These Upcycled Vintage Sewing Machine Drawers are a great way to repurpose old antique sewing machine drawers and use them as home decor.

Recently, I found these old sewing machine drawers at a local antique mall.
—> Side note, click HERE to see my tips for antique and thrift store shopping! <—
They were pretty beat up and missing their hardware.
But, the price was right, and I knew I could fix them up, so home with me they came.
I am partnering with the Dixie Belle Paint Company for this post. Supplies were generously provided to me by Dixie Belle, but all ideas and creations are my own.
Upcycled Vintage Sewing Machine Drawers
1. Clean
The first step was to give these old sewing drawers a good cleaning. They had a thick layer of dust and grime on them.
Fortunately, Dixie Belle’s Pristine Clean handled that task quickly.


2. Repair
Next, I needed to repair a couple of areas that were in rough shape.
These drawers are old, and I wanted them to retain their character, but one drawer did have a cracked edge that was in danger of breaking completely off.
It was nothing a little wood glue or Gorilla Glue couldn’t handle though.
I glued, clamped, and allowed to drive overnight, and then I was ready for the next step.
3. Revive
Originally when I bought these, I thought I might paint and distress them in a pretty white color.
But after cleaning up the wood, I decided to try a different approach, and instead pulled out my Big Mama’s Butta.
Doesn’t the name just make you smile?


Using a brush meant for wax, I applied an even layer all over my vintage sewing machine drawer.
Big Mama’s Butta comes scented or unscented. The one I used, Suzanne’s Garden, has a lovely floral fragrance that worked great to cover up the slight musty odor of my sewing drawers.

I allowed the wax to soak into the wood for a couple of minutes and then wiped back the excess with a shop towel.
Just look at the difference between the before and after!

The Big Mama’s Butta revived the wood grain and gave it a lustrous sheen again.
Plus, it smelled so pretty!


I also used Big Mama’s Butta on the inside of my vintage sewing machine drawers to highlight that beautiful wood grain.
4. Embellish
My sewing machine drawers were missing their hardware, but fortunately, I had some beautiful old drawer handles tucked away that I found in my dad’s garage when we cleaned it out last year.
They were the perfect size for these little drawers, so I gave the pulls a good clean with Barkeeper’s Friend to remove all the tarnish and dirt buildup.
Aren’t they amazing?


Interestingly, one of my drawers had a hole for only one piece of hardware, and the other had two holes, so I decided to use an antique drop pull on one drawer, and two antique knobs on the other one.
I like the quirkiness of it.


I added some felt pads to the bottom to protect the surface of where I plan to display them and I was done!
4. Display

I plan to use my antique sewing machine drawers to display some of my vintage collections, but there are so many things you could put in these:
- plants, succulents
- desk supplies
- candles
- books
- seasonal items for a table centerpiece
- vintage stationary, postcards, or recipes
- faux greenery or florals





I love how these drawers turned out, and although I left mine in a more natural state, there are certainly other great things you could do with a set of these old sewing drawers if you wanted to dress them up even more.
Paint, wood appliques, stencils, transfers…. Dixie Belle has so many fun supplies to experiment with!

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I love all the things a person can do with vintage sewing drawers. Your upcycle turned out beautifully. Thanks for linking up at Farmhouse Friday. I’m featuring it this week! Pinned
Beautiful as always! Big Mama’s Butta does make you giggle, just a little lol. Thanks for sharing on Crafty Creators!
XOXO,
Niki ~ Life as a LEO Wife
I love the succulents in the vintage drawers! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm–pinned!
I am a true blue fan of salvaging and using these beautiful sewing machine drawers, but you’ve taken yours next level, making them even prettier while restoring their originality! Lovely!
Awee, thanks so much Donna! Love all the fun and funky junk you share, too!
They are STUNNING, Niky!!! I love how you took the time to take care of these old beauties. The ideas for using them as decor pieces are endless!! I loved this post…thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Rachel. 🙂
What a gorgeous project! I have fond, childhood memories of watching my grandmother as she sewed garments and household items on her treadle sewing machine (non-electric). It had four drawers (two on each side) just like the ones you revived. I remember rummaging through the drawers to play with the spools of thread, thimbles, and other sewing supplies she kept there. You did a fabulous job with refinishing and embellishing these drawers.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
Thank you so much, Carol. I love hearing about your childhood memories of your grandmother sewing!
Niki,
I have several of these and you’ve inspired me to pull them out and use them. Thanks and I love to share a link on my Sunday, Dirt Road Adventures.
Rachel, I’m so happy to hear I’ve provided a tiny bit of info! I can’t wait to see what you do with your sewing drawers. 🙂 And I’d be honored for your to share them on Dirt Road Adventures!:-)
I love what you did with those vintage sewing drawers. That Dixie Belle Mama Butta is the best on renewing old wood to new. Plus, it smells amazing.
The next time, I am at a vintage market I will snag some of sewing drawers. I want one for my coffee table for the remote control and my glasses.
Your project turned out beautiful. Thank you for the inspiration.
Those are great ideas for using these old sewing drawers! I see them everywhere I go when I’m antique shopping. I love saving them. 🙂