A New Studio Update & Dixie Belle Paint : :

Hello All! Well, these past two weeks have certainly been some of the busiest of my life! Just three weeks ago on Monday, September 25th we looked at a newly available downtown rental space and decided to make the big move to get me and all the things out of the small sitting room in our home, that has been my sewing studio for the past almost five years, and into a space where I could go to work each day. Five years ago I could have never imagined where I'd be today and that I would ever outgrow this space as I have. Since deciding on the new studio, it's been a whirlwind of painting and cleaning, packing and moving, organizing and getting just settled enough to get me sewing again. These long days I know will be worth it! With all that has to be done this month for Quilt Market in Houston just a few weeks away, there have been moments that have felt like this is the worst possible timing, and then I'll remind myself that in another way it has been a true blessing to have no choice but to make it all happen as fast as possible. Today, just three weeks later, I'm about to head out the door for my first official work day in my new studio space! We've come a long way, very quickly, and today I plan to take some nice photos of how nicely things are coming along. But first, I want to share a little bit of the before photos, along with some of the Dixie Belle Paint projects I finished up last week. These first photos are from the first couple of days when we began clean up, wallpaper and office furniture removal, and painting...





Clearly this space was in need of some major love, but as the built-in office furniture and dingy wallpaper borders came down, the walls were patched and painted with a few coats of semi glass white and the carpet professionally cleaned, it transformed quickly into a cute space that feels just the right size for this next big step for my little business.



You may recall me mentioning Dixie Belle Paint in the past when about a year ago I was contacted by the Dixie Belle Paint Company to receive some product in exchange for a blog post that I happily accepted! Haila and I spent one weekend back in November and gave our hand me down dining room set a weekend makeover. We loved the results and I shared our paint project here on the blog. Since, I've been hooked on this paint and have been thrifting wood furniture and collecting paint for more chalk mineral paint makeovers to do and share once I found a bigger studio space to rent. Last week, using a few of my favorite colors -- Sea Glass, Mint Julep, Palmetto, and Colonel Mustard, I started painting some of those furniture pieces for the studio and I am so happy with how each has turned out!

















What do you think so far? I think the combination of the white walls and these pretty colors really brightened up the space and it smells so clean, hooray! And although Quilt Market prep needs to be my number one priority these next few weeks, I can't help but take breaks from sewing to slowly fill these shelves and begin to work on my fabric collection displays. I'll be back soon to show you more, I can't wait for you to see!

xo Maureen

Dixie Belle Paint : : Dining Room Update!

I'm so excited to share something a little bit different with you all today!



Several weeks ago I was contacted by the Dixie Belle Paint company, interested in sending me product to use and to share here on the blog. Almost all of the time these type of offers are not a good fit for a sewing blog, so I typically have to turn them down. While home décor projects are some of my most favorites, I usually don't share much of them or my home beyond the sewing room. Something I plan to change in 2017! Well, it just so happens that the day Dixie Belle had emailed me I had just picked up an old wooden chair at a neighborhood yard sale in need of both new paint AND FABRIC and so, this chance to work with Dixie Belle got my attention and made sense! After a quick look at their site I replied with paint color requests with my chair project in mind. A few days later a box of Dixie Belle Paint arrived and in it was a wonderful collection of paint, stain, and glaze options, much more than I had requested, but none of the colors included were the ones that would work for the chair. Hmm...



After a little Pinterest browsing I quickly had a list of other ideas for how I could sensibly incorporate this paint into my sewing blog. Since then, I've been waiting for the extra craft time and then this long weekend with nothing planned arrived, finally! First thing Friday morning, before beginning, I visited Dixie Belle once again to watch the tutorials for instructions. Right away I learned how little paint was needed to finish a chair and then came the BIG aha moment -- this is soooooo perfect for my dining room!



We had purchased our set for a great deal from the previous owners of our home when we closed. While it was in much better shape than our old thrifted mismatch set, the orangey-oak finish and the very country style doesn't really fit us. As a result, I don't share views of it often. I even shy away from making placemats and runners thinking that my style of sewing will look awkward with the traditional, country style. Typically I opt for sewing room floor shots of all my tabletop sewing because I much prefer the wood.







But not anymore, folks! After a quick trip to the hardware store, Haila and I spent most of our Friday, followed by just a small part of Saturday morning, prepping and painting and staining and glazing. It was so much fun, incredibly easy and the results are so much better than I ever could have imagined!



For the tabletop we used the Tobacco Road Voodoo Gel Stain. After watching a few YouTube tutorials we prepped the varnished tabletop by spraying with water and giving it a quick, light sand, making sure it was dry before adding the stain. In between coats we worked on chairs, but this product dries incredibly quick. After three coats of gel stain and one coat of clear coat look at the amazing difference!



The dining chairs were prepped just the same, but rather than using a stain, for the four side chairs we used Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint in Drop Cloth. After two coats of paint, I used a sanding sponge to smooth and distress each chair. For the final step I rubbed the Grudge glaze into the distressed areas following another tutorial on the site. I seriously went from tolerating the pattern and style of these chairs, to loving the detail and vintage look they have now!



Once we finished up the four side chairs, adding two coats of paint to each, we still had about a quarter to a third of the 16oz remaining. Still, I was concerned that wouldn't be enough to finish both of the larger armchairs and the pedestal base of our table. After MUCH deliberation between the other two paint colors included in the box, Hurricane Gray and Barn Red, the vote for the red won out!



I used the unused gel stain to warm up the distressed areas of both the base and the chairs this time, and I'm thrilled with how these turned out as well!





This is the first time I have ever tackled a project like this and while it's not perfect, this dining set is much more US and it certainly turned out way better than I thought possible!

What do you think?



Well, I hope you're ready for the stream of placemat and tabletop sewing projects that are sure to come! If you have any questions, please do let me know. In my opinion Dixie Belle Paint is absolutely worth a look for your furniture painting needs. I hope you enjoyed this little break from my sewing and that this has been helpful!

♡ Maureen