Two Hour Window Update

Hi!

Today I thought I'd share a super easy, low cost, and no sew window transformation I recently completed.  As you all know, just a few weeks ago, Mom and I attempted the daunting task of slipcovering the RED couches - with great {I think} results! After completing the couches, the curtains that "dress" the patio doors started to look a little "circusy." See what I mean?

I had heard rumors of "drop cloth" curtains in blogdom and thought I'd give them a try. When I went to my local home-improvement store, there were several sizes of drop cloths to choose from. I went with 6'x9'.  I love the linen look of the canvas!

I got two drop cloths - one panel for each side of my patio doors. 

Here is the final cost:

Not too shabby!

I washed and partially dried the drop cloths, removing them from the dryer while still a tad damp. Then I  ironed them to get all the wrinkles out {Ironing was the hardest part, it just requires some patience}.  Once that was done, I adjusted the length of the curtains by folding the unused portion behind the top and used my curtain clip rings to clip them in place on the fold line!  Easy, peasy!

Here is the finished result:

To me, the room is starting to feel much more serene and "grown up." The neutral palette is also a plus, since we'll be putting our townhouse on the market soon. Keep your fingers crossed for selling - I'd love to find a new dream house! 

Weekend Update {In Pictures}

As this long weekend draws to a close {I was off for President's Day - for those of you who had to work, I'm sorry!}, I find myself thankful for many things.

Of those things, these three are at the top of my list:

•  I am thankful for parents who are willing to use their long weekend to come to my house and work their fingers to the bone THE WHOLE WEEKEND
• I am thankful for a husband who is supportive of my creative outlet - even when that means our home is disheveled for a few days while I create
•  I am thankful for friends who are understanding of my {crafty} addiction and do not let my "flaking out" on things get in the way of our friendship

And now, a visual recap of my weekend:

Although the plan was to wake up bright and early to get started with the slip covering process on Saturday morning, a different project took precedence...

"What is that thing?" you might ask....well, that "Thing" is a little gifty for a sweet little cousin's 1st birthday! This little ballerina is sporting tie-on toe shoes, a removable tu-tu and a fancy hair piece (she is also wearing false eyelashes). Her "hands" velcro closed so she is great at practicing her ballet as well as giving hugs. Happy Birthday, sweet J!

After we got our creative juices flowing with the ballerina project, we then began the task of creating the slip covers. It started a little something like this...

Me: "What do we do first?"

Mom: "I don't know, let's just stare at the fabric for inspiration."

Ok, that's not exactly how it went. First we removed the cushions from the red couches. I guess I should show my "before picture".  Again, I should say that there is NOTHING WRONG with my current couches and ottoman - I am just tired of the red {it's pretty design limiting when the urge to change things hits}. 

Ok, so like I was saying, the first thing we did was remove the cushions from the cushion covers and then we used these covers as a base for our pattern for new covers.

Measure, measure, measure...

Sew...

Sew...

Sew...

{Dear Elna Sewing Machine Company, as you can see, we are an Elna family. You should give us some sort of prize. Thanks!}

The couch has three box cushions, the chair-and-a-half has one. Box cushions are NOT EASY! In addition to being hard to get lined up just so...they also require a TON of piping {in order to have that professional "finished" look}. To make piping, you need bias tape and cording. We purchased the cording and then made the bias tape. 

Measuring for the bias tape {bias tape is cut on the 45' angle} while mom removes a "learning opportunity" from a box cushion. 

Sewing the cording in the bias tape to make piping.

By Saturday night, we had what seemed like miles of piping made and had finished two cushions.  

Sunday was spent finishing the cushions. Don't they look great on the red frame? Perhaps I should just stop here... thoughts?

Once all the cushions were made, we started to make the rest of the slip cover. We saved this part of the project for last. Warning...neither of us has done this before. I started by using craft paper to make a pattern for the arms.

We added more piping to the arm pieces of the slip cover and then draped the rest of the couch frame with fabric and began to pin our seam lines. 

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My old couch cushions were connected to the back of the couch. In this picture, you can see where we pinned the cushion covers down to the frame.

Once all the seams were pinned, we carefully removed the cover from the frame and sewed it together. 

This is not the final product {there is still a bit of hemming to do}... but it looks nearly complete! 

What do you think? Doesn't look like a slipcover, right? The beauty of this is that we can still use the pull out sofa beds in both couches, AND remove the cover for washing.  

I am loving it so far! 

Mom went home tonight and the couch is not yet complete - It still needs to be sewn. Also, I still have the ottoman to do. It's amazing how much time a project like this takes, but if you have the time and determination, it can certainly be a money saver. I tallied up the cost and at the end of the project, re- doing both couches and ottoman will have cost me $140 {including all material and notions - and YES I got a bargain on my upholstery fabric. Thanks, Sirs Fabric}.  To get one couch reupholstered {slip covers are MORE time consuming} it can cost between $1000 and $1500. Wow! 

Now that I have this more neutral palette in my living room, there are other changes in the works. 

Stay tuned!

P.S. - Like my pincushion at the top of the post? Another mini-project completed this weekend!

DIY Throw Pillow Tutorial: Give it a try!

When we bought our 2 couches close to 6 years ago they came accessorized the way I'm sure many couches do - with 4 throw pillows made of the exact same material as the couches themselves.  Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this. In fact, those little pillows have served us well; however, I'm tired of the red! My next big project is making slipcovers for my couches, but until that time comes, I'll be satisfied making a few cute throw pillows. Today, I thought I'd share some instructions for how to make a removable pillow cover of your own! I have chosen to save $ by only making the pillow front out of the designer decor fabric. This way, you only need a piece slightly larger than your pillow front! Use a sturdy but inexpensive fabric for the backing of the pillow. These pillows are so easy to make because there are no zippers or buttons required -- and they can be easily removed for cleaning or to decorate for the seasons.

Here is what you'll need:

Once you have your materials together, get started by measuring your pillow. My pillow is square in shape, and you can see that it is 18.5 inches in length.

Now that we know our pillow size, we need to cut one piece of the front pillow fabric to fit. I would recommend adding 1/2 inch to each side {in my case, I would cut a 19 inch square}. This will allow for a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Now that this square is cut, cut two pieces from the backing fabric. Mine are 19.5 inches wide and about 15 inches in height. These pieces will overlap to form an "envelope" closure for the back of your pillow.

Once my pieces were cut, I used my sewing machine {set on overcast stitch} and stitched across one end of the backing fabric {both pieces}. I did this so that my fabric will not fray.

Now that I have those ends sewn, turn the ends under 1 inch and press {Don't skip this step!}

Hem both pieces

Now, place the right sides of "fancy fabric" and the right side of the "envelope" top piece together. Lining the top edge with the middle of the fancy fabric.

Now place the other backing piece on top of the first two. Position this piece so that there is about a 3 inch overlap between the hemmed edges of the backing fabric. 

Since we were just eye-balling the measurement of the backing fabric, there will be excess material on the top and bottom. Cut this off.

Now that all the sides are even, pin the top and bottom. 

Then sew, sew, sew {using a 1/2 inch seam allowance}.

Clip the corners on the diagonal so that your pillow will have crisp points

Now, turn the pillow inside. Use a chop stick to push out the corners. 

Time to iron! Using your fingers, work the seam out and press.

Almost done! Now, start to slip in the pillow!

All done!  

That wasn't so bad, was it? I'd love to see what you create!