You might have noticed the recent wave of DIY-ness that we’ve completely immersed ourselves in. Partly because we started the year vowing to complete house projects that have been waiting almost 2 years for us to get to…. but there is more behind it for me. When my son passed in 2010, there were so many house projects that were left unfinished in my old house. There was a lot of guilt and regret that so many ideas specific for him were never completed for him to enjoy. Such as the awesome craft station for him to sit at and create master pieces…I had started to paint numbers and letters on the wall in his room but didn’t get past 8…Just the other day I found the fabric I had chosen for his curtains still in a box (trying to think of something special to do with it). So, with a lot of unexpected support from those around me, I am diving in fearlessly to follow thru with the craziest of ideas for our new home!
One of these not so traditional ideas has been to turn what would be the formal living room of the house into a craft room. Yes, a room dedicated to just making stuff. Why do I need a formal room no one is going to use anyway?! Of course when crafting one of the best helpers is great storage. After getting the giant thread holder complete and up on the wall, I realized there was a need for bobbin storage as well. Here were all my beautiful spools and cones on display while the tiny bobbin counterparts were stuck in a drawer. Let the brainstorming begin…
I was lucky enough to make it to April’s Alameda Antique Fair (which happens every first Sunday of the month) and scored some good salvaged finds! Found 2 old factory yard sticks for $5.00 and an old wine barrel metal ring-shaped into a heart. There were so many beautiful furniture pieces but none specific to what we need right now.
The possibilities on reviving yard sticks is endless! But I had bobbin storage on the mind and these were going to be great for that!!
My vision required a trip to the hardware store. Have you ever found yourself in an aisle overwhelmed by the daunting task of trying to figure out exactly what you need??
Yup, that was me….standing there going cross-eyed staring at all the nuts and bolts trying to find something that was going to work. Luckily I was smart enough to bring a bobbin with me!! So I pulled the little guy out of my pocket and started testing the available bolts to see which one was going to win this Cinderella style contest. Alas, I found the correct size and grabbed a few packets.
We started by drilling pilot holes into the yard stick where the bolts would be going. Using the existing measurements on the stick, we drilled the holes every 2 inches starting with the smallest size drill bit as to not split the delicate wood.
After the first pass, we went back over the small holes with a larger bit to start the process of making the holes large enough for the bolts to pass thru.
After a total of 3 passes with 3 different sized bits the holes were large enough. A tedious but necessary process to make sure the yard stick didn’t split or break on us. Then it was time to push the bolts thru and add the nuts on one side to keep the hardware sturdy.
The exposed bolt ends are where the bobbins go.
Up on the wall they go! (carefully of course) Right below the thread holder.
Top row holds the plastic bobbins for the newer Singer machine and the bottom is for my older industrial metal bobbins. There are even extra bolts to hold my spare scissors and other miscellaneous sewing tools.
Once again a #myvintagerevivals success for less than $20!
************
Dog Chronicles:
After the long day of shopping at the Antique fair we were all ready to rest up for more projects. This is how I wake up most days. With Ivy right on my tummy. She is the most affectionate, cuddly dog I’ve ever seen. We are both snoozers and take a few minutes every morning to lay in bed and catch up on our cuddles. As much as I love it, having 120+ pup resting on me can make it a little difficult to breathe at times.
I have really enjoyed these diy project posts! Such interesting projects. And the bits about Ivy are pretty entertaining too.
Thank you!! She’s growing to be quite popular in blog land =)