Friday 21 January 2011

secret patchwork::reveal

patchwork

remember aaaaaaaaages ago i showed off a bit of secret patchworking that i was working on? i know it was months ago but...

vintage chair

i finally finished the project, destined for mae + sophie's room, this week. i bought this chair for $18 at the salvos in newport a couple of years ago and always meant to recover and refinish it (i even blogged about it here). when we decided to face the reno, i was in a panic trying to find places for everything in the shed and storage unit and actually told shane that the unfinished chair could go. luckily we never got around to actually dropping it back off at the op shop so it was shuffled between our front verandah and carport for the past year,  getting a little more weathered than it had been (which actually worked in its favour as any remaining old varnish was pretty much gone but the time i decided to finally save its life, making a lighter sanding job than it would have been). when it came to recovering it, i spent hours looking at home dec fabrics online but all of the ones i really loved were out of my price range so i turned to the faithful stash. i had plenty smaller chunks of cute, japanese and aussie designer linen/cotton/hemp fabrics that i love but don't actually use that much as they are a bit heavy for quilting and most clothes. so i decided to use them up. and got to piecing. and remembered just how much i love randomly sewing bits of fabric together. and created a sweet spot for my two girls to read stories for years to come.

reading spot

now i am faffing about, trying to decide what project to tackle next. i've started piecing leftover bits of quilt batting together for a thick, quilted mat to fit underneath sophie's cage playpen and now i'm paralyzed about how to tackle it. i know what i want to do but i fear that it might be a bit ambitious for a project that i would like to have finished quite quickly (that kid needs to be penned, i tell you). i know i should probably take the safe route and do a whole cloth quilt, be realistic about my time and the many other things i also want to sew but, considering it will be on display in our lounge room for many months to come (and then will be used for a picnic mat or whatever), i also think i need to seize the opportunity to create something that i really love and am proud of. i am stewing, sketching, pulling fabrics and putting them back and changing direction back and forth. tomorrow, i need to make a decision and get cracking on this thing.

15 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:35 pm

    hi Leslie, love, love, love the chair, it looks absolutely stunning. in fact i love everything you make! can't wait to see what you decide on for the mat/blanket for the cage, oops, i mean playpen.

    kirsty

    x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love, love,love it too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looooooooooove the chair!

    ReplyDelete
  4. i am so pleased to see this. we have an old chair in Ollie's room that is falling apart and I have some Alexander Henry fabric that is too heavy for quilting that I would like to use to make a cover for the seat. inspired to get on with it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You clever little thing. It is ADORABLE.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So, so gorgeous! I am looking for upholstery fabric right now too, and can't find anything that I love & can afford.

    Re: the cage mat, I think it's worth doing something a bit more ambitious, because if it's something you know you're going to be proud of and you're excited about sewing, it makes a project so much more enjoyable. All depends on time though, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  7. i love it you clever girl! the fabric choices are so darling.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous1:00 pm

    Oh that chair is PERFECT. I love everything about it!! You balance your colors so well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my god that is so freaking gorgeous and amazing!!! Awesome work lovely, I must blog it!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Such a beautiful chair you've made ... already loved it seems!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3:16 pm

    So, so adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Leslie, what a fantastic job you've done on that chair, I love it. It's beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous9:52 pm

    This is absolutely gorgeous! This post has inspired me to get over my fear of upholstering and go for it!

    I love the patch with the dancing foxes.

    Love it!

    X

    ReplyDelete
  14. eek! Love it! So very gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  15. such a beautiful job!!!

    That chair is amazing.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear your thoughts, thanks so much for taking the time to comment! If you have a question to ask, I will answer it here (and by email as well, if I can track down your email address). I would love to reply to every single comment but until Blogger makes it easier to reply by email, please know that I am so happy you stopped by : )

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...