Sewing Adventure

I am sure you have been wondering what I have been up to.  Well, I was asked to make a costume for a school play and I could not turn it down.  This is what I like about sewing – new challenges, new adventures.  Here is how it turned out.  Can you guess which princess this was?

If you guessed Rapunzel from the movie Tangled  you are right!

Don't you just love the bodice?

What about the sleeves?  They are my favorite.

Too much fun!

It Takes a Slipcover to Make a Slipcover!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a lady in south Florida that had visited my Etsy store and wanted me to make a slipcover for her .  Her baby was due within a week and she was nesting.  I was so glad I was able to help.  She sent me her old slipcover which I used as a template to make the new slipcover.  I mailed it out last week and she sent me a picture of it.  I had to share it with you.  I do not have a before picture but suffice it to say the original slipcover was rough.  Here is the after on her chair.

Not bad for winging it.  I think it looks great and pray that as she rocks her baby God will speak and bless her.  What do you think?

For the Love of White Pumpkins

Have you seen all the pumpkins in “blog world?”  I have and I must say the white ones are my favorite.  While I was excited to decorate my dining room table for fall…

 I love the acorns…
 Aren’t they cute?



                                                                             

                                                                 And the birds… Love them too. 

What I really wanted was a white pumpkin.  I had seen them all over until I started looking for them.  My friend JN gave me a white pumpkin candle that I love but I was dying to make one myself.  I had leftover matelasse fabric and leftover stuffing.  Last Saturday my friend and crafting buddy came over and this is what I made.

White matelasse for the body and scrap fabric from this chair makes it a perfect white pumpkin.

I miss my friend Pam so having a little bit of her fabric keeps her with me this fall.  Happy Fall!

White Denim Wingback Chair Slipcover

There are some memories that tend to stay with you forever…  While it will never compare to the day I married my husband, the day my son was born, the day my daughter was born and the day I realized for the first time that I was the precious daughter of The King, I will always remember the first time I sat on a comfy slipcovered wingback chair.  I had gone into private practice part time and was using a co-worker’s office.  Oh how I loved going to work and sitting in that slipcovered wingback chair.  Fast forward now 12+ years to when I started making slipcovers…  Guess what I wanted?  Of course a wingback chair.  There were many to choose from but only one that was $20 on craigslist.   This is what it looked like when I got it.

                                                                              Before                                 

It was in excellent shape but way too mauve and velvet – it did not match my memory.  At first I considered making a lime green slipcover.  I thought it would look good with the blue walls.  I love blue and green these days.  I even bought the fabric (for almost nothing on ebay) but every time I thought about starting the slipcover I kept remembering that first chair… So armed with a 50% coupon to Joann’s I headed for the fabric store.  A couple of days later I had my chair.  Isn’t she pretty?    

                                                          After

I think she will only get better as she ages.  For now she is in my guest room.  I can’t wait until my mom see’s it.  She will love the newly painted guest room and the chair she can sit and talk with her friends back home.  You should have seen the room before…  On second thought you would not have wanted to see the room before the transformation.  It was more of a storage room than a guest room.  Do you want to see the finished room?  I thought you would never ask…



And yes, even the antique ironing board got a new slipcover…  However, I cannot take the credit for that one.

My Drop Cloth Adventure

Just got home from spending a wonderful day with my sister (best sister in the entire world), brother-in-law and 5 wonderful nieces who are well into becoming women of God (oh, how I love them).  But what does this have to do with slipcovering?  I am glad you asked. 

It was finally my sister’s turn to get a slipcover.  The chair is old.  I got it just before it was sent to Goodwill and upholstered it with denim fabric.  It was my first upholstery attempt and boy does it show.  I have learned so much since then...  That was over 6 years ago and to say the chair has been through the mill is an understatement.    My sister inherited it a few years ago and has gotten a lot of use from it.  Here is what it looked like this morning. 

Before

 I told you it was rough.  I had already started to take the cushion apart when I remembered we had not taken a before picture but you can get and idea of what it looked like.  My sister did not want to invest a lot in fabric for the chair is pretty rough.  I showed her a couple of "drop cloth" slipcovers I had seen online and she quickly agreed that this is what she wanted.  When I say "quickly" I mean quickly.  My sister asked me about slipcovering the chair a while back but she had not even started looking for fabric.  This week she asked me if I could go ahead and slipcover it.  She quickly, I mean quickly decided on drop cloth and bought the drop cloth.  I was soooo excited as I have never used  drop cloths, I have seen them used in a number of blogs , and have been dying to try them.  The day she bought the drop cloth her washer broke... (you need to wash the drop cloth before you sew it).  Isn't that like the devil to have her washer break when she most needed it?  But my precious sister was not deterred.  She bought a washer yesterday, washed the drop cloth and was ready for me first thing this morning as planned.   I do not know about anyone else but I think she might be a Zippy in the making.  Maybe I am starting to rub off on her.

We started at about 10:30 a.m.  I say we because she helped with the piping and the zigzagging.  We used a 9' x12' drop cloth 8 oz. weight.  There were some blemishes we had to work around  but I must say the drop cloth was wonderful to work with.  The 8oz drop cloth is not very thick but thick enough to cover over the denim without bleeding through.  After washing it the canvas was soft and beautiful.  My sister says it reminded her of silk...  About 9 hours later it is finished.  Only thing left to do is zigzag the edges (which my sister will do probably tomorrow).  The one negative about this drop cloth fabric is that it unravels easily so zigzagging or serging it is absolutely necessary.  .  Well,  are you ready for the after?

Without further ado ...  Here she is in her new clothes.

After

Isn't she pretty?  My sister thinks she looks a lot like a Pottery Barn chair.  I tend to agree.  Definitely not a chair salvaged from Goodwill 6-7 years ago.  What do you think? 

I have been working on a number of other projects that I hope to reveal as soon as I can get some decent pictures.  Until then consider using drop cloths for your fabric.  I highly recommend them.  More importantly, you cannot beat the price.  The 9' x 12' one my sister bought was only $20 at Lowes.  Not bad for about 8 yards of fabric.

What an adventure!  One chair in one day!

Cushions Cushions and More Cushions

I am sure you are wondering what I have been up to.  In one word "cushions".  It seems everyone that contacted me lately wanted their cushions updated.  So that is what I have done. 

Most of my friends and family (because I complain about cushions often), and anyone that knows how to sew, knows cushions are the hardest part of slipcovering because you have to match the top panel to the bottom panel (especially in the corners) or the cushion ends up "catawampus."

This is what my friend's cushions looked like before the transformation. 

Before

Pretty fabric but in definite need of an update.  CW asked that I help her with the back cushions because they tended to slouch.  So a piece of 2 inch foam, stuffing and some much needed batting plus some happy fabric and piping and look at how they look.

   

After

 And after in their final home... 

Adorable!  Try to be unhappy sitting here... No way, not possible!

My Nephew’s Chair

For my nephew's birthday my sister and I got him a chair for his bedroom.  JW is a cutie but while growing up his room was a disaster.  I remember more than once going to help my sister clean his room.  JW did not like me coming to clean it because he knew it meant some of his "treasured possessions" (tons of papers, broken toys, etc.)  would soon be in the trash.  Well that cute boy has grown up to be a man.  I do not know how clean he keeps his room these days, but know he likes what looks good on him and around him. 

I found him a free chair that was headed for the dump thanks to a dear friend TW.  This is what it looked like after I removed the attached back cushion:

Before

But JW wanted a black chair.  So his Titi went to work and soon the chair looked like this.

                                                                           After

Not bad for a free chair.  Happy Birthday JW!!!!

1Old Chair +3 Movies + 2 Friends + Good Food and 11

 Hours = New Chair

This past Saturday BD came over and we got to work on her hand-me-down swivel rocker.  This is what it looked like with the new cushion.  I forgot to take a before picture, sorry.

Before

We were not sure what to do about the attached cushion but decided to make it a part of the chair.  We detached it, gutted it and put it back together.

 

 

Three movies (The Prince and Me, Wedding Date, and While You Were Sleeping) later this is what the chair looks like.

After

Can't wait to finish the next one and the old couch.  Yes, BD has 3 chairs and a couch we are working on.  And yes, we were able to slipcover this chair in one day.  I could not have done it without BD's help.  This was too much fun.

French Chair

For the last few months it seems every time I got on a blog they were featuring a French chair.  Is it just me or are they beautiful.  I personally like one like this…

But these are also pretty...

I have been wanting to get my hands on an old one to update it.  I am sorry to say that I have yet to find a reasonable one on Craig's list but I am still looking...  However, I recently had a client drop two off to have them slipcovered.  She did not want them re-upholstered but neither of us wanted to cover the beautiful arms.  Just what I wanted a challenge.  This is what they looked like:

                                                                               Before

They are beautiful.  The fabric needs updating but oh the lines...

Did I ever tell you I love puzzles?  I think that is why I liked algebra and geometry so much in school and why I like sewing.  For the most part you get a pattern cut out the fabric making sure to follow the lines and put "A" to "B" to"C"... and you soon have a dress, shirt ...

With slipcovering there is an extra challenge because their is no pattern.  Each piece of furniture is different so it is a new adventure every day.   The challenge was to make a slipcover that can be taken off easily and thrown into the wash yet be able to see the beautiful woodwork.

Here is what I came up with.  What do you think?

After

Isn’t she pretty?  I think I did a good job of accentuating her curves.



After

Grandma’s Swivel Rocker

AR’s birthday is today and AR’s mom wanted to give her “grandma’s rocker” for her 14^th birthday.  But this is what it looked like when I got it.

Before

The back cushion was attached and tufted.

Before

Not what you think of when you think teenager.  Her mom wanted it upholstered so I went to work on it.  This is what it looked like half way through it.

When I started to strip the arm I discovered that the swivel rocker had been upholstered not once or twice but three times and none of those times were the arm fabric removed.  I thought, I could spend the next two days stripping the old fabric or follow suit.  I decided to add batting and the new fabric.  I later found out that my upholstery was not the 4^th but the 5^th time it was upholstered.



Now for the big reveal.

After

After

  And now with the cushion.

Quite a difference.

Happy Birthday AR and my niece Bethany!

Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord!

Shortly after I became a Christian at age15 I began to feel a different tug at my heart.  It was God calling me into ministry.  I clearly remember the day I told my pastor that I was feeling called to the ministry.  I remember telling him I was afraid God was going to call me to go to Africa and I did not want to go to Africa.   At that time all I knew of people "in ministry" were that they were pastors (men only), music directors (able to sing), youth ministers (lively, outgoing, and somewhat crazy), and missionaries.  I could not sing to save my life, I wasn't a man, and I knew I did not want to go to Africa (in my mind all missionaries went to Africa) so I thought that youth ministry was what God was calling me to (if you know me you would never see me as a youth minister).  In college I went on a number of revival teams and soon learned that as much as I loved kids, I was not cut out to be a youth minister.  I went to graduate school and became a social worker.  After I graduated I went to work at a Christian children's home and believed that was what God called me to do.   I ministered to babies, kids, and youth.  I ministered to biological parents, foster parents, step-parents and adoptive parents.  I ministered to women in prison and people imprisioned in their addiction.  I ministered to social work interns and my co-workers.  I ministered for 23 years and 8 months.

In January of this year God allowed me to lose my job and my ministry (or so I thought).  One of my biggest losses was ministering to hurting people.  I thought I would never be able to minister again.  Praise God I was wrong.  In spite of the worry I knew God was in control.   In spite of all the evil that surrounded my losing my job God's plan prevails.   I still do not have a job but believe God's plan is unfolding and continues to minister through me every day.  This week alone I have been given the honor of praying with three friends and someone I had never met before.  Praise God I can minister outside of FBCH. 

Last Sunday I went to Joann Fabrics after church to buy some piping for the next project.  While there I passed by a lady I met at Publix last year while picking up lunch one day.  She was undergoing chemo for her cancer and my mother had just been diagnosed with lung cancer.  We talked briefly and I promised to pray for her.  I saw her again a few months later and got an update.  Last Sunday I passed by her at Joann Fabrics and stopped to talk.  I found out her name and that she was undergoing yet another round of chemo for her cancer.  I promised to continue to pray for her again.  She wanted to pray for my mom which prompted me to ask where she went to church.  She doesn't attend but considers herself "spiritual".  That opened an opportunity to share Christ and invite her to church.  All that to say, God continues to use even my sewing to minister in His name.  His mercies are new every morning and Praise God one day He will turn my mourning into dancing (can't wait to do that dance!).

So do you want to see what I have been up to?

Do you remember the dining room chair covers I made a while back for my first client?  Remember I wanted some for my old dining room chairs?  These are the chairs.

Before

Kind of country looking don't you think?  Well that was ok in 1989 when I loved that style.  Now...  The chairs are in good shape so no need to get rid of them but they need some help.  So slipcovers to the rescue.  Here are the covers on the old chairs.

After

Don’t they look soooo much better?  

Another happy customer. 

The best part is that because they are white I can bleach them which is a good thing because Cody  seems to love the chairs.  (Cody is my cat, actually my son's cat.)

 

With the dining chairs done I started work on my pajama chair.   While I loved the pajama chair fabric I did not have enough to cover the ottoman that went with it.  I did have enough of a new fabric I got on ebay not long ago.

 
It is an embroidered cream canvas that I won for a mere $25.49 ($10.50 for fabric plus $14.99 shipping ).   I love ebay.

I don't think you ever saw the pajama chair prior to the pajama slipcover.  Here it is...

Before

Baby blue gingham while pretty in a baby boy's room not so good in my living room.

Here it is in its pjs.

After - PJ's

And now all dressed up!!!

After

Isn’t she beautiful?

Have I thanked you lately for stopping by?  Thank you!  For looking and for indulging me as I share my adventures in sewing and my adventures with God.

May He bless you this week.

Adventures continue...

MY SON

Early this summer my son came to me.  He is a rising senior at FSU.  He and 3 other guys have been rooming together and were moving to an unfurnished house.  He had seen his mom dramatically change her furniture and asked if I would do the same for him.  If you know me, you know that I came by my nickname "Zippy" for wanting things done as soon as the thought comes in.  If one of my children asks me for something I attack it with a vengeance.  Within a couple of weeks I found the fabric.  Nothing beats Joann Fabrics red tag sale when you have an additional 50% off.  Shortly thereafter I found his couch in Goodwill.  $60 couch $45 fabric.  Brand new couch for $105.

It is a slipcover but I doubt the boys will ever take it off and wash it.  My nephew's comment, when he saw it, (he is one of the roommates) was to suggest I make a slipcover for their "leather" love seat.  My son was quick to suggest that it could wait until next summer to which I was extremely relieved. 

My nephew decided that his room could use a chair.  I found one for free and will be slipcovering as soon as we find a good deal on black fabric.



FRIENDS

My friends have been encouraging me to start a business.  I love to sew, I like to see the transformation, and I have the time while I look for a job.  My first "job" was for my neighbor's daughter.  It was a cute love seat.  Wish I had the pictures because it truly was adorable.  I made that slipcover in one day.  There were no cushions to cover (which by the way is in my opinion the most difficult part of making a slipcover).  A month later she brought me a chair .  The chair took two days to complete.  Here is the before.

Before

The back cushion was attached and tufted.  I detached the cushion.  However, the cushion was thin and bowed in.  It did not look good.  It really needed to be tufted.  I love a challenge.  Here is the finished chair. 

After

After

 

She loved it.

That same week I did my first slipcover for someone I did not know.  She wanted to slipcover four chairs.  Actually they were very pretty chairs and I hated to see them covered.  She sent me a picture of the covers she wanted and trusted me to recreate them.  This is too much fun.





She loved them.  It is so nice to be praised for the work we do.  I liked them so much I started making plans to make some for my dinning room chairs.  I will show you mine when they are done. 

UPHOLSTERY Adventure

Did I tell you my friends think I can do anything?  Well, at least one does.  She thought I could upholster.  She had a chair that was crying for a transformation.  Here is the before.

Before

Had I known how hard it was going to be I would have run the other way.  I must say, the hardest part of upholstering is actually the demolition. 

Before

You have to pull and pull and pull.  It is not for the weak.  It is not for the inpatient.  I must have removed over two hundred tacks ...

Finally it was time to start putting it all back together.

The arms were the most difficult.  Actually using an electric stapler was the hardest.  I ended up taking it back to HD and getting a small compressor and staple/nail gun.  Boy is there ever a difference.  Night and day difference.  It took no time to finish when I finally got the right tools.

After

I love it.  I cannot believe I did it!!!  Who knew I could do this???  My God knew.  Praise Him!