The Grandparents Vinyl Dining Chairs

The Grandparents, Eleanor & Raymond

I took my 2nd trip to northern Minnesota. To celebrate The Grandparents 70th Wedding Anniversary. Could you imagine being with the same person for 75 years and still being happy with each other. It was a lovely and rare thing to be a part of and witness. However the occasion did present a dilemma. What do you get the couple that has been able to collect what they wanted for 3/4 of a century? The idea came from my brother in law Jesse and his "Sweetheart" Sheena. (that's the title my mother in law gave her during introductions at the party)

On a recent visit Grand Eleanor expressed to them an interest in having her kitchen chairs recovered. She said that there were too many butts with hunting knives in there back pockets that damaged her vinyl. Sheena found a great fabric shop not too far from her place in St Paul where we picked up a great print in blue and white. I wish I had taken note of the name. They had wonderful selections of fabric...oh well. I'll up date If I remember. We took the seats off and gave them a little more cushion at Ray's request. The actual seat was pretty small so we only purchased a 1/2 yard per chair. The stuffing was covered in batting before the new vinyl went on to smooth over any lumps.

Did I mention that it only took Sheena and I a little over 2 hours. Using borrowed tools, In one of the most old-fashioned organized garages I have ever seen( that was a big help). We were all done with the taking apart, washing( Thanks Sheena, cat hair and I are not friends) stuffing, stapling, and re-assemble in time enough to get ready for the party.

See Grandpa Approved! I cant mention this quick and impromptu project with letting you know that Ray has an 8 track in his garage and as soon as Sheena went for her I phone to turn on Pandora, Ray powered up the 8 track full blast with the sounds of Buck Owens...Wow

I also have to mention that the Grandsons were drinking beer in the sauna and making brief trips to dunk themselves in a cold lake while there "sweethearts" were working on their grandparents chairs. Apparently Grandpa's, I'm here to do my ladies bidding(his words) attitude didn't get passed down that far.

Handmade Custom Nursery

Grey and yellow go so well together. When I see them I just smile. I made the quilt and received a request for a skirt to match. I think I may have to do these colors again.

Brittney picked these colors out for her lovely daughter Harper. There is a 3 piece crib skirt to go with the quilt.

She really wanted black out curtains so that nap time wouldn't be interrupted. So I simply trimmed the bottom to coordinate it with the valance.

The nursery has a on-suite and there is a valance to match. Brittney also picked out this fun loopy fabric to make a shower curtain.

Here is a close-up of the little peacock print. It is really, really cute!

If you think you would like some custom handmade items for your nursery, in place of the standard that you get from the big box stores, please contact me on my Etsy page. SarenaVictoria.etsy.com

Side Chair Upholstery

There are a few different kinds of side chairs that I usually see. The two main ones are, old but strong and the new and so not worth it. The newer ones are made from lightweight knotted pine that will buck at anything over 200lbs put on them. Also there are a lot of staples underneath and lots of cardboard where wood should be. If you were to pick them up they are more lightweight that they should be. They suck unless they are just for show not for sitting.(FYI If you have children they wont last long)

This was an older chair that Jenny was having re-upholstered for her"husband's room" in the basement. The frame is in good shape. However the suspension system had been comprised over time. The spring system had to be re-worked,which may require you to break a sweat but it is completely worth it.

Take pictures, before and during your upholstery. As much as you hate the old fabric from the sometimes stinky chair you may want to keep it for a pattern. Take detailed pictures of how it is pieced and where tuck and seams are placed. Continue taking pictures as you rip off the old fabric. You never know where some secret to securing the fabric may be hidden. I only post a few photos on the blog but I really have about 2 dozen during photos. Do not skip steps. Check out your chair fully before moving on to the next step. Get the right tools but they don't have to be new. Check out Craigslist or thrift stores.

I learned that upholstery is very little sewing and more nailing and folding. It does take planning and some creative manipulation. I lightly tack fabric as you go and then going back and secure it in place once you are sure the fabric is where you want it. Jenny no longer wanted the buttons that were on this chair. I cant say that I blame her. ( If you see something that looks like this don't instantly walk away it may have a new life ahead of it.) If you paid $20-$30 for a chair like this and spent $60 on the 5yds of fabric to cover it yourself you will have made out like a bandit. Lets say that you don't want to do the work yourself. Shop around for the labor and you may be able to find a reasonable price without breaking the bank.

Kitchen Window Valance with Grommets

I received a request to make a set of kitchen valances. They are pretty simples item to make. That is until you add the grommets. Marla picked up the "no tools required kit from Joanns fabric. I had never used them before but it seemed pretty cut and dry. In the past the ones that required you to put some muscle behind them and things could go wrong.

Although the package said no tools required I would recommend having really good scissors or using what I did which was my 18mm rotary cutter. There is not a lot of room for error with these if you go outside the lines of the template. You run the risk of having a gap between the fabric and the ring. I would also use "No Fray" or what I did hot glue to prevent unraveling. I figured that this way I would not have to worry about the strength of the snap closure holding up to a medium weight & lined material. Other that that they seem like a pretty good product.

I think they came out very nice. Marla likes them and I'm sure her little ones are happy that they can eat their breakfast now without the sun in there eyes.

Indoor and Outdoor Patio Cushions

Replacing outdoor patio cushions can get pricey. I went into a couple of Garden stores and I can see why people want to get them recovered. These are Gina's old cushions and pillows. Aside from it being more economical to recover them, hers couldn't simply be replaced because of their unique shapes. There wasn't much wrong with the foam or the actual chairs. But when you have a 2 school age kiddos things can get a little messy. Add to that all the damage from humidity that living in brings you may need new slip covers. I love, love, love the color that she picked out. I ran into 2 problems on this project. One was that I made a fabric estimation error. I should have checked my chart. The bad result was that I ran out of fabric before I got to her throw pillows. I made up a pattern with scraps and some vinyl that was left over from another project. The other issue is that I'm pretty sure that one of the bottom seats is in its slipcover upside down. I don't know why they call them slipcovers because you really do have to wrestle them in all the while trying not to break the zippers. These are Natascha's bench concussions. She wanted a change. I think that the stripes look very cute and will go great in her entry hall. This was pretty simple and quick one had a broken zipper that needed to be replaced. The new fabric is not as bulky as the old so the new cushions look smaller. But the new stripes should be easier to keep clean. Natascha sent me a photo. They look happy in there new home.

Saddle Seat Cushions Straps

I made seat covers for one of my Etsy customers Nic. She saw my blog post of the ones I made for Ytina and contacted me. I love that they both let me create them for their homes. I also like both of the fabrics they chose. It was a great choice on both of their parts. The only difference is that the ones for Nic are for outdoor use. The one thing that always bothered me were the dangling straps of the ties.

The "FIX" that I came up with is velcro, because duck tape would look tacky. It is a bit of a pain to sew on this tiny space.

But it is so worth it. Out of site, out of mind.

All done and on their way to Ohio.

There are other projects waiting in the wings.... so off I go, onward and upward. (Actually upstairs to the tiny sewing room!)

Have I turned into Mr Wilson ?

Have I turned into "Mr. Wilson"? You know the grumpy old guy from Dennis the Minus or is dog sitting not for me... Lately it seems like when ever get asked to dog sit and I agree to it, something goes wrong. I wont go into what the 2 different golden retrievers have done inside my house. (cause I just had lunch)! But I ask the question now because the dog that is over now has been over for less that 24 hours is somehow offended by my grass. It looks like she has decided to remove it.

She also has decided once again(it has happened before) that there is something under my deck that she has to have, damn the blockade.

Now that she as gotten under she cant seem to get out. Did I mention that there is a thunderstorm on the way? I cannot help her get out. I don't do bugs or climb in mud but apparently at some point today I will have to do a bath outside. I am not happy about that.

Yes I have a dog, and yes he does things that he shouldn't do. There is not a beer or a banana that is safe in his presence if left unattended. But he is not into damage, he is into food. Am I getting too old for other peoples bad children, I mean dogs?