Finished Project: a Victorian-inspired Sewing Box

My finished sewing box!

 

Last month, I wrote a post about being so inspired by Charlotte Bronte's sewing box, that I wanted to create one of my own.  I had started transforming a paint-it-yourself jewelry box into one of these sewing boxes. Most original ones are plain wood, or inlaid. There is a fabulous website, Hygra, that sells these boxes and lists photos and information about them. Before seeing their painted example, I decided that I would like to paint the top of my box. 

The beautiful painted box on the Hygra website, circa 1835.

I covered the inside trays with paper first, before painting or staining the box. Using skills I'd learned in book-making, it was an exciting beginning: 

The covered trays, filled with antique, vintage & reproduction sewing notions.

I don't paint, and I was nervous about doing so. Nick suggested different colors, and helped me mix them, but I painted most of it myself. 

But before even painting, he helped me to transfer my drawing onto the top of the box: 

Transfer paper, and my original image. I drew it on upside-down and had to re-do it! 

The image of the ruins was inspired by my visit many years ago to Finlaggan, on the Isle of Islay: 

From my visit to Finlaggan, when I lived in Scotland

I put a lady in my drawing, from the 1790s, using fashion plate from the time for her dress and Spencer Jacket: 

Costume Parisian from 1797

Nick shaded and darkened the painting for me, helping it look so wonderful. After painting it, we took the hardware off, and Nick stained it for me. Then I lined the bottom with the same paper I'd used for the trays inside. 

The top of the box, with the hardware back on.

A closeup of the painting.

The inside of the box, also stained, with the paper-covered trays, and the 
antique sewing notions within!

Original antique sewing boxes are much grander than mine, with special trays for the thimbles, ivory spindles and the like. Mine is a modest imitation, but I'm very proud of how it turned out! 

A better look at the inside of the box with the larger tray removed.