Slipcovered Wingback Chair Changes Look Thanks To The Slipcover Maker

What wonderful friends you meet through blogging.  I just love it!!!  Some years ago, I started reading a fellow blogger, Karen Powell, The Slipcover Maker.  

She would give advise about different fabrics to use on slipcovers.  Always willing to share fabric resources and answer any question about sewing slipcovers.  

Her website has links to her pricing per chair; http://slipcovermaker.com/prices/http://slipcovermaker.com/prices/ a listing of how much fabric to use per style of item, a great, great resource for anyone to use.

Recently, she posted a photo of a chair she recovered and stated she had received the old cover in the mail and made new covers using the original as a pattern.  Since I have made a few covers myself over the years, I knew that making one without having the luxury to check out the fit after  sewing sections on the chair/couch/etc  is a very difficult process, and was VERY IMPRESSED.

I have had a wing back chair from Pottery Barn for years and years. It had such a tight fit of the cover, I actually forgot it was a slipcover, I thought it upholstered.  It was covered in a red corduroy fabric.  

One day I noticed dust on the arms during my spring cleaning rampage.  Since it had not been sat in a long time I realized, it was starting to get very tattie looks and even had some splits in fabric from arm usage. After looking closer, I remembered that it was a slipcover.

Sometimes you just want to treat yourself to doing something special and I instantly thought of Karen and sent off an email.  Would you do my chair too!!!  I am in California and she lives in Michigan.  A long way to have a slipcover made.

It is such a wonderful experience to deal with someone who handles her business in such a professional manner.  She quickly replied to my emails; I sent her photos of the chair; she suggested the fabric and gave me the website to order it at the best price.  We even had the fabric delivered directly to her to save money and expedite the process.  Estimates of costs were provided and with a set time schedule, I mailed off my old red slipcover to Karen.

I swear it was only like a week, no more than 2 weeks, an email came to me that the slipcover was done and sent back to me.  I gladly mailed my check to her and within a few days of the email, my gift to myself arrived at my front door.

The chair has been transformed.  The fit is perfect!!!  The fabric a canvas/duct but soft and very comfortable to sit in.  It is like getting a new piece of furniture.

I want to thank Karen for her excellent work.  Beautiful zipper on the side of the chair to make putting it on the chair so easy.  Washing instructions given to complete Karen's personal touch.

Can't say enough good things about The Slipcover Maker-Karen Powell.

The chair looks so nice, it got moved into the front room with the other white slipcovered furniture and another well worn chair went back into the tv/family room to take its' place.  If I had thought about it and if I had enough funds, I would have liked Karen to make an additional one in a different color, one slipcover for summer and another for winter.  Maybe my treat to myself for Christmas????

Thanks again Karen.

Bringing In Spring-Sewing New Pillows and Curtains To Brighten up Spaces

New pillows

I should be outside working in the gardens, but I have just had this urge to sew to brighten up and add color to a few of the rooms in the house.

It all started when I took the grand kids shopping at Toys R Us for a little treat.  After they picked out a little something from Grandma and Grandpa, I spied the new Joann's store in the same shopping center.  They were willing and so very good, so off I went to look at yarns for knitting and passed by the fabric.  I love upholstery weight fabrics.  Without even thinking I picked out about 6 different prints that were all mixed and matching in similar colors-my favorite colors, aqua blue, yellows, golds. (I am sorry to say all my photos came out dark.  The dining room and living room are both very bright rooms with lots of windows so it was hard to get my phone to adjust to the bring light.  So colors aren't showing their best-sorry)

Old pillows on windowseat

Miss Mash of colors and styles

Annie Seeing What I Am Dowing

 On my phone I have the Joann's app, so I quickly checked it out and I had a 50% and a 40% coupon AND the fabric was on sale anyways.

Sewing the Pillow

I didn't really have a specific plan, I just knew that the pillows in the dining room were looking a little worn from use.  And I roughly knew how much I would need to make pillows.  There was one yellow print fabric I really liked, it was already 50% off, so I asked for whatever was left on the bolt, about 11 yards.  I figured I would use it someplace, sometime.  Isn't that what all crafters think???

It was a week or so later, that I pulled them all out and placed them on the window seat to assess colors.  I remembered I had originally wanted to use this gold/greenish linen fabric for the main seat cushion so I dug that out of my fabrics to mix into the assortment.  I had purchased that linen fabric about a year ago and never got around to doing the project.

Old Pillows

I pulled off all the old pillow covers; washed and dried the pillow forms and started to work.  Several different shapes and sizes of the pillow forms helped to fit the amounts of fabrics I had purchased.  Since I know myself, and that I would not keep these pillow cases for eternity, I decided against putting in zippers.  For about 3 days, I would sew a few hours in the morning, pin up the openings at the end to hand sew them closed while watching TV in the evening.

Before I knew it, they were all sewn and finished.

Should I tell you a secret?  Family knows.  The window seat is used primarily by - Bella, my long haired German Shepard.  She started going up there since she was a puppy to gaze out the window to see who is in her driveway.  Annie will go there only when they are left at home in the house so I know they both end up there to look out the window waiting for us to return.  How do I know?  Smashed pillows and nose mess on the windows!!!  OMG, what we all think is OK with our animals.  Years and years ago, when our dogs, were-well, dogs, left mainly outside to be guard dogs and because they wanted to be outside.  Hard to imagine that now.   Not that way for the last 15+ years though.  So instead of training them NOT to sit on the window seat, I thought it actually fairly cute of Bella, she looked so comfortable all 96 pounds of her, with her head propped up on the pillows and her nose pressed against the window.

Well, now the truth is out, I needed to change the pillows not only to get away from blacks, golds, solids; but to get rid of the "dog smell" and dirt from Bella.  

After I finished up with all the pillows, I still had this special yellow floral print that I ended up buying to actually make the 6' cushion out of, but left the original cushion in place..

I walked into the living room and noticed that the front windows could use some color and change also.  I wasn't sure if I had enough, but knew it might be close.  I got finished with making the 3rd panel and measured out the 4th one and it is 3 feet short!!!  The exact size I used on the pillows I made out of it for the window seat.  I should have done the panels first, but oh well.  It will mean another trip to Joann's and who knows, I just may see some other fabric I like.

I forgot to mention, while at Joann's I ended up purchasing some cotton yarn in great colors to crochet some mess market bags.  These will be used as examples for my next Windmill Farm class.  I want to make up several shapes and sizes for people to see what can be done with a ball of cotton yarn.  

Interested in that class?  Facebook, email or call us here at Windmill Farm, I hope to schedule the class real soon.