My 1950's Chair ~ A Makeover Story

The cool little chair that sat in my Gram's bedroom for decades, finally got a makeover! This is the Before picture...
I agonized for several days about which fabric to reupholster her in...a fun vintage 50's barkcloth?...a pretty 1940's floral?...a tropical?...a patchwork of vintage cutter tablecloths?...or maybe the awesome Anna Maria Horner fabric I just got? You see my dilemma. So, I decided it would be best to use a plain unbleached canvas for the upholstery and make slipcover's to suit my current whim. :-)
Let me just say, that the upholstery part went MUCH faster than the slipcover part! It went something like this...First the old dry rotted fabric came off and the individual pieces were labeled with a sharpie.
Then I traced each piece onto muslin, and cut out enough to mark a 5/8 inch seam allowance.
After I had all my pattern pieces cut out and marked, I turned my attention to the base of my chair and added a bit to the existing padding by covering with several layers of cotton batting. Once I had finished fiddling with the pattern pieces and tested the fit, I was ready to cut out my canvas and staple it to the frame.

And then finished it off with the arm caps.

Altering the pattern pieces into a slip cover proved to be quite a challenge. There was a lot of wimpering and a near fatal incident with my evil serger that almost made me scrap the entire project. But I muddled through, and I have to say, I think she looks very sassy in her new dress. For the first slipcover I decided to use a bold teal and blue dress fabric from the 1950-60's and trim it out with piping made from a Garden Party fabric by Anna Maria Horner.
The back closes with simple ties.All in all it was a fun project. :-)
This DIY is also part of the link party over on A soft Place to Land.
And a big Thank You! to LuAnn for sharing this project on her Back Home Again blog! :-)

Fabric Folder Portfolio Tutorial

This week I made a couple more fabric portfolio folders, and so as promised, I'm here to show you how I made them. I decided not to use the iron-on vinyl with these, but I'm not totally giving up on the laminated cover idea, yet. ;-)
Let's get started...

1.) First you'll need 3 pieces of fabric all cut to 13"x10". (you can customize the size to your specific needs). And 2 pocket pieces 6.5"x5.5".2.) Iron a fusible interfacing to the 2 fabrics that will be your outer and lining fabrics and cut the third piece in half so you have 2 pieces 6.5"x10".

3.) Next, hem the top of the pocket pieces and baste them onto the fabric that you just cut in half. I also added a small strip of fabric to hold a writing pad.

4.) Now, fold back the inside edge of these two pieces about a half an inch. Press and stitch down.
5.) Position pocket pieces onto your lining fabric. (I left a 1" gap between the two sides.) And sew around all four sides.

6.) Next, with right sides together, pin your outer fabric to your lining and pocket fabric. Sew around all four sides leaving a small opening in the bottom.

7.) Clip corners and turn right side out through the opening.

8.) Press and top stitch around the sides being sure to close up the opening in the bottom.

9.) Then sew several rows of stitching down the center in that 1" gap area. 10.) Cut cardboard to size and slip between the pocket and lining.11.) Slip in a 5x8 writing pad and you're done! If anything isn't clear, just yell.

If you're not ready to try this project on your own, I'll have a few of these in pretty vintage fabrics on the website or in the Etsy shop this week.

Happy sewing!

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Let's Sew a Zippered Pouch ~ A Tutorial

After hearing several comments from readers that they had never sewn in a zipper before or were intimidated by the thought of installing a zipper, I decided to put together a little tutorial.
I should preface this 'How-to" by saying that it may not be the only way or even the best way to do it. I'm mostly a self-taught, learn by trial and error, kind of sewist, so precede at your own risk. LOL

Go and gather up your materials (list below) and we'll do a fun project together. Go on...I'll wait...

What you'll need:
*2 pieces of outer fabric fused with interfacing and 2 pieces lining fabric all cut to the same size. (I think mine are 9.5" x 6.5", but this method will work with any size, even a small change purse.)
*A zipper (with nylon? teeth, not metal). (As you can see in the pictures, my zipper is longer than my fabric, which is not a problem. But, ideally you want the full length of the zipper, including the tails, to be at least as wide as your fabric.) Helpful tip: A zipper is sized by the length of the teeth, so figure that a 7"zipper is really 8-8.5"L including the tails. A 9" zipper is 10-10.5"L including the tails, and so on.
*Pins
*A zipper foot and regular foot for your machine

Ok, is everyone ready? Start by layering your first side: a piece of lining face up, zipper face up, and outer fabric face down. Line up top edges and pin.

Using your zipper foot, sew across the top. When you near the end before the zipper pull, stop with your needle down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot and open the zipper so the pull is out of your way. Lower the foot and continue sewing to the end.
Now, fold back the fabrics and press. Next, layer the second side. Lining fabric face up, zipper face up, outer fabric face down.Line up top edges and pin. This time the zipper pull will be in your way right off the bat, so go ahead and open it up a bit before you start sewing.Again, when you get to the pull, stop with the needle down in the fabric, close it back up and continue sewing to the end. Fold back and press. This is what your piece should look like.At this point put the regular foot back on your machine and decide if you want to add a loop tab or label or if you want to top stitch. Usually if I'm using quilt weight fabrics I don't top stitch, but with heavier barkcloth or decorator fabric I will.

Optional top stitching, loop, and label: To top stitch, sew through the top and lining fabrics. With heavier or bulky fabrics this helps to keep them out of the way of the zipper.If you add loop tab or label, be sure to sew them to the outer fabric only.

Now, very important step...open the zipper to an inch or so from the edge of the fabric.

Pin the 2 outer fabrics right sides together and the 2 lining fabrics right sides together. The teeth of the zipper will be pointing toward the lining.
Sew around all 4 edges, leaving a small opening in the bottom of the lining. I also backstitch over the zipper on each side for added strength.Now you can clip the corners and trim off any excess zipper if yours was longer, like mine.
Reach inside the lining opening and turn right side out. Sew up the opening in the lining. Press and TaDa!...you've made a zippered pouch. :-)See, wasn't that easy?

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Vintage Fabric Photo Matting Tutorial

I love the sepia toned photos in the living room, but with just plain white mattings they looked a little dull. I decided to add some interest with pretty vintage fabrics that coordinated with the room. Here's how I did it...
Step 1- I purchased several photo mattings, (on sale at Hobby Lobby) and then chose my fabrics.
Step 2- I cut the fabric to the same height and width as the matting. On the interior, I cut out the center leaving about an inch of fabric on all sides.
Step 3- Cut a diagonal line to each corner.

Step 4- On the right side of the matting, I placed a line of glue near the outside edge (basic glue stick) and positioned the fabric lining up the edges.

Step 5- Flip the matting over and fold and secure the inside edges.

Step 6- Center your picture and place in the frame. That's it! A pretty easy way to brighten up a picture wall.

This project is also part of the "Make Your Monday" link event on Kim's Twice Remembered blog. Click here for other Make Your Monday participants.

Moss Lined Flower Basket ~ A Garden How-To

I was able to get my hanging baskets planted this week, so I thought I would share a gardening How-To. I love the naturalized look of moss lined flower baskets. They are so much prettier than a plastic pot and surprisingly easy to do.


What you will need:

* Wire basket (mine is an 18 inch)

* long fiber sphagnum moss

* rubber gloves

* potting soil

* small plastic garbage bag

* bucket of water (for soaking moss)

*pretty flowers and trailing plants



Step 1 - Wearing rubber gloves (and a mask if you're sensitive to dust), soak the long fiber sphagnum moss in the bucket of water. Squeeze out the excess water and begin lining your basket.
Step 2 - Once your basket is lined with about 1 - 1 1/2 inches of moss, place a small circle of plastic with holes punched in it, in the bottom of the basket. This will help retain soil and moisture. (BTW, at the end of the season, keep your plastic piece with your basket and reuse it next year. I've been using this same circle of plastic for 7 or 8 years now)
Step 3 - Fill with potting soil and press in up the sides. I use a soil with a slow release fertilizer.Step 4 - Now start putting in your plants. I start with my larger anchor plants. This year I used Chartreuse sweet potato vine and a pink and green coleus. Step 5 - Fill in with smaller plants and flowers. My baskets are in filtered sun all day, so I chose bright multi-colored impatiens. Step 6 - Hang your basket, water, and enjoy!
Some people like to trim the the moss close to basket, but I prefer the look of the little hanging pieces. :)
Enjoy the weekend, everyone and Happy gardening!