Finally started.... and finished

This is such a small set of finished objects I am ashamed to show you, but I do love them so I will.

We redecorated our lounge and hall around 18-24 months ago.  We were keeping our old sofas, as they refuse to die, no matter what sabotage I do to them.  (That will teach me to object next time we buy very cheap furniture.)  The old sofas had throw cushions on them that really didn't coordinate with our swanky new decor, so I told the OH that buying swanky new material to make cushions would be a great idea, as it would pull the whole room together.  It would definitely be cheaper than buying new cushions or covers in the style we would like.  He agreed with my arguments and let me order the fancy fabric online (after seeing a sample).  The fabric arrived and we both loved it, and then it went into a cupboard.  That was 12 months ago.

After we finally got new curtains and curtain rail the other week and got them put up last weekend, I felt shamed into getting on with the cushion covers.  It took all of 1 and a half whole hours to cover the three cushions, and that was allowing for me having to think about how to do it.  I present to you, a pile of new cushions. TA DAH!!!!

See what I mean about the swanky material?  I love it so much and I've got a couple of metres left, which I'm going to make into a back support cushion for me.  If I have any left after that, I plan on making a fabric cover for a plastic crate for storing my WIPs in.  Though knowing how long it took to do the cushions you may be waiting for around 52 more FO Fridays to see those!

Doesn't this fabric go well with the new curtains?  We weren't even thinking about the fabric we'd bought when we chose the curtains, but I suppose they were all supposed to tie in with our feature wall, which is a darker silver green than the curtains.

 

 

The light was different on the two days that these photos were taking, but take my word for it, that the colours are pretty much the same but in different shades.

The cushion covers were made in a simple envelope style, as I didn't have zippers and really couldn't be bothered to buy them.  The OH actually prefers them without zippers.  He listed lack of zippers as a good thing when he was commenting on them.  He doesn't like the way they sometimes dig into you.  Obviously this makes me psychic because I never knew this bothered him before.

The backs look like this.

I was lucky to get three widths of cushion covers out of the width of the fabric, which meant the pattern was going the same way with each of them.  I hemmed both short ends of the fabric and folded them over to form the envelope.  Does anyone else find it weird when making these things, that the flaps seem to be all backwards when you are looking at them from the inside?

I seamed the two long edges using an allowance of approximately 5/8ths of an inch.
I left the large seam allowance because the fabric had a tendency to fray.  After thinking about the capabilities of my new machine and the fancy feet it came with I decided to try an experiment.  I used the foot and stitch that allowed me to stitch "over the edge" of the fabric, almost like a serger.

It's fantastic.  It takes a little while to sew this edge, but it stopped the fraying so well, I know that I will use this again.  No more zig zag stitch on the edges for me, this looks so much more professional and accurate.

So once I turned it right side out, I slipped the old flat cushions inside.  As you can see I made the covers slightly smaller than the cushions, so they are plumped up a bit inside.  I'm quite proud of thinking of this, instead of it being an accident, I actually planned to do it!

So there you have it, a very simple and tardy project, but I'm soooo pleased with them.  In a way it was better to wait so long as the new sewing machine ensured they were much easier to make, and more carefully finished.  They also look really great with the new curtains!

Because it is a Friday, I am sharing this post with my friends over at; Tami's Amis for FO Friday, Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and Fibers on Friday at Visions of Sugar Plums.  These three blogs host great collections from fibre crafters from around the world.  I highly recommend you clicking on the buttons and checking some of them out.

Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM)

This weekend I finally finished my biggest sewing project to date. For me it was HUGE! For most sewing people it would probably be really simple, but a CraftyCripple it was a mammoth task.

One of my most comfortable positions is reclining on the sofa with my legs up. Our sofa has square arms so this position is not really possible without additional support. Until recently this support has been provided by a metal frame and skinny cushion. The one I have isn't as good as the one shown below, but this gives you the general idea.

This recliner was pretty uncomfortable and the metal supports often would dig in, despite the whole contraption being covered with every padded item available to woman. It also provided no support to my head, which meant that having my body in the most comfortable position often lead to my neck hurting. All this suffering has led to my plotting and planning for months as to how this contraption could be replaced with something better, more comfortable and above all more stylish. I am now half way to achieving that goal.

Last week I spent several hours measuring my sofa, measuring myself, working out angles and trying to remember my GCSE maths. I finally worked out all the sizes for the fabric I needed to cut to make the Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM). I then spent the rest of the day crawling around on the floor cutting all these pieces of fabric out. Then I went and lay down on my rubbish recliner and recovered for the next two days.

After I had recovered from my strenuous cutting activities I sat at my sewing machine and sewed all my pieces together and left a gap for the polystyrene beads to be poured in. I then went and lay down on my rubbish recliner and recovered for the next two days. You may notice a pattern forming here - this was the biggest sewing job I have ever attempted and it really made me pay physically.

This weekend I spent many hours playing with my polystyrene beads. I never wish to do so again. They get EVERYWHERE. They stick to everything as they are stuffed full of static and when they are not sticking to you they are running away from you as they are so light the breeze caused by the brush trying to sweep them up causes them to chase across the floor. They are very infuriating - but, and this is a very big BUT, they were the best thing I could have possibly used to fill my reclining cushion.

Here is the finished Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM). Well, it is the lining for the Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM). I decided that the stylish part of the cushion would come after I had recovered from the stress and strain of making the inner part.

It doesn't look much does it, but I assure you, it really is the Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM). Here is me using this fabulous piece of fabric engineering. You may not be able to tell, but that is bliss on my face.

The cushion is in two sections, the body and the headrest. Both have enough space for the beans to move around and adjust to the best position. The cushion is flexible and allows me to either lay back as in the picture or to sit more upright to work on crafts, while having my head supported.

Already I am in heaven with the Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM), but it will be even better when I recover enough to start covering it with some very gorgeous fabric, I bought especially to match our new lounge. I have to warn you, it may be some time before you see the final version of the Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM), but I am sure the wait will be worth it, because the fabric really is stunning.

Until I can share the wonder of the finished product, I will have to go lie down and recover on my Best Cushion in the World Ever(TM)........ ah heaven!

Cat Cushion

It appears that lovely though our new lounge floor is, our cat does not approve.  She refuses to sleep on the floor anymore and wanders around looking for something soft to sit on.  She has even taken to sitting on the sofa, which she never used to do.

I decided to make her a cushion for her to sleep on downstairs, so she can join us in the evenings, as she often wants to do.  I decided to make her cushion out of a fleece jacket she claimed a while ago.  The fleece jacket is too big for me but as it is very good quality material I could never bring myself to get rid of it.  My cat claimed it one day when it was put down and then tried to sleep on it whenever possible.  I let her keep it, but it looks too scruffy for our new lounge, not to mention it carries the risk of scratching our nice new floor with the zippers.  So I finally got round to changing a jacket into a cat cushion.

First I cut off the sleeves and removed the side seams, leaving the hemmed cuffs on.  I sewed the sleeves together down the long side and squared the edges as much as possible..  I then cut out the back, again removing the side seams.  I made the cut out fleece as square as possible, leaving the bottom hem intact.  I sewed the back to the square made with the sleeves to that the hem edges were at opposite ends of the fabric.

I then folded the right sides together and stitched down the long sides with the hemmed edges overlapping, like a pillowcase.

I apologise for the quality of the photo but you can see the seams from the sleeves and back and also the flap, even if it isn't in focus!

I then folded in half some cream poly-cotton fabric and lay the pillow on top and drew round the pillow to provide a template for an inner cushion.  I sewed up the sides and part way across the top, leaving a hand size gap in the seams.  I then pressed open the top seam and turned the pillow inside out to have the right side facing.  Taking some toy stuffing I very loosely stuffed the pillow, so it was around 1" thick all over and then ladder stitched the seam that had been left open.

I sewed on a press stud to keep the fleece cushion closed as the cat moved around on it.

I placed the pillow inside the fleece, closed the press stud and laid the new cushion down for the cat to find this evening.

I hope after all this trouble, she actually uses it!  She can be quite contrary sometimes.  If she does use it, at least it look much neater than the screwed up jacket that she used to use, and the fleece cover can easily be taken off to launder.  If she actually does use it I will try to get a photo, though she will be camouflaged quite well, being a black cat.

Finished Lounge

I thought that as I have been whinging about workmen for what seems like eons, I had better share the results of my misery with you all.

On Sunday evening we finally got our sofas and TV back in the lounge. There is nothing else in there but it means we can sit and appreciate our new fire and how relaxing the room is.

The fire has a remote control, which doesn't work. We are waiting for a the supplier to send a new one, or come and repair the sensor, whichever works. In the meantime it is no great hardship to use the button on the side of the chimney breast. The wire on the right hand side of the chimney breast is to connect the PC upstairs with the TV downstairs so we can surf the internet from our sofas! The OH is not going to set up the electrical equipment until he has a new TV/Audio stand as he doesn't want to have to plug and unplug wires more than once.

I love how the flames flicker and are reflected against the side of the fire. It is hypnotic and I can sit and stare for literally minutes, before I remember I have stuff to do.

We have always had an archway next to the chimney breast but until it was plastered and the wall light replaced we never really noticed it. Now we love it.

Another feature that has been transformed from the original state is the cupboard in the corner. This cupboard was really lifted by a lick of paint. It is White Cotton by Dulux in case you were wondering. The walls are also painted in the emulsion version of this colour.

I adore our new french doors. We took out one brick course and dropped the doors down but left the top of the door in the same place. Just a few inches more height has made the room much lighter. Even though the OH says that is just because we now have a white room.

We got all our internal doors dipped and stripped. I know that it isn't particularly good for the doors and all those nasty chemicals are not good for the planet, but the OH really really could not face spending the next 6 months with a blow torch and scraper. When we got our doors back eventually (they delivered the wrong ones initially) we were so pleased with the results. It wasn't until they began to dry out that we realised that we were lucky enough to have redwood doors! Apparently it was quite common for houses built in the 1930s to have this type of door. Once the doors are oiled they will be a pretty close match to the floor.

Ah yes the floor. Oh my, what can I say except it is GORGEOUS!!!! The floor alone makes me smile whenever I see it and makes the misery of the last few months disappear. The floor is jatoba, which is a South American hardwood. It was sourced responsibly and is FSC certified, so it was bought with a clear conscience. After looking at the engineered version and the solid wood version and looking at the difference in price we decided that for the extra couple of hundred pounds it would cost to cover the room, we were getting the solid wood. I am so glad we did because it has a real sense of solidity that engineered wood and laminate doesn't give. Once we decided on the floor we tried to find skirting boards to match. This was a total nightmare until we found a place that supplies oak skirting boards that they will stain and finish to match a sample that you provide. So we provided a sample and we are delighted with the results.

Here's another gratuitous floor porn shot.

When we started our enormous task of renovating our lounge, the trigger was getting the house rewired. We decided to gut the lounge and hall at the same time as we would need to re-plaster after the rewire. Right at the start of everything else we chose our lighting. I remember selecting it in the middle of a heat wave in August and having to leave the shop periodically to cool down. I had almost forgotten about the lights we had chosen until they were installed last week.

This is one of three wall lights. It casts a lot of the light upwards and the light that is cast downwards is very soft and subtle. I love the stainless steel and its contrast with the white glass.

I love the way the shadows are cast on the ceiling now. In particular that lovely arch we never noticed before.

The centre light makes me think of a UFO and is so different from the wooden gothic monstrosity we had before.

I love the fact that is neatly tucked up near the ceiling, unlike the candelabra we had before. I was always scared that one day someone slightly taller than average would knock themselves out on our embarrassing light. Between our four lights we have a great degree of control over how the lounge is lit, so we have perfect lighting for every occasion.

So there you have it. Our lounge, finally finished in time for Christmas. It probably won't get decorated in Christmas fashion but at least it looks very beautiful and it make us smile whenever we sit in it or even walk past it.

The only trouble with our gorgeous lounge is that it makes the rest of the house look as though it has been targeted with a brand new weapon - the scruff bomb. However, we are NOT going to do it all again upstairs next year. I have extracted a promise from the OH. If we do anything next year to this house, it will be done to the OUTSIDE of the house so I can have a little bit of peace and quiet to craft away to my hearts content!

If I don't post again before the end of year festivities, I hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones. Try to appreciate the time you have away from your normal activities and don't commit any acts of familial torture that will be unforgiven until the next decade. I know sometimes holidays can drive you insane, but its only once a year, try to enjoy it!