It has been a while... a LONG while...
My absence involves a new phone, a slick phone salesman, a new internet connection, getting the old connection back again....
And a whole LOT of frustration along the way...
Anyways... this past weekend, I planned & pulled off a great
surprise Birthday party...
And for part of her gift from me, I made this....
From this
Her Old Catholic school uniform skirt.
A few months ago her Mom gave me a bag of wool, sweaters & clothing. She was cleaning & pitching things & knew that I upcycle wool into mittens, purses etc. When I showed the Birthday girl the things her mom had given me, she said, "That is my old skirt from school"
I loved the plaid & knew that I could do something fun with it.
I had already gotten her a gift, I made the food, got all the prep things needed for the party & then the day before, I decided if I could quick
make the bag, it would be a fun gift for this occasion.
I washed it, & ironed out the pleats & then went with the flow... not knowing how it would turn out until I was finished.... luckily I have a VERY large fabric stash & didn't need to run out for anything to finish it.
Took me just the morning from start to finish...
It was great fun when she opened it.
Her family had flown in from all over &
they all remembered the uniform.
I had also gotten her a rain coat from a recent trip to New York,
But the bag was the hit of the party.
The party was great fun!! Her husband asked me to do this,
& we pulled it off... She was surprised.... : )
(I was so busy, making sure that all was perfect, I didn't take any pics....: )
Joining these Parties... Thanking these hostesses
- Sarah over @ Thrifty Decor chic for her Before & After Party
- Susan over @ Between Naps on The Porch for Met Mondays
- Pam over @ Becolorful for Motivated Monday
- Cindy over @ Skip to My Lou for Made by you Monday
- Stephanie over @ Under the Table & Dreaming for Sunday
Showcase
- Linda over @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
- Judy over @ DIY By Design for Swing into Spring
This job kicked my back side to the curb & back again.....
The Before.... there was 2 of them
with the ottoman
She said that she was in no hurry....
They were just starting the remodel job.....
It would be more than a few months.....
yea.... no kidding.....
It took me that long.........
I started last fall & took them apart
Then the mitten business took over my entire life
Remember?? How I whined about it back over here
So... after the Holidays, I got back to the job.....
She told me to be creative.... Do what I wanted....
The fabric was reversible & she wanted me to use both sides.
& She did not want the skirts back on the chairs.
BUT... BUT... BUT.... It all had to match..... AGH!!!
& then there was not quite enough fabric.... AGH!!!!
because of the repeat in the fabric
I did what I thought looked best & tried to match
Thinking..."well, you would want the brown where your head rests"
"& brown near the floor, where dirt would gather"
"& brown where your hands would rest"
SOoooo I just went with it, adding as I went along...
not sure what it would look like, until I was finished.
Because that's how I roll.....
So, the seat cushions are reversible
Then I thought it was kind of boring, so I added the 4 in.
border, blue in front, brown in back.
So adding & subtracting as I went....
but because of no skirts, I had to hand sew
the border & welt on, there was nothing to nail it to....
again.... going with the flow, not planning it out
ahead of time
This set is going in her new 800 sq. ft. bedroom.
They will set by the fireplace.
So she wanted pillows for the bed
Did you read that?? 800 sq. ft.??
As big as our 1st house.... : )
SOooo I finish this job, I am taking pics to show you
And then to my GREAT HORROR!!!
Do you see it??? The dumbest mistake I have EVER made.....
I had sewn welting in the seams on the back of
one chair & not the other
How ever did I do that???
I guess, when you go with the flow & add here & there
And you are rushing.... AGH!!!!
So now what to do??? It would mean taking the
whole chair apart again... OH NO!!!!
I seriously thought about glueing it on .... :)
(would she notice?? If I left as is?? :)
So after some careful consideration & thought...
I hand stitched it on.
I delivered them a few days ago
And she was very pleased
And just the day before I delivered them, I couldn't
leave well enough alone & quickly made a few throw
pillows for the chairs
I am not by any means a professional upholsterer...
And I have done jobs like this before..... For myself... :)
BUT this one just about did me in.
Did you see how many miles & miles of welting there is on these? :)
You really could not pay me enough to do this one again
(she is a friend or I would have had to charge as
much as she spent on the remodel :)
BUT
I have another chair sitting here,
for someone else
waiting to be done...
(with no matching AT ALL :)
Linking up to
-Pam over @ Becolorful, for Motivated Monday
-Susan for Met Mondays @ Between Naps on The Porch
-Debbie's @ Debbie's Blogging & Blabbing for her Newbie Party
-Skip to My Lou for Made by you Monday
-Judy over @ Diy By Design for Swing into Spring
-Jen over @ The Thrifty Home for her Penny Pinching Party
-Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
-Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
-Traci @ Beneath My Heart for Best DIY Projects of March
