T.A.R.D.I.S. Armoire!

"T.A.R.D.I.S = Time and Relative Dimension in Space" And it comes from the series Dr. Who, just in case you weren't aware of this internationally loved series from the U.K. Ringing in at 50 years old it is the longest running fiction series in the world and has seeped in to many aspects of popular culture.  So it should be no surprise that there is a definite sub-section of Sewcialists that geek out over Dr. Who.  I'm no exception.

But really, it was Mrs. Tempest that sparked this want that turned into a NEED.  I wanted my very own TARDIS to store my fabric. (And full disclosure; this is meant to get the idea across, NOT as an exact replica. So if you feel the need to nitpick, move along because ain't nobody got time for that). For her version she used an armoire from Ikea and painted it. However, I could not find the same version online or at the Atlanta store. So this is where I asked my Dad if he'd be willing to make one and that I'd totally help! This was about a year ago. Weather, work, and health meant we got a little done at a time.

Without further ado, here's the reason I've spent less time in the sewing room and more time with Dad in the wood shop;

Had to use flash bounced off the ceiling, hence the weird lighting.

TADA!

I had very specific ideas about what I wanted it to have on the inside.  First, I knew I wanted to hang a mirror on the door. The shelves had to be adjustable AND lined with cedar shelf lining.

Mirror

For the body of construction we used a 3/4 inch pine faced plywood, the quality stuff that sands down very easily.  The back is made in particle board you find on the back of most of the pre-fab shelving. The shelves were the same plywood and sanded down by yours truly. The drawer is made from some scrap furniture quality lumber left over from the sewing table shelves.  All the hardware was standard stuff from Home Depot, but with the drawers we went with best possible quality so it wouldn't get stuck. The facings on the doors were made from 1"x2" lumber, I'm not sure what kind.

Please note that actual lumber size is smaller than what it says for some sort of industry money saving. It's a headache.

Of course, graffiti from the 9th doctor's story line. The doors were so heavy they had to be mounted with piano hinges. Would have preferred them on the inside with just the spine showing, but eh. 

closed

I also knew that I wanted a drawer for my patterns. These are all my patterns except for Simplicity and the vintage collection.

open

One more drawer and ALL my patterns would be in here. However, storing fabric was more important. The cedar discourages moths and silver fish, and being able to close them behind the doors keeps the fabric safe from sunlight fading and dust. And cats, for that matter.

But I can open both doors all the way to allow me to see all the fabric and use the mirror for fitting instead of having to carry my pins and things into the bedroom when trying to fit myself.

And as you can see here, my sewing space is shared by a library (all paperback shelves have double rows) and both mine and my husband's desks. All in all I really am happy about this new addition to my sewing room. Thanks so much to my Father for making this a real thing. I had fun working on it with you!

Cheers to all my readers.