Cushed MCM Couch

The progress on our office is slow going but I have finished a project that is going to play a huge part in the room—making cushions for our mid-century modern couch frame. Remember when I picked up the MCM couch and chair frames at my neighbor's estate sale for $5? I was super happy when I finished the cushions for the chair frames not too long ago and now these are done, I'm even more excited to share my handiwork. Check 'em out!

I bought the fabric during our trip to Mill End Fabrics in Rochester, Minnesota, and I followed the tutorial on Sew Mama Sew, which was just as easy as the first time but once again very time consuming. I hate to admit it, but it took me a whole Sunday to create the long seat cushion.

As you can guess by now, a dark blue color is going to play large part in our office's color palette, but we still haven't painted yet. The past couple weekends I have intended to paint but choosing a color is proving to be extremely difficult. Though, once I've got some color on the walls, I will share some pics.

Cushed MCM Chairs

I finally finished the necessary work on the pair of mid century modern arm chairs I picked up at an estate sale way too long ago (over a year—eek!). They weren't in bad shape but as you can see, they were missing some crucial parts.

I couldn't find webbing material similar to what remained on the chairs, so I opted for some woven straps that reminded me of cotton seatbelts and tacked them down using a staple gun.

The webbing didn't take long to replace but it took me a long time to make these cushions or should I say build up the nerves to get started. I'm no seamstress or upholsterer and was entirely intimidated with the task of making cushions for the chairs. At first I wasn't even sure how to start but after seeing a few similar chairs on craigslist and one identical match in Emily's room on the finale of HGTV's Design Star, I knew I could do it. So, with the first task of project-cushions accomplished, aka growing a pair, I was ready to get my hands dirty.

The second task was finding fabric, which speaking from experience, I knew wasn't going to be easy. I had three basic criteria I needed the fabric to fulfill: 1. neutral color, 2. upholstery quality, 3. I had to like it. Pretty simple huh? Well, let's just talk about that. First I scoured my go-to discount shop in Chicago, Textile Discount Outlet, and when I left empty-handed was highly disappointed. However, I didn't give up and visited three other large fabric stores warehouses, perused the selections at Hobby Lobby, and even stopped at Joann's—still nothing. Then one magical weekend when we were up in Minnesota paying a visit to our friends and family, I was venting my fabric-finding frustration and my friend's boyfriend mention a store in the area that may have something. To all y'all that live in the Twin Cities area, and have a fabric fetish but don't know where to look, let me introduce you to Mill End Textiles (this is the Rochester store).

I hope the photos speak for themselves, but let me tell you that the selection there was fantastic. The Rochester store wasn't extremely large but I easily found fabric for the chair cushions as well as another project I had been needing fabric for. The best part, it was a holiday weekend and everything was discounted on-top of the already terribly low prices. We bought 4 yards for the chairs and only paid $20 and probably have at least 1.5 yards of fabric left. Woo hoo!

With that checked off my list, the next tasks I completed were purchasing foam and finding a box-cushion sewing tutorial online that I could follow easily. Unfortunately, foam is not cheap so I patiently waited for it to go on sale at Joann's and when it did, I was on it like peanut butter on jelly. In the meantime, I found this great tutorial on Sew Mama Sew and read it about a hundred times. I followed the steps to a T, omitting the handles, making one of the seats first. Can you guess which one (I hope not!)?

I am so please with my work not only because this project was a huge skill- and time-undertaking (it took about three hours to make one cushion) but because I think I did an excellent job for a first-timer and now we have two more functioning chairs! What do you think? Did you ever think I would actually finish this project?

BTW: According to Urban Dictionary, "cushed meanz dat u feel comfortable".

Revamp the Lamp

I have begun the great office decoranza but am taking it very slowly. Why? It might be because we just made some large purchases and our budget isn't all that flexible at the moment, but in actuality it is mostly because I can't come to a decision on my color palette until some little (and big) projects are finished first. So, in my (cough-cough) spare-time last week, I tackled one of those said projects on my list: revamping the lamp.

I bought this lamp base and shade from Goodwill so long ago that I can't remember what I paid for it (my guess is less than $5). Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a picture of the base before I painted it (shame on me!), but I have faith that you can imagine it a school bus yellow color. After a few quick coats of white gloss spray paint, the yellow was gone like a flash of light. However, the off-white shade with the white base was not doing it for me, so I tackled that next.

I had previously seen this DIY project Young House Love posted about recovering a drum shade and thought I could follow those steps to recover my lamp shade, no problem...that was until I realized my shade was not-so-much a drum shape but had a nice curve that I would have to account for. So, to modify their instructions, I made a template of the shade (similar to a pattern you would buy from a fabric store). I wrapped a large sheet of paper from a roll of newsprint I had picked up from my local newspaper for a previous project, taped it to the shade, drew an outline of where the edges ran, and cut that sucker out.

Then I pinned the template to my fabric and cut it about 1/4" larger which allowed enough fabric to wrap around and glue down on the interior of the shade.

As my glue gun was warming up, I quickly smoothed out the wrinkles with my iron and ironed a hem at the edge of the fabric that would be attached last.

I started by gluing down the raw edge of the fabric that I had not hemmed and proceeded to glue the edge of the fabric that circled the bottom of the shade. I didn't start gluing at the top of the shade because the circumference of the hoop was smaller and I didn't want to be stuck with fabric that was too tight when I started gluing the bottom of the shade.

Once the fabric was attached around the top and bottom edges, I dispensed a thin line of glue along the hemmed edge of the fabric, pulled it tight, affixed it to the shade, and called it a day.

The shade looks fantastic on the freshly painted base and I can't wait to use it in our to-be-decoranza'd office. And do you want to know the best part? I only spent a few bucks on the fabric to do it!

Anyone can handle this minimal DIY project. It was easy to complete and can change a dated lamp into an entirely different piece. Has anyone else recovered a lamp shade? Did you find it easy or was the shape difficult to work with? Send pics!

Magic Fabric Take 2

When we stumbled upon Ikea's selection of fabric during a past project, I not only fell in love with the Majken green pattern we selected for our grand entrance transformation, I also swooned over the other styles and color options. Not surprisingly I already have plans up my sleeve to use a few more of these fabrics (Kajsastian and Sofia), but before I kick off those projects, I targeted our family room windows for a quick, easy, and inexpensive update.

After we moved into our house (almost 3 years ago, eek!), the first rooms to receive some decor-attention were our family room and half-bath on our first floor, which recently got striped. And when I say "some" attention, I mean our goals were simply to paint and furnish. So when you take a look at the below pictures of the curtains in our family room, in my defense, they were a first-time-homeowner's attempt at quickly decorating our space and served us well for the first couple years.

But let's not dwell on the past because as I say, tastes and trends change with time, and today I'm sharing with you our new and (greatly) improved family room window treatments.

Not only did I swap out the valances for panels, Justin raised the curtain rods about 10 inches so they sit just a few inches below the ceiling. By hanging our panels high, it accentuates our ceiling height and makes our windows appear larger, and pushing the panels to the farthest edges of the window allows tons of light to stream in. In fact, the majority of the fabric isn't in front of the window but covers the wall and window frame, also making the windows look larger.

The fabric I used to make these panels was Ikea's Majken in white, grey, and orange. When we hung the green version of this fabric in our front entry way, I promised myself I would use it again, so when I was wandering around Ikea a few weeks ago, I picked up 12 yards of the orange pattern and got busy at home.

For this project I didn't pull out my sewing machine, but rather heated up my iron and used some magic called Stitch Witchery. Stitch Witchery is polymide fusible web that permanently bonds two layers of fabric together and is washable and dry-cleanable. When used to hem edges, it stiffens the fabric a little bit, which makes it perfect for drapery. I have employed it many times in the past (here and here) and it hasn't failed me yet.

Aside from relieving our windows of vertical shortening and accentuating their size, the panels add another layer of pattern to the room, and the colors in the fabric are within our room's color palette but don't match perfectly. These textural and color variances create depth and dimension while amplifying visual interest, a must in any room!

On a final side note, the olive branch motif in the pattern piggybacks on our tribute to our honeymoon in Italy, which I also highlighted by framing and hanging photographs I took while visiting the homeland.

So, what do you think? Are you loving the panels as much as we are?

A new kind of paneling

To finish off my recent redecorating binge of our master bedroom, I pulled another curtain change-up. However, this time, I didn't swap the panels with another room's; rather, I tackled another sewing project and let me tell you, this takes paneling to a whole new level.

But before I get ahead of myself, this upgrade was not sparked by my brilliance alone, as Justin and I were making a Saturday morning stop at good 'ol HD (Home Depot), I spotted these roman bamboo blinds on mega-clearance. ($12 a piece! How lucky could we get?)

After discussing where we might hang these beauts (and consulting the notebook that I carry everywhere with dimensions of practically everything in our house—no joke), we decided they would look perfect in our master bedroom. We both loved the way our living room window turned out with the dark cocoa colored bamboo blinds and light, airy silk curtains, so after work one day, I trudged back to the Discount Fabric Outlet in Chicago and bought 12 more yards of the antique silk fabric ($3 per yard!) to make four more panels.

Before you scroll down any further, let me remind you of the old window treatments. They weren't terrible (heck, we lived with them for almost 3 years), but there was a bit too much dark chocolate brown going on for my taste.

This is how our room looks now and I'm so much happier. The bamboo blinds are a tad lighter than our furniture and have a slight reddish hue, which complements our paint color wonderfully. They also add another textural element, which elevates the rooms aesthetics. The light colored curtains frame the blinds serenely and pull the color from our bedding to create a more cohesive palette.

For what it cost to make these updates, I think we gained more than we spent (about $70). And it reminded us that our tastes are ever changing, so don't be afraid to make some simple changes. It might be worth more than you think!

Magic Fabric

After tackling painting the walls and hanging two 50 pound mirrors in our front entry way. I still did not feel there was enough visual interest to balance that side of the room with the business going on in our living room, so I started brainstorming what I could do to spruce it up.

The first thought I had was paint. It's cheap, relatively easy to apply and fast, but I did not want to mess with our freshly painted walls and wanted something even less permanent than paint (in case I change my mind in 6 months because it has been known to happen). So paint was crossed off the brainstorm list.

Then I came across some really cool wallpaper in a Martha Stewart Living magazine and I started day dreaming about graphic patterns on the wall. They were short lived though, because after I saw the price ($80 a roll!) I knew it wouldn't work for us. And I didn't want to send Justin up the wall to hang wallpaper since 1) he's never hung wallpaper before and 2) it is not the easiest (or cleanest!) material to work with.

The third idea I had was wall art. Not as cheap as paint, but somewhat easy to hang and not permanent what-so-ever. However, the problem with the wall is that because it is so high, the space that needs something is the blank upper half of the wall. I didn't see the idea of hanging a giant piece of art above the mirrors practical or budget friendly so that was the third idea to go.

Then I thought fabric. There are numerous applications that can be done with fabric, it too—just like wall art—is not permanent, and if you know where to go, can be inexpensive. So, I started brainstorming. Strech fabric over a giant canvas frame and hang it above the mirrors? No. Create curtain-like panels that drape somehow? Maybe. Sew panels of fabric that can be hung from the ceiling down to the floor behind the mirrors making it seem like the mirrors are hanging on the panels of fabric? Now we're talking.

After some time searching every reasonably-priced fabric store known to man in the Chicago area, including the giant warehouse I found silk at for the curtains in the dining room, and coming up empty handed I almost threw in the towel. All I was looking for was a large graphic print with green and brown colors, I didn't understand why it was so difficult. Then the sky opened up and I was enlightened, eureka, Ikea!

After one trip to the fabulous Swedish store, Justin and I came home with seven yards of exactly what we were looking for, Majken fabric in white, beige, green, and dark black-brown.

The beauty of finding fabric at the superstore was that because we purchased our mirrors from Ikea as well, we were able to bring the fabric to a display highlighting the mirror to see how the color and pattern would look hanging behind the mirror. It was perfect, as you can see.

Once Justin defied gravity again, I was amazed by the transformation a few yards of fabric could make. It visually balances and livens up the wall but isn't overwhelming because there is plenty of white space. Also, the beige color within the pattern is nearly the exact color of our walls which plays tricks on your eyes. Only from up close do you truly notice that it isn't paint but fabric instead.

If you're wondering how in the world Justin and I accomplished this, check this post for the tell-all tutorial.

Decoranza III: Behind the Curtains

I am finally ready to share a pair of the curtains I made. See them in all their loveliness? Weelllll, you know that I can't just give you a picture without a story, right? It never fails that I have a few trips before I complete a project, but the positive side is I get to share them with you so you don't make the same mistakes.

Let me start from the beginning...

I searched and searched for affordable curtains for our dining room (affordable being the key word) before deciding to make them myself. I knew I wanted panels that were a neutral color because we had chosen the sour apple paint color and I didn't want them to clash or contrast. I also wanted the curtains to be light and airy, allowing sunlight through without being sheer and they had to have texture. So, after determining the criteria of what I was looking for, I searched numerous fabric stores online and in person. This helped me narrow down my material to silk, but even then, I needed three yards for each panel and at $10-$40 per yard, I was not happy with any of the retailers' options. That is, until the day I found the holy grail of fabric in Chicago, the Textile Discount Outlet (sorry out-of-towners!).

The descriptions of this place on Yelp do not even begin to describe it to the fullest but I'm going to give it a shot to set the scene. Imagine a maze of rooms with hundreds of fabric options that line the walls and aisles, racks stacked with bolts from the ground to the ceiling, continuing for three floors that seem like a whole city block long, that is the Textile Discount Outlet. I arrived thinking that I knew exactly what I wanted, but after perusing the aisles my head became clouded and excited about other fabrics that would work for other projects in my home. Fortunately, I have a strong will and stayed on track. About an hour into my search, I came across a wide selection of silk and this is where I scored six yards of the most perfectly colored antique silk. At $2.95 per yard, the price was right too. After doing a celebratory jig, I grabbed a cart and finagled the super-heavy bolt into the basket. The total for the fabric: less than $20. Score! AND it couldn't have matched my vision any better. See the beautiful texture the threads create?

As I explained in my teasing post about my sleeping quarters at the Craftin' Cabin, I brought with me a handful of sewing projects to keep me occupied for the weekend and I thought I was being smart by putting this task last on my to-sew list. I reasoned that I should warm up with the other easy projects before tackling these since they were going to be hung in a public space in our home. It should have been easy-peasy and I flew through the first panel, but my luck ran out towards the end of the sewing marathon at the Craftin' Cabin. Little did I know that I was going to be on the home stretch of hemming the last side and my little-engine-that-could (my sewing machine) in fact, couldn't. That's right, mid stitch, she jammed and that was the end of her work day. Even after my Grandma's, my mom's, and my efforts to revive her, she still wasn't budging, so I figured it was the indicator to pack up, pop in a movie, and grab a glass of well-deserved wine. Heck, I did get a lot accomplished!

So, you're wondering, "Well, how did it get done?" Da-da-da, Mom to the rescue! The last panel went home with my mom for the week and as easy as stitching up a minor cut, she finished it in a few minutes.

An added detail that I am proud of are the rings that I affixed to the top of the panels. The curtains in our living room, adjacent to the dining room, hang from round metal rings and I wanted to duplicate that look in the dining room to provide subtle cohesion in the open space. Once again, I was on the hunt. I looked at countless online stores and brick-and-morter shops, but the only rings I found were either too small, cheap looking, or too expensive ($20! You have got to be joking!). Then, while on an errand run to Target, I found two sets of seven rings that had removable clips on clearance for $2.48 a set, cue celebratory jig #2. I removed the clips and sewed them on 7" apart along the top of each panel. Then I hung them up and admired my handiwork. The total for the curtains: $26 after tax.

So, what ever became of my down-and-out machine? I gave it to my Grandma who dropped it off at my other aunt's house. My aunt knows a sewing machine repair man named Ralph that our family has called upon to fix a machine or two. I fully expected to get a call from my aunt telling me that I had ran it into the ground and it was going to cost more to fix it than to buy a new one, but happily, I received an email a few days later informing me that she took a look at it and fixed it herself! Go Auntie! All my little engine needed was a good cleaning and a fresh oiling. Who knew that sewing machines needed to be maintained like a car? Well, I do now! So let that be a lesson to everyone, in order to keep your sewing machine working, make sure it is clean and oiled under the hood. And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the second to last decoranza post!