Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Yellow Chair Slipcover Part 2


So I finally had a few minutes to get back
to my chair slipcover project.

I am struggling with how these
photos are showing up, 
but I suppose that is what happens with
an orange chair and a yellow tape measure.


I thought long and hard
about how I wanted to make this slipcover.

With an upholstered chair,
you often use a lot of pieces in order
to really mold and fit around the frame.

But with a slipcover, 
you can simplify the lines
and do larger pieces that just
smooth over the frame.

I decided to skip the front band piece
between the seat and skirt.



I like to start my slipcovers by making 
a "muslin". 

I know some people are brave
and can make the slipcover with the 
actual fabric and do a great job.

However, I prefer a fitted slipcover
 and I don't want to run the risk 
of wasting my fabric if I make a big mistake.


So I start with big rectangles of a muslin 
fabric that I can write on and cut to fit.

I use drapery lining fabric
because I have a lot left over from 
old window treatment projects.

But you can use regular muslin
or an old sheet,
or just some fabric you don't love.

I would use a fabric with the same 
amount of give that your slipcover fabric has
because you want to know how it will lay 
on the chair.


I center the rectangle on the seat and then start
tucking it in, all around.

Then I cut away the excess,
so that I can start to get the shape
of the seat to use as a pattern piece.

But I am careful to leave enough
to have a seam allowance.



This is the corner of the seat 
and covers that front band.

I will cut off that excess at the corner
so that it is fitted.


Once I got the seat piece cut the way I wanted it,
I put the rectangle of fabric on the back and
did the same thing.


So I start tucking and cutting
into the corners to get the shape.



Don't cut too deeply into the corners
because you are going to need 
seam allowances to sew.

Next, I pinned all along the curve
of the chair back.

This is important for this chair,
because if I cut it straight,
it would not fit properly.

I trimmed off the extra,
leaving a seam allowance of about 5/8".


I put my clear quilting ruler on the top
of the back of the chair,
so you can see how curved it is.

When I cut the piece that goes
on the top and sides
of the back, I will need to take this into account.


Next I pinned the next rectangle
over the arm and started
pinning the front curve.

The clear quilting ruler
is useful here too,
for showing the angle of the arm front.


Then I pinned the outside arm panel
to the inside arm panel,
which wrapped around the arm.

I left enough seam allowance to pin
the arm pieces together.


Then I pinned another piece
to the front of the arm,
pinning all along the curve.


Following the curve of the arm,
I trimmed off the excess ,
leaving a seam allowance.


I used a soft pencil to trace
the line of the piping underneath.

This is just a good way to mark the
shape of the chair on the pieces.


Ok, that is all I have for today.

More photos coming.

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Friday, January 20, 2012

Another Yellow Chair Slipcover Project


I know I said I was working on my
sofa slipcover,
but the truth of the matter is
that I am procrastinating. 


You see, the sofa is a really big project.

And I need to make A LOT of piping
for the sofa slipcover.

Yeah, the sofa is that yellow
floral piece next to the
little orange slipper chair 
that I bought at Goodwill last year.


And while I like the orange,
it is stained, 
worn bare in places,
and goes with not
one thing in the house.

But, I bought the chair
because I love it!

And it was only $14.99.

It is short and small
and my feet touch the floor
when I sit in it!


And I went diving into my fabric stash
and found this beautiful linen floral.

I bought this years ago
when I was working as an interior
designer for Laura Ashley stores
here in the U.S.

And before they closed the stores,
I bought this linen and the matching
yellow corded welt.

But wait!

That fabric looks familiar!


Oh yeah.

It is the same fabric that my old
yellow floral sofa is covered in.

I knew I loved it!

Did I mention that I love yellow?

And it is rainy and gray outside,
so that means that I must create
my own sunshine.


So now it is time to sketch and measure
the chair.


 I know that people make slipcovers
all kinds of ways.

But I am very mathematical in my thinking,
so it helps me to sketch
and measure when I start
the project.

I will take photos of the process
as I go and post,
so you can see how I make slipcovers.


Happy sewing!

Sivje






Thursday, January 19, 2012

McCalls 6388- She Loves It!


Ahnalin loves to look through the pattern catalogs
when we go to the fabric store.


She fell in LOVE
and just begged me to sew it for her.

In fact, 
in true Ahnalin fashion,
she told me about the fabrics
in my stash that she thought would be perfect!



This is the first combo she wanted.

I can't remember where I 
found this patchwork cotton 
lycra knit in the first place,
but Ahnalin has had her eye on it for quite
some time.

And this "Paper Snowflake"
corduroy is from Sandi Henderson's
"Meadowsweet" line for Michael Miller.


We added the blue rick rack to coordinate
with the legging fabric.

And Ahnalin chose the buttons too.


I think my favorite part about this pattern
is the sleeves.

The pattern actually shows gathers
but I wanted to make pleats instead.

I made them the size 8 in length
and size 6 in width.

I didn't actually measure the pattern
pieces on her this time,
because sleeves are ALWAYS too short
on her.

Not this time!


And of course,
there are pockets!!

And they are trimmed with rick rack!


I had to add 4 inches in length to the
legging pattern!

I cut the size 6 in width
and size 8 in length PLUS 4 inches
and they are the right length for now.

We found these darling
hot pink and orange shoes
at Target and added
white eyelet trimmed socks too.


I really wish I had purchased the smaller
size pattern because
I think a size 4 in width would
fit her much better than the 6.


She is SKINNY and
this pattern is roomy!


But she loves it.

It is a cozy outfit.

By the way,
she insisted I take a picture
of her eating her favorite
Jo-Jos cookies.

Ok.


Like I said,
she loves the outfit!

She has already chosen the next
fabric combo
for the same pattern.


And of course,
we need a little "Classic Ahnalin".


So, what am I working on now?



Well, I was invited to a lunch and craft party
with women from our new church,
so I pleated up this "Henna Garden"
from my stash.

I am attempting to smock again and praying my
hands don't scream too badly.

I do miss smocking so much!

And I am also working on
a new slipcover for my sofa.

Yeah, photos to come when I have some
to show for myself!

Thank you for your prayers for India.

She is soldiering on,
and very tired of her giant splint on
her foot.

Her blood sugars FINALLY stabilized
and she started back to college
on Tuesday.

And guess what!!

She is taking costuming classes!!!


Thank you for your prayers for our family.

If I can so boldly make one more request,
it would be prayer for a closer
full time job for Don.

In addition to his job as music director
for our church,
he works full time as an audio and
acoustical engineer.
He commutes 3-4 hours every day
to work.
We are so so so grateful for the jobs,
but he is exhausted all the time

I am so blessed to have a loving,
committed, and godly husband,
who sacrifices daily for us.

Please pray that he can find
a job with benefits closer to home.

Thank you so much for the prayers and encouragement.

Sivje


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Look What Came In The Mail For Me!


Way back in December,
Sew Mama Sew
hosted  "Giveaway Day"
and I had planned on participating.

But life happened and my hands
were still a major mess,
and I never did.

But I DID enter
lots of giveaways for goodies!

And I was so blessed to win some!!
This was an extra major treat for me
because I had put myself on a 
major fabric diet!

I had not purchased fabric since
I bought all the Rapunzel costume fabrics.

So gorgeous new designer fabric 
was not a treat I was allowing myself
(like sugar, which was also verboten!)

Anyway, I WON
this FABULOUS Fat Quarter Stack
of Sunny Happy Skies 
fabric from Riley Blake!!!!!!
They picked me and posted my answer
to their question of what I bake
at Christmas time. 
I wrote that I bake Spanikopita
and you know how that turned out this year!

Thank you Riley Blake for this gorgeous fabric!!

And then I won this!


This little box of awesomeness!!

This is Pearl Cotton embroidery floss
in yummy colors! 

I guess I have to get busy
with more embroidery!!!

I just love these colors!

Thank you Cricket


And last,
but most certainly not least,
I won this Thread Catcher pattern
from Candice at Made with Love.

I need to make this right away!
My family will be so happy to 
NOT see thread everywhere.

I am so excited to use my goodies!!!

Thank you all so much!

Now, I hope I get to finish an 
outfit I have been slowly working on 
for Ahnalin.

I have been pretty busy taking care of 
my patient India.

She is still in a lot of pain but 
she seems to be feeling better
and has been keeping some food down.

Thank you all for your prayers!!
We feel them and are so grateful.





Tuesday, January 10, 2012

India's Surgery Update

Thank you For your prayers. India is home and finally doing better.
Her surgeon was able to repair her tendon and remove a lot of scar tissue from the damaged area. India's Type 1 Diabetes wrecked havoc with her before and after the surgery, but after several different types of pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and antibiotics, she is feeling better. Several frantic phone calls to the nurse and surgeon finally netted the right combination. The pain was so intense that it caused her adrenaline to spike her blood sugar, which caused hours of vomiting. This meant she was unable to eat anything. But finally, at about 9:00 PM she was able to eat and the pain meds stayed down. So, even though she can still feel the pain, she is loopy enough not to care.
Please continue to pray for my sweetie. I am sure this kind of surgery is painful by itself. But the addition of Type 1 Diabetes is not an easy one.

I am so grateful for praying friends. Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to us.
Thank you.


Note: this is my first time posting on my iPad and auto correct is driving me nuts!! I am hoping I caught all the weird word substitutions. If there is a wrong word or something funky, please forgive me. I am still learning this new thing.
Sivje

Monday, January 9, 2012

Pajamas, Prayer, and Bad Christmas Photos


Yes, I know it is the ninth of January
and I am just now posting photos of Christmas morning.

But I have been trying,
in my VERY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING,
to make something of these blurry photos.
You see, 
I DID make the girls matching Christmas jammies.


And Ahnalin received
the Disney Animators Mulan Doll
from her Daddy and me.


And she received her Molly doll
from her Nana and Papa.


And I made matching jammies for Molly too.


And India received a biography about her 
favorite boss.


And Don received a t-shirt with his namesake
on it!


And me.........

Yeah, my Hot Rockin' Hubby 
bought me an iPad2!

I still need to learn so much about 
how to use my drafting programs on it.

It feels super decadent to me,
but it is my computer.

I have been using Don's old 
MacBook and he needs it back!

So, I need to figure it out.

I am VERY open to any and all
tips and thoughts from 
anyone!



After we opened our gifts
and had some breakfast,
we headed to church for the Christmas service.

It was a beautiful service,
worshiping the newborn King Jesus
with our new church family. 

Because Don is the music minister,
he made the decision to 
have India join us in singing the
Christmas carols.

So, I got to sing with my India
and my HRH together.

What a gift!


After church,
the girls put their Christmas jammies
back on because they were so cozy.

And yes, the oven DID catch on fire
while I was making the Spanikopita.

I had planned on taking lovely photos
and posting the recipe. 

Really. 

But I couldn't find Ahnalin's camera
and my phone was taking these blurry shots
and I used too much butter
for the first time in 23 years of making this
and THE OVEN CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!!!!!

So we ran next door
and the neighbors had a fire extinguisher
and brought it over to put out the flames.

And God protected us so much,
because the fire was contained
to just the inside of the oven.

Thankfully,
the rest of Christmas dinner was food
I could make on top of the stove. 

So crazy!!!

Don wanted to clean the oven
but I said it could wait until
after Christmas dinner!!!!!!

He did it anyway. 

It is very clean now. 

Thank you Don!

After dinner,
we went to see 
The Muppets for the 2nd time.

This time, we all sang along.

You see, it was at the bargain theater
and everyone else was in a Christmas mood, so 
EVERYONE WAS SINGING ALONG!

It was a lovely Christmas day!

And yes, I am going to buy a new
fire extinguisher.



A few days later,
Ahnalin and I drove India to the 
airport so she could fly out to visit
her Chicago buddies!

She had a wonderful time,
but is SO READY to finally
have her surgery.

So, this morning
we are heading to the hospital for her
pre-op with the anesthesiologist.

Her surgery is set for 12:50 tomorrow,
but we are praying that the hospital will
move up her surgery slot so she can 
go in earlier.

With her Type 1 diabetes,
fasting for surgery is difficult.

Please, please pray for my girl.

Please.

Please pray that the surgeon will
be able to repair the tendons in her
right foot. 

Please pray that he can figure out 
what the strange lump is on
her ankle, and correct or 
remove it.

Please pray for India as she recovers,
that her blood sugars would remain stable
and that her immune system
will behave, for once,
so she can heal.
We really covet any prayers sent our way.

Thank you so much. 

I will update soon.

Sivje

Thursday, January 5, 2012

What Ahnalin Made Us For Christmas


This year for Christmas,
Ahnalin made all her gifts!

I am so proud of my girl!

She came up with the ideas all on her own
and then planned out how she
would design and sew them.

Our family is CRAZY for 
The Muppets!

In fact, we saw the movie
for the second time 
on Christmas Day!
(This was after the oven caught fire,
because I learned that you CAN use too 
much butter in Spanikopita!)


So when Ahnalin saw this Kermit
fleece at Joanns,
she HAD to have some to make
a scarf for Daddy!

She wanted to embroider his
name on it,
so she set up the font
and hooped
the fabric too.

Then she sat and kept an eagle
eye on it while the machine was
embroidering.

Afterward, she cut strips on
each end of the scarf and tied knots.

The handsome wool cap
was India's gift to Daddy.

I think he looks very handsome in his new
scarf and cap from his girls.

Don't you agree?


She made this beautiful
red ruffled breakfast pillow 
for her big sister.

I am over-the-moon
in love with it!

I couldn't get it to 
photograph very well,
so yes, it is 
outside in a tree 
in this picture.

Again,
she drew out what she wanted
to make and then 
figured out how to make her 
design a reality. 
 
She wanted the ruffles on the top
of the pillow, 
not in the edge seams.

And she wanted India's name
embroidered too.

She tried to do it by hand
but got too frustrated 
and decided to use 
the alphabet stitch 
on my machine.

It is very well loved already
because India took it with her
on her trip to Chicago.



And for me..........

She made me a fabric envelope.

She wanted me to help her 
with the buttonhole.
 
So I had to do it with a blindfold
over my eyes.

I didn't actually see this finished
until Christmas Day.

She made the rest,
all of it.

And the best part............

what was in the envelope.



Oh my. 

Yep, I cried.

I am not sure how I feel 
about her 
thanking me for adopting her.

I mean, 
I am so blessed and grateful.

But wow. 

I have so many feelings 
about this one........

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE my present.
 
It was made with love by my sweet
precious baby girl.

And when we go through
days where her RAD pops up
with a vengeance,
I can think about my letter
and know she loves me. 

I love her heart.

I love her so very much.

Thank you Ahnalin for 
our beautiful,
"Made-with-love" 
gifts.

You are one of my very favorite gifts.