SEW-SEW

It has been a long time since I had my sewing machine in use. I have a clothes basket sitting here with several things that needed a seam sewn up, some altering or repair. Plus I have a few tops hanging on the hall tree that are too big and I want to take them in. They are so stretchy that I should have gotten a size smaller to begin with, but wasn't able to return them.

So far I have fixed a pair of slacks, tightened the elastic in another pair, and shortened a new pair of slacks that I have never worn. I got it maybe two or three years ago, ordering it online. It fit fine except it was way too long. I didn't have time to mess with it at the time so hung it in the closet and proceeded to forget about it, until I unearthed it recently. I had to shorten it 4 1/2 inches! Now I am not petite, but am 5'8". I know some pants are longer so one can wear high heels with them, but I would need high platform with 4" heels! I could never have worn those even when I was young and able, and now need shoes that are flat. These slacks are rather flowing and sort of look like a long skirt, so now I need a special occasion to wear them.

I will get to the rest of the pile eventually but with the chance of thunderstorms the next few days, I have unplugged the sewing machine. These new computerized machines take extra care. I just looked out my north window and the sky is looking like there could be rain. I will have to check the radar to see if it is heading in my direction.

With that, I will sign off and shut the computer off just in case.

BRIGHTEN MY CORNERS - 2nd UFO

I had planned two curtain projects months ago. I showed the first one yesterday. Here is the second:

BEFORE

This is the small bookcase beside my chair. My phone is on top so all the regional phone books have to be there, plus a dictionary, Bible, photo albums and some books that are still unread. Again, this is eye sensory overload and cluttered to me, so another curtain is desired.

Much better. I still don't know how to clear the clutter from the top since those are things I use daily in that area, and I must have things convenient. So I guess I will have to live with it. I made this curtain the same as the other one, and used a tension curtain rod to hold it. When I first planned this I was going to use one of those curtain springs that are usually used to hold the bottom of a curtain at a door window, mainly because I have one on hand. But when I got ready to work on it, I realized it would be impossible to use a hammer to get the hooks attached to the inside wall, and I did not want them on the outside. I LOVE tension rods! And everything is temporary and easy to remove.

There are the two UFO's that are finished! Now, where is my project list??

BRIGHTEN MY CORNERS and UFO'S

Another "FINALLY!" happened around here during the holidays. The reason for UFO in the title is that this is an Un-Finished Object or project.I finally took the time to make the curtain for table in the kitchen. I never quite know what to call this table. It could be a sofa table - one that resides behind a sofa, as it is narrow and long. It could be a credenza, a hall table, and maybe there are other names and uses.

I like where I have it now, in front of the pony wall in the kitchen. But I don't like the clutter that is ever-present under it.

 BEFORE

Actually, this picture is a cleaned up version. Usually there are several Bible study books, large pencil bag full of colored pencils and highlighters, many more empty shopping bags (that is what is in the otherwise empty tissue box), another full tissue box, plus whatever I need to have handy and have nothing else close where I can stash it. The mesh container on the left is where the recycles go until I can take them outside. The wicker chest is there because I can't find another place to put it, and it holds the bedding for the hide-a-bed you see in the left background. Not only does this spot always look messy, but it is eye sensory overload for me. And it is the first thing people see when they walk in.

So one day I was thinking about what I could do to hide it all, and then remembered one of the HGTV shows, it might have been Designed to Sell, or something similar, where they showed hanging a straight curtain over a tall bookcase to hide the little kid's toys when the house was to be shown to a perspective buyer. AH-HA!!

Then I had to decide what fabric to use, and then remembered I had a lot of fabric left from the kitchen curtain valance I had made for the previous house. And since I am able to use that same valance in this house, it would all be coordinated. So that is frugal since I didn't have to go out and buy more fabric.

I am embarrassed to say that I came up with this months ago and just never got around to working on it, until now. My procrastination at work again.

AFTER

I didn't want it gathered like a window curtain, but just a flat panel. Then the question - how to hang it. I used a tension curtain rod. Works well, don't you think? It doesn't look so flat in this picture for some reason. It is easy to lift up or push aside when I want to access what is behind the curtain. And I can change it when I get tired of this. If I can find a dark brown to exactly match the paint, would it look more like a solid piece of furniture? Maybe. But for now, the clutter of essential things is hidden.

When making the curtain I doubled the hem and the side hems to give them a little added weight for stability.

A UFO has been sighted!

Some of you may know that a UFO to crafty people means an unfinished project that may have been shoved into a dark corner for too long. I am not even sure how long ago I had decided to make some covers for my sofa pillows to help coordinate my sofa with the rest of the room.

I used to have a mauve recliner that went with this blue sofa, which is a hide-a-bed, and the only extra sleeping space I have in this small house. (Yes, I know that color scheme went out a long time ago. LOL)  When I had my hip replacement surgery a few years ago my son decided I needed a better chair to sit in while I recovered, so he bought me a big leather chair with ottoman to match, which added dark brown to my color 'scheme'. And later I gave away the mauve recliner to some friends. Can you find the sofa pillows in this picture? I am not talking about the green print/gold petaled one on the left. That is one my daughter had bought at either a thrift store or rummage sale and decided she didn't have room for it in her new apartment, so asked if I wanted it. It doesn't fit in the color scheme either, but the print has all kinds of cats on it, and the pillow itself is quite unique. It is handmade.



The other pillows are side by side on the right side of the sofa. That big brown thing in front is the ottoman, showing the color of that and the chair. One day I had the 'brilliant' idea to find some fabric that resembled leather in the same color brown and cover those pillows. And I did find some at Walmart. I don't remember the price anymore since that was over a year ago. I bought a 1/2 yard since my pillows are 16" square. After I got home I realized that was enough for 2 16" squares, but that is a front and back for only one pillow and I have two! Back to the store I go and the bolt of that fabric is gone! Now what? I went to the remnant bin and there is a remnant! It is less than 16" wide but there was enough there to make the split backs for covers. Later I was in the store again and there was a new bolt of the same fabric so I would have been okay, but you don't know that will be the case. So a part of being frugal here is that the remnant was a discounted price, saving me a little bit, plus making the covers is much cheaper than buying new pillows.

The following pictures show the steps of making the covers in case you are new to sewing. They are simple to make. If you don't want to make the covers removable they are even simpler - just cut two pieces to fit the pillow, sew around three sides, turn, put pillow in, and stitch the end closed, either by hand or machine.

The first step is to measure the pillow and add at least 1/4" extra for the seam allowance on all sides. Since my pillows are 16" square, I made the squares 16 1/2". That is the front of the pillow. I want the back in two pieces so there is a way to get the pillow in and out. That measuring is a little more tricky. I wanted the slit to be more toward one end as I think it is easier to work the pillow in and out. Most are done like pillow shams and have that slit right in the middle. And I have struggled too many times trying to get a long pillow in those things. You want to cut the pieces so that they will overlap each other by at least 1" to 1 1/2" or more, but not too much. And then you have to add 1 -1 1/2" to each piece for hemming. In my case I didn't need to hem the one that will be on the bottom as the leather-like fabric does not ravel. Below are the 3 pieces I cut for one pillow.

The next picture shows the three pieces laying on top of each other, with the larger back piece showing the back of the fabric to show it better.

 

The next step is to put a hem on the narrow back piece as it will lay on top of the other back piece once it is turned right side out. Since this does not ravel I only turned it under 1/2" and stitched it down. For other fabrics you would then turn it up about an inch or more and stitch again. When I was going to fill the sewing machine bobbin with the matching brown thread, I realized I had bought the extra heavy button thread! Oops. Maybe that was the only small spool I could find with the right color. Don't remember anymore. But I don't think I realized that it was button thread. So I had to adjust the upper tension to get the stitches to look right. My suggestion is to always test the stitching on a scrap of the same fabric before sewing the actual piece.

Then pin the narrower back piece to the front.

 Then pin the other back piece in place. Mine does not have a hem as I didn't need it, and I didn't want the extra bulk since this fabric is rather heavy.

Now we are ready to sew it all together with a 1/4" seam allowance. It is good to do some reinforcing stitches where the two back pieces overlap as there will be some tugging there each time the pillow is removed and put back. Once the stitching is done, clip a diagonal piece off of each corner so that the corner will turn better.

 
Turn the deeper half of the pillow, push out the corners, and insert pillow as seen below.

Now you can turn the top part, push out the corners, and you are done!

And the pillows are back on the sofa. Can you see them now?

As I was working on them I realized that by turning the back side to the front, the split and the top stitching gives it another, more rustic or Western look. It also resembles the seams in the real leather of the chair. If I do that, I think I need to put a circle of dark Velcro in the center of the split as it tends to gap just a bit. I am also thinking a Western style metal button in the center of the slit will dress it up a bit and give it a little 'bling'.

Nate Burkus showed some embellishments he made to some plain pillows on one of his shows, so I am thinking belt? wrap a fringed burlap strip in the middle or some wider grosgrain ribbon in a sage green since I have green as an accent color in the whole house? Or the green grosgrain ribbon in the center of the burlap strip? So maybe my UFO isn't quite finished yet!

After I finished that I decided to look in the drawer that hold my small stash of fabric and found another project I never got around to making, plus 3 small pieces of fabric that I don't think I really had an idea what I would use it for, but I liked them at the time. And I still do. So I will have to find some kind of project where I can use them. But I think the next project will be the bag full of pieces for a tote bag. There are two sunflower panel squares and matching sunflower print that I bought to machine quilt around the sunflower panels, and use the matching print for the sides and lining. I had even bought black webbing for the handles. Maybe 25 years ago, when I was working in the craft and fabric department of a Ben Franklin store, I had made a bag like that with a duck panel as I was into collecting ducks at that time. The bag was on display in the store for a time to help sell the fabric. I had made the handles with the matching print fabric and they have worn thin and the filling is showing. Time to retire that one. I am ready for something new and bright - like sunflowers!