Sewing Room Organization

Sewing Room Organization

Pegboard. My favorite aspects - the thread holder and scissor/ruler hooks. We could also probably find a way to hang ribbon spools. Clears up shelf/tablespace. https://www.blueistyleblog.com/sewing-room-organization-ideas/

Organizing Chart Keeps track of multiple projects. Can list them all out as well as where you are with them. 

Ex. I use a dry-erase board divided into sections with washi tape to keep all my projects, deadlines, and seamstresses organized. 

I sometimes write my to-do list with a dry-erase marker on the large mirror I use for fittings. 

A picture frame with w/plain white paper or an empty printed chart inside the frame is quick and portable. You can then write on the glass with a dry erase marker. 

Fabric Management Ideas:

Styrofoam board - wrap smaller bits of fabric around a small Styrofoam board and then put them into the shelves organized by color or print

Fabric folded on shelves – this might be the cheapest option. I tend to stack in rainbow colors order (ROYGBIV) and keep only one color per stack. One problem with this option is trying to pull one out from the bottom, as well as having slippery fabric (silk/satin) making things want to slither. 

Ruler Folding Technique - Larger yardage - use 5" to 8 1/2″ x 24″ acrylic ruler depending on the width of your shelves or other storage spaces. 

For example, if you have a 30" wide bookshelf and you use a 6" ruler, then you can get 5 stacks of fabric per shelf. If you use a 5" ruler than you can get 6 stacks. If you're storing them on end in a drawer or tub that is 9" wide, then you can use the 8 1/2" ruler. 

Pin a post-it with measurement info to your fabric!

Baskets and clothesline - a little impractical, but essentially it works great for fabrics of all different sizes but similar colors.

I have a lot of small scraps that I use for applique and patchwork that I keep in a large, legal-size paper organizer with drawers that pull out. They’re sorted by color (each drawer has a different color) and occasionally by type (ex. Large Prints, Small Prints, Leather, Denim...). The scraps are folded and placed on end so that you can see the top edge of each of the scraps when you pull out the drawer. 
Rubbermaid Tubs – Put fabrics on cardboard bolt, write the yardage on the end of the bolt, and set the bolts, labeled end up, in a Rubbermaid tub.

Bins - would require an investment in that many buckets. Especially ones clear enough to see the fabric in. This seems especially good for little scraps. Or use larger ones for slippery/specialty fabrics.

Legal-size paper organizer-
I have a lot of small pieces of fabric that I use for applique and patchwork that I keep in a large, legal-size paper organizer with drawers that pull out. They’re sorted by color (each drawer has a different color) and occasionally by type (ex. Large Prints, Small Prints, Leather, Denim...). The scraps are folded and placed on end so you can see the top edge of each of the scraps when you pull out the drawer.

https://www.nationalbusinessfurniture.com/legal-size-30-drawer-storage-cabinet-33369

Fabric/Trim Organizer- Roll upholstery fabric and ribbons/trim on the rolls that upholstery fabric comes and stand them in a trash container like flowers in a vase. 

DIY Ribbon Holder- I drilled holes in a 2x4 and glued in dowels. I stack ribbon spools sorted by color and style (I have a lot of rick rack!).
http://ellenscreativepassage.blogspot.com/2011/08/ribbon-organizer-tutorial.html 

Projects -  to keep projects together, you can label a storage Ziploc bag or paper/reusable bag. These can be stacked/stored in a milk crate or on a shelf.

Pattern Organizers
Filing Cabinet. I took all my patterns out of their envelopes and put them in manilla folders labeled and organized by pattern company (where applicable), pattern number, and size. 

Milk Crate. I have a milk crate I use to hold the folders of frequently used patterns. (I keep this in an easily accessible spot, so I also keep my rulers and other pattern drafting here). 

Expanding File Organizer. I then open out the envelopes flat and put them in an expanding, accordion file organizer divided into categories (Tops, Bottoms, Business, Casual, Bridal/Evening, Costumes, Children, Men…) so I didn’t have to dig through all my patterns to find what I needed (and the envelope usually has material requirements). For patterns without an envelope, I use a piece of paper with a sketch or photo.

Notions Organization

Button Organizer. I keep my buttons and similar notions organized by color in a box normally used for organizing screws and such. I painted mine white to match the room.

Dresser. I have a lovely small vintage set of drawers that I've painted and labeled with the contents (fastenings, elastic, trim, misc...). Don’t use deep/large drawers, things will get lost!

Thread Organizer - tiered, adjustable spice organizer – organized by color.

I love Dollar Store stuff for inexpensive organizers.

Silverware organizer kept near my sewing machine (I put it in the pullout keyboard drawer under my desk) allows me to keep things nearby and in one place things like seam rippers, 6” rulers, elastic, thimble, binders, and clips.

Fishing tackle box. For notions/projects/tasks with small pieces. Ex. wedding-specific stuff (small hook and eyes, white fabric button, safety pins, random bits of lace and lace appliques, cording, labels..).

Sewing machine hooks. Attach Command Strip hooks to your sewing machine and never lose your scissors again.

 

Sewing Machine Mat. Keep your notions at hand and even a thread catcher. DIY Sewing Machine Mat Pattern- https://www.polkadotchair.com/diy-roll-up-sewing-machine-mat/ at/ 

 

Project-specific organizers 

Gallon storage zip lock bags to keep fabrics, trims, and all materials needed for an individual project. I store these in a milk crate (sometimes I keep the bags stacked on a shelf, but they're pretty slippery and tend to slither off the shelf so I rarely do this).

Plastic bins or boxes to keep materials needed for specific projects together in one place and portable.

Misc.

Over the door hook that holds multiple items.

Clothes rack –They come with wheels! I put the base of mine on bed risers to make it tall enough to accommodate the longer costumes. 

Cutting Table –
I love my cutting table. The sides fold up and down, it’s on wheels, and it even has storage underneath. This one even has an adjustable height (mine doesn’t). https://www.sewingpartsonline.com/adjustable-home-hobby-table-sullivans.aspx

Adjustable Dress Form - 

You probably don't have to have an adjustable dress form, but I like mine. 

I purchased (I think I spent less than $75 including shipping) a size small adjustable dress form (most of the bridal gowns I alter are for tiny young women), and then I pad up to what I need. Most dress forms only go up to a B cup (I'm a double H with a 32" rib cage). So for myself, I adjust the ribs of the mannequin to be my size and throw one of my bras on it. (Make sure you're wearing the right size bra! {Are You Wearing The Right Size Bra?}
{When I was in college I left my dress form "naked" except for a bra. My roommate asked me to throw clothes on it because it was upsetting her boyfriend! lol}

Custom Dress Form Cover

I found a great measurement format called Fast-Track Fitting by Joi Mahon It offers a very detailed measuring system. I'll be honest, making the customized pattern is a lot of work, but when you're done you have a "master" pattern that fits perfectly and you'll know how and where to use those adjustments on any patterns you use in the future. {Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) and Other Pattern Alterations}

I used the muslin made using this system as a cover for my mannequin. I added padding where it needed filling out and when I was done it was much more accurate than my adjustable mannequin. This gave me a better form to drape on and cut down on the number of fittings needed. I made one for each of the people I sewed for often or who needed a custom, fitted dress. 

Hanging Chain – My favorite! A chain on a bike hook that hangs from the ceiling. It can hold multiple items. I love it for the longer/heavier costumes and dresses.

Dresses/costumes can be moved to different heights by hooking the item’s hanger onto different parts of the chain.  This allows me to leave the item on the hanger and raise and lower the costume so that I can work on different parts of the item at a comfortable height.

(Ex. The bodice can hang right in front of me while I do hand stitching rather than draped over my lap or the table. No boiling because I have multiple layers of a dress on my legs. No dress slithering to the floor when I’m not looking. No getting an applique twisted because I can’t tell that it’s no longer where I put it. No (ok, rarely) sewing the dress to my pants or the front to the back.)

The weight of a wedding dress can be supported by the chain and kept off the floor too while the dress is being hemmed. For bridal gowns, I keep the dress storage bag on the hangar so things like a long train can remain safely in the bottom of the bag while I work on the bodice or part of the hem. 

Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) and Other Pattern Adjustments

Whether sewing for ourselves or others, we all struggle with making pattern adjustments to handle fitting challenges. I use a combination of several techniques when adjusting a pattern, especially for a fitted garment. {Are You Wearing The Right-Sized Bra?, Getting To The Perfect Dress}

I love this article about figuring out what proportions look best on your body, especially because it focuses on full figures. DEFINING STYLE: HOW TO DRESS FOR YOUR SHAPE.

I feel a good place to start is with Nancy Zieman. Her books and videos make adjusting patterns simple to understand and do. 

Sewing With Nancy - Fitting Finesse

Yes, this series was made in 1994 so feel free to laugh at the fashion but the techniques never go out of style!

It's All About The Shoulders

One key point in Nancy's videos/books is that the shoulders are the most important area to fit because everything else is easily adjustable.

If we cut a pattern based on our bust measurement and that measurement is different than the average B cup then the shoulders will not fit. I've bought tops that were an XL to accommodate my bust only to have the top drown me everywhere else because I have a small frame. 

Nancy's method uses a unique chart that helps you choose a pattern based on your shoulder width and then helps you make any adjustments needed everywhere else (bust, waist, hips, back...). Nancy then teaches easy-to-understand techniques on how to do that. Her pivot technique is great.

Full Bust Adjustment (FBA)
Unless I'm missing something (and I'll admit I haven't looked at it in depth in years and mostly skimmed it for this post), Nancy's technique adds or subtracts size adjustments to all of the seams equally. In my opinion, this does not make sense. If you're adjusting for a larger/smaller bust, the changes should be made in the bust area! Adding or subtracting these adjustments from all the seams including the back ones makes no sense. The same idea applies to people with a larger belly and/or backside.

For example. The bust measurement for a pattern size 14 is 36". If your bust measurement is 40" then most of the 4" difference should be added to the front, right?! 

Custom Fit

The pattern for this dress was customized using the base

 pattern created through the Fast-Track Fitting Technique. 

For more fitted clothing, you'll need detailed measurements and adjustments. 

Fast-Track Fitting by Joi Mahon

I found a great measurement format through Craftsy. Called Fast-Track Fitting by Joi Mahon It offers a very detailed measuring system. I'll be honest, making the customized pattern is a lot of work, but when you're done you have a base pattern that fits perfectly and you'll know how and where to use those adjustments on any patterns you use in the future. 

Note: I used the muslin made using this system as a cover for my mannequin. I added padding where it needed filling out and when I was done it was much more accurate than my adjustable mannequin. This gave me a better form to drape on and cut down on the number of fittings needed. I made one for each of the people I sewed for often. 

The Beginners Guide: Full Bust Adjustment by curvysewingcollective.com

Most Big 4 patterns are drafted using a B-cup bodice and it’s rare that Indies are drafted larger than C-cups. If your bra size falls outside this range, then an FBA is for you! Even if your measurements are exactly identical to those on the pattern envelope, chances are weird fitting issues will crop up with a large cup size. It’s astounding the number of these issues a good FBA can fix, from floppy shoulders to gaping button bands and armscyes. 

FBA with Knits

How to do an FBA on a dartless knit bodice. See this awesome tutorial at https://blog.cashmerette.com/2020/10/how-to-do-a-knit-fba.html 

1. Create a muslin (sample garment) using fabric the same weight and stretch of the knit you plan to use for your garment. 
2. Put the muslin on and measure how much the muslin's hem rides up in front. This will be your Bust Adjustment amount.
3. Draw a horizontal line across the front pattern piece across the bust apex.
4. Cut along the horizontal line and separate the pattern pieces by the Bust Adjustment amount. keep the pattern lined up with the front edge of the pattern.
5. 
   At the side seam, add a slight curve—essentially, a "boob bubble." This helps create additional width for the bust. This bit is more of an estimate, but we recommend adding about 1/2″ to 3/4″. Trace a new pattern piece.
6. Notch the fabric at the top and bottom of the Bust Adjustment gap.

Sewing Instructions

1. Pin the Front piece to the Back piece starting at the hem and going up to the bottom notch.

2. Pin from the armhole to the top notch.

3. Stitch the Front to the Back starting at the hem and going to the bottom notch. When you get to the bottom notch, gently stretch the back piece until it lines up with the front piece, and continue to sew. When you get to the top notch, stop stretching and sew the rest of the seam as you would normally.

FBA with Bras/Corsets/Fitted tops 

One thing I found super helpful was to make/draft a pattern from a bra that fits me {Are You Wearing The Right-Sized Bra?}. I often use the underwires from my old bras that are worn out or from cheap bras that have the right size cups even though the rest of the bra is too big for me Ex. I wear a 34H, which is impossible to find cheap, but I can use the underwire from a "sister-size" bra - 34H, 36G, 38F(aka38DDD), 40DD, 42D, 44C... one of those sizes should be much more common and therefore I can find it cheaper. You can also order underwires in all different shapes and sizes online.

To make my own corsets, I've adapted patterns using the techniques listed above ^.
{Corsets - Vogue 9273, Wonder Woman Costume} I've also learned a lot from the free tutorials at the Corset Academy (I've never purchased any courses because as far as I can tell, they wouldn't be very useful for someone with serious curves but the sewing techniques are great. They have a lot of free stuff on their YouTube channel as well. 

More good articles about FBAs

Curvy Sewing Collective - The Beginners Guide to Full Bust Adjustment

Good articles about making large FBAs

Curvy Sewing Collective - Large FBA Issues - Dealing With The Big Honkin' Dart

Sew Busty - Giant Full Bust Adjustments on a Woven Bodice

Sew Busty - Giant Full Bust Adjustment on a Knit Bodice - AKA Adding A Dart When You Need One

*****************

Pant Pattern Adjustment (Some Notes)

DIY Staining Kitchen Cabinets

Staining Kitchen Cabinets

This tutorial is how I DIY stained all the dated golden oak cabinets in my entire house (and later my new house) without spending hours stripping the wood first with harsh chemicals and without adding layer after layer of stain to get them this dark walnut.

I didn't want to just paint the kitchen cabinets as the realtor suggested, and we couldn't afford to make a lot of expensive updates (hence keeping the dated backsplash and baby blue Formica countertops!). Gel staining the cabinets (and a few other changes - mostly painting) allowed us to add $25K to the sale price of our house for less than $200!  

I found this great DIY tutorial for staining a bathroom vanity a dark color without stripping the stain first.
http://www.pneumaticaddict.com/2014/06/darken-cabinets-without-stripping.html 

I've included her instructions here and added my own comments and changes in red and my updated comments in green (after I completed a few more projects and learned a few tricks!). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT4dPDzUvYE Another good tutorial if you prefer video.


SUPPLIES:

•  Varathane gel stain (by Rustoleum) in the color Dark Walnut
   I had to special order this because my local hardware store only had it available online. I needed ~4 quarts to do the whole kitchen (about 50 cabinets and drawers - my smaller kitchen required less than 2 quarts). 

• Deft Satin Clear Wood Finish – spray
   This would take way too many cans for my project, so I used:
• Minwax satin finish polyurethane (poly} – 1 gallon 
  
  
• 2-4 stir sticks for stirring the gel stain and poly – these are usually free in the paint department.
  
  
• Felt pads
  I cut my own from 1” Heavy-Duty Felt Pads, Self-Adhesive – designed for keeping furniture from scratching floors that I got at the dollar store. You can get about 4 from each 1" pad.
  
  
• 150 grit sandpaper
  I used 100 grit which is much coarser cause I’m lazy like that. 
  
  
• 220 grit sandpaper
   (I used a paper bag which is the cheap equivalent to 220 grit sandpaper) to lightly sand the poly.
   
• Drawer pulls and handles (50!) 
  
  
• TONS of blue painter’s tape 
  
  
• Black sharpie
  
  
• ~75 Sandwich bags (fold-down top not Ziploc) 
  
  
• 1” soft brush* (for stain) 
  
  
• 2” soft brush* (for poly) 
  **If you purchase cheap brushes then you can just throw them away when you’re done! No cleanup! But do get ones that are soft for the poly it will go on much smoother
  
  
• Rubber gloves 
  I didn’t actually use the rubber gloves, because I don’t care about getting stain on my hands – it does wash off. Plus, when I let the stain dry on the rubber gloves it actually ate through the gloves overnight.
  
  
• Paint clothes** -
  I can’t tell you how many times I brushed up against a cabinet or dripped stain or poly on myself. Don't forget your footwear!
  
  
• Damp cloth or paper towels to wipe up any drips that land where they shouldn’t.
   
• Plastic tarp
  (that dry cleaning thin plastic stuff won’t work, you need something a little heavier that won't stick to your cabinets).
  

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Purchase and drill holes for new hardware. 
   If you are attaching new hardware, make your life easier and build a jig from some scrap wood. It takes only a couple minutes to put together and ensures each hole is drilled in the exact same spot on every door. If you don't feel like putting a jig together, you can purchase a plastic guide.
   
   I recommend D. Lawless Hardware! If you are looking for cabinet hardware, you have got to check them out. Honestly, the best prices and best customer service!
   
   If like me, you’re adding or changing the hardware, I suggest adding the holes for the new hardware BEFORE you do all the stain work. That way, if you mess up you can patch it/ fix it fairly easily. I’d planned to add hardware, but at the thought of messing up my pretty newly stained cabinets and drawers (C&D), I changed my mind.
   
   
2. Remove drawer faces and cabinet doors. I have seen people stain them in place, but don't do it. It takes like 5 minutes to unscrew the old doors. Let’s do it the right way people.
   
   
   Before removal, I used a piece of painter’s tape to number each cabinet and drawer face(C&D). I then took a picture of the labeled C&D so I knew where they went. When I sanded, I just moved the taped number to the side I was not working on. When I stained (Tetris style!) I put the number on the plastic sheet under the C&D.

   

   
   
   
   
   On my next project, I got smarter. I used a piece of painter's tape with the C &/or D's assigned # on it and stuck it unobtrusively inside each C&D's box/base and left it there until the C or D was done and put back in place.
   
   Using a sharpie, I labeled baggies with the C or D's #. When I took the hinges off a C door or removed a D, I put the hinges and screws in the baggie (so the hinges and screws didn’t get all mixed together).
   
   Instead of putting painters tape on the C or D that would then have to be removed everytime I needed to work on it, I did something different.
   
   Using my sharpie, I wrote the C's # inside one of the spaces where the hinges go. This spot isn't painted or stained, so it would stay visible (rather than having to move a piece of painter's tape multiple times). Also, the number wouldn't show when the hinges are on. (When I stained the C door I had to try to keep the stain from covering the number (sometimes I forgot and it was NOT fun trying to find where it went in the kitchen. Next time, I will protect the number by putting a piece of painter's tape over it).
   
   For drawers, I wrote the D's # on the backside of the D’s face where it doesn't get stained. 
   
   
   If you’re going to add hardware (Step 9), I would probably drill the holes NOW before you remove the C&Ds. That way if anything goes wrong you can patch/fix it. I'd also put the hardware in the same bag as the hinges.
   
   TIP:
   If like me, you’re going to be doing a large number of cabinets (50! C&D), think about doing them in sections and only remove the doors and drawer faces for that one section. I didn’t have enough workspace to do all the C&D at once, so I did as many as I could fit on my workspace (about ½). I just happened to do all the drawers and smaller cabinets in the first “batch.” Since I had removed ALL the doors and drawer faces, my kitchen looked awful for weeks.
   
   
   I didn’t work on the cabinet boxes/ bases right away either so some of the finished doors and faces that were done had nowhere to go. If I had to do it all again, I would probably work on one group of cabinets and leave the other group alone until I was ready to do them. Also, I would do the cabinet boxes/bases first.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Sand lightly, especially if your cabinets are on the newer side. It shouldn't take very long. You aren't looking to remove the finish, just give it some "tooth". I used 150 grit. Make sure to use a damp rag or tack cloth to wipe them clean after.
   
   I used 100 grit and removed all the shiny poly as completely as I could.
   
   
   After sanding, I covered a work space with a tarp and laid out the C&D “Tetris style.” (I used the pool table which was a comfortable height to work on and not putting it on the floor meant I didn’t have to worry about the pets walking on it. A dining room table or counter top might be ok but moving it if you wanted to use the space would be a pain).
   {Plywood or an old door on sawhorses works fine too. I used them out in the garage which helped a lot with fumes.}
   
   I used heavy plastic tarps (the super thin plastic tarps that look like dry cleaning bags wrinkled up and stuck to my C&D – so use something heavier). I took the painter’s tapes labeled with the C&D number and taped it to the tarp underneath the C&D it belonged to.
   
   Make sure you set up in an area where you can open windows or something to vent the fumes!
   
   
4.  Stir Gel Stain well. Once your wood is prepped, time to start staining. One mistake I see people do is to not stir their stain. Gel stain is super thick! Like pudding. Although the pigment in gel stain doesn't separate as quickly as traditional stain, it is still a good idea to stir it well before use. 
   
   
5. Cover hand and glove in thick sock. As for application, I'll admit, I totally stole this idea. Once again, being a rebel, I tried applying the stain with a high quality brush but still had terrible brush strokes. I finally caved and went with the crowd and used a thick sock over a gloved hand. It really worked great to get a smooth, even application.
   
   
   This totally didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get it in the corners and it left blotchy spots where I couldn’t get it to smooth in the corners. Plus, by the second day, the stain had broken down the rubber in my rubber gloves! I ended up with stain all over my fingers anyway. The stain I chose was dark and I did multiple layers, so paint brush marks didn’t end up showing anyway.
   
   TIP:
   Always have make your strokes go with the grain of the wood! It makes it look more realistic.
   
   
   I used a small 1 inch brush and made smooth strokes with the wood grain. I discovered that I liked the “streaks” left by where the brush strokes overlapped a little. They didn’t really show up by the time I hit the 3^rd coat, but it kept the wood grain look.
   
   TIP: This is a long process, so rather than throw away or clean the brushes and rollers every time I stopped for the day, I put them in a plastic baggie or Saran Wrap (getting out as much of the air as possible). Putting the brushes/rollers with stain on them in the fridge made the stay usable longer; however, don't do this with the poly!
   
   
6.   Wipe stain with the grain, with long strokes. For an authentic, stained wood look, make sure to wipe with the grain of the wood and be mindful of intersections. Keep the coats even but thin. Warning, the first coat will look like crap. At this point you will totally be second guessing yourself and possibly cursing my name. It will get better, I promise.
   
   VERY IMPORTANT! Let each coat dry for at least 12 hours. Seriously. I don't care if the can says you "can re-coat in 2 hours". Don't do it.
   
   
   Each coat gets better and better. It took me 3 coats till the color looked even and natural.
   I applied the stain with little strokes (with the grain) to evenly distribute the stain, then, while it was still wet, I made long, smooth strokes (with the grain!) from the top to the bottom of the whole segment of wood. I feathered the edges when I couldn’t get it in one long stroke.
   
   
   
   Some of these cabinets are super long and “feathering” the brush strokes was difficult. One technique I liked was using the brush to glob some stain along the corners/ edges and then putting a glob of stain about every 6”. That way I could paint the stain from top to bottom (with the grain!) in one long, smooth stroke without having to stop and reload my brush. I wish I’d taken a picture!
   
   After the stain had dried about 6 hours, I flipped the C&D over and stained the other side. Waited 6 hours, then flipped it again to paint the first side again... This meant each side still had 12 full hours to dry, but it took ½ the time to stain my 50! C&D.
   
   
7. Tape and mask off area around cabinet boxes. If you want professional results, you are going to want to spray your sealant (I'll explain more in a minute). Take the doors to the (open) garage to spray, but the vanity will have to get sprayed in place. Yes, you can spray inside your house. Actually, that's how the pros do it. You can pick up plastic drop cloths at Home Depot for dirt cheap. Cover anything you don't want sprayed and make sure to have as much ventilation as possible!
   
   I really should have made sure I had much better ventilation than I did! I got a little loopy!
   
   C&D: I learned the hard way that poly likes to drip to the other side of the C&D you’re working on, leaving drips and patches of mess. I started using Blue Painter’s tape to cover the “back side” while I worked. That way if/when it dripped, it came off when I peeled off the tape. Although it used a lot of tape, it saved me HOURS of resanding, restaining and repolying…
   
   
   Rather than mess with a ton of plastic tarps/ sheeting that was going to get stepped on and torn, I used strips of blue painter’s tape where the cabinet boxes met the floor and/or walls. It takes at least 72 hours to do 3 coats of stain and 1 coat of poly on the base cabinets and that's a long time to have tarps to mess around with.
   
   
   I did about 3 rows of the painter’s tape on the floor. One right at the edge where the cabinet kick plate met the floor, and then another butted up against that one, and another butted up to that one. When done, the tape extended out a little farther than the edge of the cabinet (about 6”). That way when it dripped, the stain landed on the tape, not my floor.
   
   {I have no idea why it didn't occur to me to just tape down a 6"-8" wide strip of heavy paper or plastic instead of rows of overlapping tape. Duh! I guess I got used to the thought of using giant sheets of plastic or little strips of tape. *sigh*}
   
   
   I also put one line of painter's tape inside the cabinet box (where the wood  met the inside of the cabinet box, which I didn’t want to stain). This meant I could apply the stain easily around the edges of the wood trim. If I’d cared about the underside of my countertop, I would have done the same thing there.
   
   
   Moving out the dishwasher, vent hood, and stove wasn’t really an option, so to protect them, I taped them up as best I could, and stained as far back as I could reach. When someone replaces these items, they’ll know the cabinets weren’t originally this color, but I don’t care!
   
   
8. Spray vanity and doors with 3-4 coats of satin lacquer. If you read other tutorials, they will all tell you to use a water-based, wipe on top coat. Here's my thoughts: This is a bathroom. These cabinets will be frequently exposed to water. Water-based sealants aren't durable to long term water exposure.
9. 
   Once I decided to refinish my cabinets, I decided to make them look and feel as professional as possible. I started watching dozens of YouTube videos and reading on cabinet maker forums. One thing was universal. Professionals use lacquer to seal cabinets for a variety of reasons. #1- Its dries fast! You can re-coat, without sanding, in 30 minutes. #2- It dries hard as a rock, unlike poly products which are essentially flexible plastic. And #3- It is VERY durable. Once fully cured, a lacquered surface should withstand years of heavy use. I know, DIYers are usually scared of lacquer.
   
   The good news is, I found a clear lacquer in a spray can! I have a couple of paint guns, but I try to avoid running anything but water-based products through them, since I hate the cleanup. Home Depot carries a product by Deft (owned by Minwax) that is perfect! It goes on super even, and gives professional looking results. I sprayed 3 coats on the vanity as well as bothsides of the doors and ended up using 6 cans. Here is a link to buy it online.
   
   
   
   Spray lacquer just wasn’t an option for me. It took her 6 cans to do a bathroom vanity. I was doing an entire kitchen. Waaayyy too many cans.
   
   
   
   I didn’t spray anything! I used a soft paint brush to put on the Poly and I didn’t notice any brush marks or anything (although I did have to watch for drips.
   On cabinet boxes, I suggest going back about 5 minutes later. You'll be surprised how often there will be some drips you missed.
   
   I used a 2” brush and regular satin polyurethane. Most of the time it only took one coat. 
   FYI, use a soft brush (one intended for poly is awesome and might be worth paying a little more). Also, you might want to do 2 coats of poly around the sink cabinet box and doors and drawer faces.}
   
   
   
   TIP: STIR THE POLY!!  Don’t forget to thoroughly STIR THE POLY! I kind of swished it around a little instead of doing a good job EVERY TIME I used it. The result was a too glossy finish at the beginning and toward the end, almost completely matte. 
   Be careful when stirring the poly not to stir it in a way that will add bubbles into the poly. You want what is on your brush to be clear and bubble free.
   
   
   After I polyed I used a piece of paper bag and lightly “sanded” the finished coat. It took down any slightly rough patches and reminded me to check every surface to make sure it was smooth and even). If it didn’t look perfect, then I fixed it (removed the hair or drip or whatever) and just added another coat of poly.
   
   
   Cabinet Boxes: When polying the sides of the cabinet boxes, I used a similar technique to that mentioned for the stain (horizontal stripes of globbed on poly about every 6 inches so I could smoothly run the brush from top to bottom without having to stop and reload my brush). Watch for drips (especially at the top).
   
   
   TIP: Remove the tape while the poly is still wet. Otherwise when you pull up the tape it might take pieces of the poly drip and the stain with it.
   
   
10. 
    Add felt or rubber pads. After allowing the lacquer to dry over-night, one more step I highly recommend is using felt or rubber pads on the corners of the drawer and cabinet faces. These little guys are easy to find, cheap, and help your cabinets function better. The small space they provide between the doors and frames keep the fresh stain and lacquer from sticking to itself. They are also a must for painted cabinets! Here's a link to buy them online 
    
    I needed so many of these that the cost really added up (2 for every C&D – 3 for especially long C doors). I found some thick felt pads, at the Dollar Store! (originally for keeping furniture legs from scratching the floor), and cut them up. I quartered the one inch circles and trimmed them in to a rough circle the size of those expensive little pads. A couple of sets of 16 1” pads was way more than I needed to do all the C&D.
    Bonus: The thicker pads made the C&D stick out a little more. Since we decided not to add hardware, this made it a little easier to grip the edge of C&D to open them.
    
11.       Install C&D. It’s much easier to add hardware and hinges on each C&D BEFORE putting them back on the cabinet boxes.

BEFORE AND AFTERS: 

Master Bath Before

 Master Bath After:

Guest Bath After:

1970s Kitchen Before

1970s Kitchen With Drop Ceiling Removed and New Cabinets Planned

1970s Kitchen with Cabinets Done (We were actually building some of the cabinets, so the process took so long that I misplaced one set of hinges. Can you tell which cabinet? They showed up later.) 

1970s Kitchen with Wall Removed, Peninsula Added, Granite, and Backsplash - DONE!

(Flooring is photoshopped in this pic. We didn't finish the flooring until later)

UPDATE: 

1970s Kitchen with cabinets professionally painted

Would I DIY stain my cabinets again? 

At the time, it was what I could afford and I liked the look of the dark walnut. 

Now, I prefer the lighter paint color and getting that smooth matte finish was something that worked better with a professional paint sprayer. So if it was an option, I'd have a professional painter do it. 

UPDATE UPDATE: 

It has nothing to do with painting/staining cabinets, but wanna see the results of my latest kitchen renovation?

I kept all of the existing cabinets (I did add a couple) and countertops. I ripped out a couple of walls, moved the ceiling beams into the attic and  changed the configuration.

1970s Kitchen Open Concept