This chest has been waiting in my garage for a couple of years now. It has an engraved metal plaque on the front which reads
G Coleman
Shipwright.
B/MX 842660
It really intrigues me as to who G Coleman was and what is the history of this lovely old chest.
The biggest challenge for me was to remove the remains of the rope handles. Eventually after several attempts using a scalpel knife, hack saw and even at burning it away (probably very stupid!), I managed to remove it along with several dessicated insect remains.
As it was already black, I painted two coats of Annie Sloan’s Old White and then set to work on designing and cutting the stencils for the top. For this, I looked at one of my books on the textiles of Afghanistan for inspiration.
And so here it is, reinvented.
Decorate Decorate 