loveseat slipcover

Slowly I'm trying to make our space more to my taste and more of a home than a jumble of hand-me-down furniture and bachelor/bachelorette style. My style is very mutable but I find I always fall back on classically beautiful for inspiration, and neutrals really play a wonderful role as a base for ever changing taste in accessories. And the desire for a major neutral was the basis of this project. I feel so adolescent looking at the beautiful decor some inspirational, creative people have brought into their homes, and I feel privilaged to see them in blogs, books, or magazines. Honestly, I am still at the very beginnning of making a home out of anywhere we will be, which we dont know where that will be even a year from now : ). So I'm trying to make the most of what we have on little resources : D . Apartment life has its limitations and challenges. From lack of storage, no yard to take on major projects, and the inability to personalize even wall color are the frustrations of the expressive at heart.

Anyway, we have a loveseat that used to rest in my wonderful in-laws home. It's a nice couch but it is plaid and the coordinating options were very limited : ) Everytime I'd be in the home section of a store I'd see beautiful throw pillows and wish I could get, or better make some, but knew it'd be almost a waste because I had no place for them. So I did some research into slipcovers and for the price of them it would be less expensive and I'd be happier with one I made myself. I did some searching and this site gave me the confidence to go ahead and try:

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/sewing/slipcover.shtml

The article gave some basic tips that I didn't find on other sites.

Creating a Pattern

Taking the advice of things I read online I decided to make a basic drawing of the couch and from there create plain rectangular panel pieces with my measurements. This worked wonderfully as most of the pieces in the original upholstery were themselves rectangles.

I added an inch seam allowance on every side for a little insurance. I bought 13 yrds of a coffee colored corduroy and that was almost 2 yrds too much. With my 50% coupon from Jo-Anns I saved about $36 since the bolt was only 10 yrds and their coupons are for one cut. I love those coupons!!!! The cover cost about $70.

I didnt give the printed fabric, that I used instead of muslin, a letter but it was my first piece layed down in assembling inside out (so we'll call it 'base'). If you were interested about the pattern assembly:

Base side>A>F, then the same on the other side ..... pieces were held in place with safety pins
Base back>C, C>B, attaching the back panel to the couch arms was the hardest part

Base front>D

(E) When I measured for the 'roll' of the couch arms I measured the widest part and the longest part, added an inch to the width and length and cut my rectangle. Using paper I traced the indentation of the actual shape and cut it a little wider for a seam. With the constructed slipcover right side out, on the couch, I pinned the panels on with a folded under edge all the way around and sewed.

G,H, and I assembled the cushions. Which I recommend having patience when pinning and also sew each piece one after the other; I had difficulties when I tried to pin it all and sew at once. I chose to have one piece to wrap around 3 sides but if you choose to have 4 separate sides it may work well. My inserting side is 2 hemmed, overlapping pieces. It was a Very tight squeeze putting the cushion in. You may choose to use velcro, buttons, ties, or a zipper and have an opening that is wider than one side for easier inserting of your cushion. Keep in mind that will shorten one side of the other 3.

The Before

and yes, that is a blanket over the back : P in our last move we rid ourselves of the back cushions because we found it more comfortable without them : D

The After

To Come : )

I plan on having a second part to my couch makeover: Accessorizing : ) Orignally this blog was going to include it but I still need to pick a print : D and have some nicer weather to take my daughter out with me.

I hope this can inspire you the confidence to undertake a larger project yourself! And hopefully it helped you if you were like me wondering how to start!

Bit by bit we can make our space the place we want to sit!

fabric story books or a storybook quilt

http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/SubCategory--Quilting-Treasures-Fabrics--m-44

These were just too cute I had to share! I would love to make these for Katie. :) even just making a soft book rather than their suggestion of a quilt would be so great for the little ones. My daughter absolutely loves story time but only more recently she has stopped chewing on them(she's 19 months right now). The chewing did not agree with my husband but I couldn't take the books away; her little inquisitve mind loved andstill loves exploring the pictures and learning from them.

I think from this I've become inspired to scan and reprint on fabric the pages of her favorite books to make a quilt. These are so sweet though and the vintageness is so loveable. The Little Golden Books ones above are the first two in a series so more can be expected to come.

I haven't done fabric printing myself yet but intend to in the near future. I believe it may be as easy as using a 100% cotton ironed onto freezer paper to prevent bleeding and printing it like normal paper. But before doing this I'd research it myself. I have done fabric painting on fabric that has had freezer paper (shiny side down) ironed to it and the fabric paint does not bleed at all. (stencils and stamps!)

sock monkey

I had a very home-made Christmas this last year and enjoyed it so much. Years ago it seemed I always made at least one gift, but it had been a while. And this year I got too much joy from it. I may have to have more homemade Christmases even if finances aren't a factor. : ) One thing I made for my daughter was a sock monkey. Randomly looking for doll patterns online I came across this super simple tutorial. I used a pair of knee highs I found at the dollar store, but you can use an old pair you already have. What is great about this was it so easy, only took a few hours, and it's a great repurposing project with very little waste ( the only part left over is one of the toe ends, so it would be a great way to use a pair of socks with a hole in one of the toes : ).

http://www.craftbits.com/project/sock-monkey


In retrospect, or for another, a cute bow, some flowers, ruffles, or other decoration would be nice to personalize it. Also, I think I should've used white buttons for the eyes for a more friendly face. : ) I probably will use a larger sock size than my own too. The bigger the socks the bigger the monkey : ) men's socks would be cute.... hmmm... if I make another it'll likely be argyle. Have fun and enjoy!

in the beginning

Lately I have found so much useful information on the blogs of people I decided I would like to join in on the sharing of resources. So I hope as I figure out how to utilize this and as I add to it I will be another source for people looking for the same tips and tutorials that make my life better. :)