bedroom curtains

i meant to post this a while back.  i would say this is my first successful independent sewing project!  yeah.. i know.  how difficult is it to sew 4 straight lines?  it doesn't matter... i sewed a pair of curtains from scratch!!!  it's very exciting for me.  i think they're so beautiful.  they're in our 2nd bedroom, which we call the green room - mostly bc it's the room i get ready in & also because it's green :)

ps... i can't remember who the fabric designer is, but i got it at my favorite local fabric shop, sew to speak.  i sure love that place!

drafty doors

wow it's been cold outside!  cold enough to freeze our kitchen pipes ;)  a couple of weeks ago, as i sat on the floor trying to thaw the pipes with my hairdryer, i noticed we had a major draft under the back door.   i don't know how we missed this last winter.  

it reminded me of this project (posted on the paper pony last year).  filled with the motivation of not only a new project, but one i actually had a chance of completing, i decided to make a "draft blocker" of my own.   

although the paper pony version is so lovely with it's mismatch of beautiful fabrics, since mine would be laying on a dirty floor (where people constantly track in snow & mush), i thought i should use a more substantial (& less dirt revealing) fabric.  i found a really pretty soft grey corduroy & went to work.  below is the end product. 

it was so easy, i ended up making another for the front door.  at the end of the day i was beaming with pride (mostly because i finished a 1-day project in 1 day - & dj mentioned he was impressed with my sewing craftiness) - hahaha

note:  

• afterward i realized i could have used an old pair of corduroys (either a crazy color via jcrew clearance or a thrift store score).
• our doors are 35 inches wide so my fabric measured 37 inches long x 8 inches wide, which gave me a 1 inch seam allowance.
• each pillow used about 3 lbs of rice - fyi, the rice cost more than the fabric!
• i feel the need to mention that we are planning to paint the back door the same color as the trim (once a final trim color is picked)  :D

upholstery class #3

i can't believe i'm already on upholstery class #3.  i'm very excited to finally work on leggy chair!  this one will be all about learning how to make buttons, diamond backs & cleanly folding fabric around arms & legs.  the fabric i'm using is a japanese print by kokka that i got at sew to speak (my favorite fabric shop ever).   it's so pretty!  this is a tiny sneak peak of just how adorable this chair will look... i will update later when it's complete.  (i'm confident that there will be no tears this time - haha)

i am going to make this quilt...

i've just added it to my list of sewing projects.  reasons:  it's super cute, it will be great sewing practice with my new bernina, we need a new bedcover, & the pattern is free on amy buttler's website!!  now i just have to pick out 11 different fabric patterns :D

ps... amy buttler has all kinds of great patterns on her website.  click here to see them all (free pattern link is at bottom right)

new fun fabric

last weekend i went fabric shopping with my mom (so much fun!).  we visited my favorite fabric shop in columbus - sew to speak.   not only is it chocked full of beautiful, unique, affordable fabrics, but the woman who owns it is genuinely nice & super knowledgeable.  our purpose for visiting was to grab some fabric samples for another project i'll be sharing in the near future.  in the meantime i got these great prints!

ps... this is also where i got the awesome leo fabric for the fancy chair

upholstery class #2 (part 2)

here are pics from my first week of class (which was only 2 nights).  believe it or not, i'm a lot further along than i was at this point in upholstery class #1.  hahaha

i did think i would remember more from the first class.  oh well... as a friend of mine says, repetition is the mother of all learning  :)

for more pictures click here

upholstery class #2 (part 1)

i start my 2nd upholstery class at fabric farms on monday (before & after photos from my 1st upholstery class can be found here).  i'm super excited to revamp what i've dubbed the "fancy chair", which was given to us by dj's great aunt helen.  when i removed the fabric i found a card stapled to the arm that said the frame was made in 1959.  i find that kind of stuff really cool.  

so here is the plan: 

• update the wood frame with glossy black paint
• update the fabric with super cute & whimsical "leo" fabric (by Alexander Henry - below)
• scotch guard the hell out of the chair when complete

this is where i really wish i was a photoshop pro... then i could "recreate" the chair with it's new look.  fyi... if anyone knows how to do this, please share :)

     
 

seriously...  how great is this fabric?!?  i think it's going to look quite lovely. :)