Now I Thought!  Where The Heck Do I Start?

I decided to transfer my notes into a folder and organised them under headings such as:

- tools and equipment needed

- problems and solutions

- jobs to be done

- hardware to purchase or import

- cost of all items bought

- before and after photos of all sections

- websites visited

Doing this helped me prioritise the many tasks that needed to be done and allowed me to create some sort of flow chart that could be mapped out. 

The first task I tackled was to strip the filthy lining off of the three small drawers. It was at this point that I noticed, what I had always thought to be a leather trim, was material and that it appeared to have been painted. 


Note: I took before photos all the way through this project. I have referred to so many of them for guidance along the way... It is a MUST thing to do as I would not have gotten through several sections without this support. The final count of all photos taken for this large project was: 256

Removal of original material

I pondered whether to try and keep the original look and search for a similar material, or, give the wardrobe a completely new look. To help decide which way to go I took the three small drawers and set them as samples. 

After taking the original material from inside one of the drawers I used it to mock up the front cover, carefully leaving the last leather pull on. I then chose two styles of cottage prints from the internet as well as two different brass handles and printed them out on paper as a demo.

I was not fussed about how they were wrapped, I roughly taped the drawers together and placed them back into the trunk with the original in the centre, then tapped the mock up handles on. Seeing the three samples from a distance I decided to go cottage, but not sure which one or even to try other prints and handles. 

I went away from it for awhile, on my return I took one look and after all that work, I decided 'Nah!" I am going with the original. But I guess I still needed to do the process otherwise I would not have known which way to go.  

Design ideas

After finalising the look, I then took on the task of what materials I would use. I ended up choosing two types. For the internal lining of all the drawers, I wanted to use Broadcloth, but I could not find a suitable colour. In the end, I chose a fawn coloured homespun Loincloth.

In regards to the full lining of the trunk, I chose Pure Cotton Duck in a Latte' colour. I also decided that I would like to use these two colours and textures as a contrast to each other within the trunk. So, I used the Pure Cotton Duck on the fronts of the drawers and the Loincloth for all internal and external linings as well as all the tie down straps used within the trunks body. I also used 25mm Bias Binding tape and painted it with Red Orche coloured material paint for the trim on the drawers.