Camel-Back Sofa Slipcover

Last summer I was looking at sofas to replace the
 huge dark leather one that I hated.
I knew basically what I wanted and how much I wanted to spend,
but I wasn't having much luck.

Just as I was getting frustrated and close to giving up, a friend sent me
a picture of a sofa she was trying to get rid of.
 Free.
I drove right over.

 If it looks a little faded, that's because it sat out in the sun all summer,
waiting for me to have time to get to it.

 I knew exactly what fabric I wanted on this sofa: a soft grey herringbone.

 I laid it out over the back, centering the fabric and making sure
the pattern was in the direction I wanted,

 and cut to fit.

Next, I added fabric to the sides, right sides together,

to cover the entire back.
You can see that it is a little long; that's because it will need to be
cut on a diagonal when I add the arm fabric.

 I decided to use a solid grey linen for under the cushions.
Once that was cut in, I laid the herringbone over the arms and rough cut that.

 I then pinned it to the back, right sides together,
 making sure it would be a good fit.
Pin, sew, trim edges.

Next up: the arms.

As you can see, they have kind of a funny little shape.

 My 1st attempt: fortunately I noticed the pattern 

was crooked before I got too far,

 so I tried again, making sure this time to get it straight.

 Make sure to flip the sofa fabric to the wrong side 

so you are pinning right sides together.

 Once it's pinned, you can trim the edges.

Add the piece that wraps around the bottom of the arm,

and trim to fit.

Next we will get to the piping, sides, back and cushions.

Stay tuned!

A Quick Furniture Reshuffle

We have lived in this house for almost 5 years now, and the living room furniture
has been in pretty much the same place, even when the furniture was different.

1st couple of years.

2nd couple of years.

I decided to move the wing chairs in front of the window

and the table across the room.

 

This simple difference really opened up the room

and made it feel larger.

It also allowed me to bring in a couple more chairs

and set up a little desk area, something I was really needing.

I also really like have the two chairs close together like this.

It makes for a nice conversation spot.

They coordinate nicely, don't you think?

For detailed instructions on making these slopcovers,

see here

and here

I thought there wasn't any other way to arrange the furniture in this room,

but I am so happy I finally tried something different!

Post Christmas Mantel

Okay, all the holiday rush is finally over and I am starting to breathe again!

 I left a lot of things on the mantle from Christmas, like the window and churches,

even the snowflakes, but they look a lot different now.

 Just added some finials, 

 dried hydrangeas,

 and birds under glass!

Angel Wings

You saw these paper angel wings on my Christmas House Tour
and I said I would show you how I made them.

First, I have to admit I didn't come up with this idea,

a friend made some last year and I stole her idea!

They could not have been more simple!

First step: cut 2 wing shapes out of heavy cardboard.
Step two: cut out feather shapes from paper.
I used just plain white paper for these, but I think
I will make some with old sheet music.

Next, I laid out the feathers in different ways

to decide how I wanted them to look.

Once I made that decision, I just glued them in place,
overlapping to give a fuller effect.


I attached some snowflakes down the center when I
put them out for Christmas.

Christmas Snippets

Five days until Christmas and I am ahead of schedule!

(Trust me, this does not usually happen!)

 So, now I have some extra time to do some baking,

 

 or some reading,

 watch 2 of my grands in their first Christmas program,

 or help my youngest son paint his new house,

 see a movie with Husband,

 help my daughter-in-law set up for Christmas Eve at church,

 or all of the above!

 It also gives me time to reflect

 on the true meaning of this holiday season,

 the great mercy and love of God as He sent His Son

into the world to be our savior!

Merry Christmas!