them right-side out and pressed.
• Pinned and sewed them into double-fold bias tape, using a wide zig-zag.

I used a red paisley fabric I inherited from my Grandma. I was hoping it would  give off a train engineer's bandanna vibe, but truthfully, it was the only red in the stash. I also bought a yard of the only Thomas cotton that Jo-Ann's had, only to later find some Thomas the Train fat quarters on clearance at WalMart. (Both the fat quarters and the extra fabric from this bunting ended up being used in his first birthday quilt.)