DIY Corner Sewing Cabinet

I needed a sewing cabinet that could hold all my notions and support both of my sewing machines. When I looked into buying one, the price tags were in the hundreds—sometimes thousands—so I decided to build my own instead!

Screwdriver (or cordless screwdriver)

Cabinet Paint

2" Paint Brush

Wide-width Painters Tape

Electric Sander

Hammer

Pryer Bar

Electric Circular Saw

Drawer Knobs of choice

Black, Wall-Mount 54 Spool Sewing Thread Organizer (2)

3-M Wire Hooks

Magnetic Light Bar

I found a corner cabinet on Facebook Marketplace for $35 and decided it would be perfect for my sewing setup. I’d seen other people repurpose bookshelves and curio cabinets, but I needed a corner design because my space is limited—I also use the room as a homeschool classroom.

My husband kindly drove an hour in the pouring rain to help me pick it up, load it, and bring it home. Once we got it inside, I jumped right into the makeover. I removed all the hardware—knobs and hinges—with an electric screwdriver.

The cabinet had one real drawer and two false ones on the front. I removed the false drawers with a hammer and a pry bar and pulled out the real drawer. I did leave the center drawer guide, though, because I planned to use it later in the table insert.

After that, I sanded the whole cabinet with an electric sander just enough to rough up the surface—I didn’t take it down to bare wood.

I chose to keep the inside walls of the cabinet their original brown, so I taped off the interior with painter’s tape. The cabinet also had two glass doors, so I covered the glass with painter’s tape to protect it while painting.

I picked up cabinet and furniture paint from Lowe’s and had it tinted in Wedding Mint, a soft light green.

Using a 2" brush, I painted the front, sides, doors, and the drawer. It took two coats to get full coverage.

I repurposed a corner desk I’d picked up at an estate sale to create the tabletop for my sewing cabinet. Using a pry bar and hammer, I removed the top of the desk and took off the legs. The desk originally had three legs, but one was missing—the missing corner had been supported by a matching three-drawer cabinet, which you can see on the left in the photo.

I wanted to fit the desktop into the opening where the drawer was. To make the desktop fit, my husband used an electric circular saw to cut notches in the sides so it could slide through the center opening of the cabinet. The existing drawer guide ended up being the perfect support for that corner section of the table.

Once everything was aligned, I reattached the remaining legs—one on each corner.

I needed a place to store all my thread, so I bought two black wall-mounted organizers that each hold 54 spools. I attached them to the inside top of the cabinet using small, clear wire toggle hooks secured with command strips.

The cabinet originally had a plug-in light, but I removed it—I didn’t want a cord hanging down or worrying about whether it would reach an outlet. Instead, I chose a magnetic light bar with two mounting strips. I placed one strip at the top of the cabinet and the other in the open space above the desktop. This setup lets me move the light wherever I need it—up top when I’m searching for a spool or lower down when I’m sewing.

The light also comes with multiple brightness settings and toggles.

I originally wanted white hinges, but I couldn’t find any I liked, so I kept the original ones. I did swap out the door knobs for new ones I found at Hobby Lobby.

The three-drawer cabinet that once supported the missing desk leg now holds all my sewing patterns. I also painted the middle drawer from the original cabinet and set it on top of the three-drawer unit. I haven’t decided what to do with it yet—possibly repurpose it as a shelf.

The white desk came with two drawers, and I placed those on the desktop and slid them into the space of the new cabinet to store my scissors.

I had an unfinished shelf on hand, so I painted it in Wedding Mint as well and added a few sewing sitters I bought years ago to finish off the look.