The sewing cabinet redo

For many years, I have been sewing with my Pfaff (or other machines before the Pfaff) on top of my vintage Singer sewing cabinet (with the Singer inside).  I have a piece of thin plywood covering the hole that the machine folds out of, and the fold-out leaf leans up against the machine when not in use.

For years, I have tried to think of a solution to a better work surface.  I would LOVE to have a larger table, but it just won't work to have anything bigger.  So, I decided if it can't be bigger, at least it should work better for piecing and quilting.  Yes, I quilt with this set-up.  Not ideal, but it can be done.  Lots of shoulder ache and lots of tugging and pulling on the quilts.

So, I set out to find a cabinet that I could revamp to make my sewing surface level with the cabinet surface.  Something vintagey that didn't have a lot of value that I was going to 'ruin' by making it work for my sewing machine.  I found this cute Singer cabinet/machine on Craigslist and knew it was 'the one'.  (These are the pics from the ad).

I purchased it and formulated a plan.  The machine I gave away the next day on Freecycle, and then I set out to make the cabinet suit my needs.
The paint wasn't tooooo horrible, but it was yellowed and dingy. Plus, the gold accents and brass knobs HAD to go.
First I started disassembling it:

I didn't notice right away, but one of the front legs was on the back, LOL.  The RF leg and RR leg were swapped.  Why, I have no idea!  I will make sure to get them in the proper orientation when I reassemble :)

Next, I made a 'shelf'' inside exactly the depth of my machine needle plate and cut the front fold-out portion of the top to fit my machine.  Then, I had this large section in back that needed to be filled in......

So, I created a piece that fit it perfectly.....

It took me two tries and I accidentally overcut that corner with the table saw - but I was NOT going to cut another piece.

Then, I finished disassembly and started sanding and then painting!

 AQUA!!!  Loving it!

And.......... tada!

It might be my favorite piece of furniture I own!  Hehe :)