uncrossing my eyes

Monday 4 May 2009
Well the great unpicking adventure is finally done, I think I have further ruined my already poor eyesight by unpicking those little white zig zag stitches and the house is full of little white threads blowing around like tumbleweeds but it is done. Yay for me losing hours of time I'll never regain....

But it hasn't all been mind numbing un-sewing around here, we have been out stimulating the economy and buying new things to decorate the house despite not getting the government stimulus handouts or the baby bonus for that matter since Anna decided to come after 1 January when it became means tested. If she had of come on time we would be $5000 richer, so I've already told my husband we'll garnish the wages of her first job until she's paid it off LOL. Anyway I hope all of you Aussies getting those payments are enjoying my tax paying dollars to their fullest and are out buying things/services that make you happy (*rant rant rant rant*).

Two new lounges are being delivered tomorrow, and we bought a new floor rug so I thought I had better get on with making a new cover for an armchair with the fabric I bought that broke my fabric diet a little while ago. Surprisingly it only took two evenings after Anna went to bed, probably because I didn't make any mistakes that needed unpicking (phew!).

So the before and afters. I bought these two timber chairs years ago when I was a poverty stricken uni student from an op shop, and last year replaced the manky cushions with new foam and made covers from a thick cotton. It was a pretty rushed and shoddy job though, and the cotton stretched out and became all wrinkly:

The after is much better, if I do say so myself! I used a thick upholstery weight chenille in a bright fuschia bought from Spotlight, and I did the covering properly this time by wrapping the foam seats in wadding which pads it out a little and softens the edges of the foam and looks far more professional. I also put the piping around the narrow sides of the cushion rather than around the seat of the cushion. Plus I think the chenille is a more suitable fabric for this style of chair (1950s?60?):

Now I've just got to give the chair a light sand and restain with a dark teak oil, and recover a matching foot stool as well. I also have some buttons to cover with matching fabric and I'm tossing up whether to sew them onto the chair cushions in a tufted style. There is never a shortage of things to do around here that's for sure!

I've also been taking armloads of fabric up to my new sewing studio and despite making many trips I've still not finished gathering all of my fabric stash from various spots around my house and my parents house into the one place yet! The highlight of this week will be folding, folding and more folding but since I'm the type that likes things neat and orderly I will find perverse pleasure in having my fabric all folded neatly and exactly.....

And in Anna news she is 4 months old and off for her second round of immunisations this week. She also rolled over for the first time the other day - which is the reason we had to buy a floor rug because she rolled off her little playmat onto the floorboards which I think surprised her and she let out a ginormous wail! I would too if I was getting up close and personal with a hard floor. Now we really have to keep an eye on her since she's worked out that she can move around. Here she is testing out the new chair cover (I think it gets her approval since this photo was taken mid flailing of arms and legs and her dolphin sounding laugh):

21 comments:

  1. The chair turned out great! The color is beautiful. And Anna, what can I say... she sure is growing fast! What a cutie... We used to take pillows and put them under the edges of the blankets so that the kids couldn't roll too far. Kinda like baby bumpers on the floor instead of the crib!
    Have fun with all the folding! What a pleasant pass time that will be!

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  2. No stimulation coming my way either :( I'm more than annoyed that my taxpayer dollars have gone towards something like that!

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  3. You did a great job on the chair. It looks fantastic! Anna is such a cutie. Enjoy the fact that she can't move far while you can; I have visions of her getting amongst that folded fabric in a few months.

    I didn't get the stimulus package handout either (although probably for a different reason) but my son did, so I can enjoy the spending vicariously. I think that's what kids are for - so you can watch them doing all the things you wish you could have done ...

    And by the way, I think I have that same cute tablecloth!

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  4. Great job on the chair. It looks super professional. Anna is growing fast, as they do. :)

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  5. Love your chair redo. It's the perfect prop for an Anna photo shoot!

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  6. I absolutely love that color. You did such an awesome job. It looks professional. And Anna is beautiful as always.
    www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com

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  7. Fantastic chair redo! The color is awesome!

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  8. Wow, you are such a busy lady! The chair looks beautiful and your daughter is soooooo cute! Unpicking those nappies must have been MEGA frustrating - I get bored unpicking just one seam - you must have been tearing your hair out!

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  9. You have been quite busy!
    The chairs are great, I love them.
    and Anna is a sweet little girl.

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  10. Well I think you are really wonderful doing all that unpicking and using cloth nappies.
    AS for the grant when I had My twins there was nothing at all from the government!!!!! When I went back to work I was clearing 5$ an hour after I payed for a nanny and taxes. That was working in a professional job where I was paid alot more than the basic wage !!This went on until they went to school However I did keep my sanity and my skills so I guess it was worth it.I love your chair . It is really very stylish .
    I wish they would put all that money into cheaper and better childcare and services for mothers and babies . Its such a tough job being a parent and really the most important in the world ( That is if you arent the PM or preseident or Albert Einstein )

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  11. She clearly approves of your efforts with the chair! Great job!

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  12. The chair looks absolutely wonderful. Anna is changing so much. She's lost her newborn look. What a cutie.

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  13. I love the colors! Great job on the chair!

    Keep us posted on your cloth diaper usage. I'd like to know if that pattern works for you. Thanks!

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  14. The chair looks fantastic. Personally, I think I'd leave the buttons off, but then again, my sense of style is a bit spotty!

    Your daughter is a sweetie letting you get so much sewing done. My youngest was born in late December, and I barely remember my sewing room.

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  15. Those chairs look good. Can I ask you some specifics? Just wondering-did you glue the wadding on, or sew it around or anything like that? I need to use this trick. And did you put zips in the covers, or did you sew them completely on? Help help!

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  16. I didnt get any handouts either but imagine how much material etc we could have got from the op shop !

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  17. Aww, Anna's gorgous!

    Can I ask a question? I'm about to start covering a couch which looks similar to your chairs, wooden frame, foam pads and cushion cover over the foam pads. What wadding did you use? I'm too far into the project to change now, but it looks sooooo much better than the foam on it's own!! The fuscia fabric looks lovely too, isn't it great when you finally get a room looking the way you want it?

    tg33

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  18. You did an awesome job on these cushions and Miss Anna is getting cuter by the day!

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  19. Wow, what a difference. Great job. Anna looks so happy too!

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  20. I don't know if I've ever sat in a chivari chair that long, I'll have to check the comfort next time! WEDDING CHAIR COVERS
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