Summer Projects Upholstered Chair

Dear Readers,

Another project I did this summer was to reupholster a chair.  I had been working on it off and on for quite some time.  Well just before summer started  my son Will, my dad and his wife Nancy came to visit for my dad's birthday.  So they asked about the chair and next thing I knew, I had help on getting the old upholstery off.

I didn't make them work the whole visit.  We took time to have brunch and Jeff and Anne's and watch Jeff shoot across the pond at some turtles.

We also took some time to get together with some cousins from Grenada...

Frances talking to Duncan

Aunt Maria, Lamar Pitcock, Uncle Bobby, Frances

Emma Kate and me

Will, Duncan and Emma

After school got out, I got brave enough to to try to put the chair back together again.

It is not perfect, but it will do for my bedroom.

Soccer Stars

Dear Readers,

One quilt that I made this summer was called Soccer Stars.  My son called me one day and told me a coworker's son had cancer and he was a big soccer player.  I decided to make him quilt for when he was doing treatments.  I found a soccer panel on Missouri Star's web site.  So I ordered it.  I looked around at several quilt shops and found fabric for the background and inner borders.  I decided to make stars from 5 inch blocks and 2.5 inch squares to snowball the corners.  I chose the colors for the stars from the colors of the backing.  

Once I made the stars I sat down with some graph paper and figured out how to put them on as a border, I had to work out how big the inner borders going around the soccer field would be so that the stars would fit.

I took it to Bernina Sewing Center in Jackson to quilt it.  I decided to use a pantograph to quilt it and it went OK, till I was almost done and realized I had put the backing on 90 degrees different from what I should have...so I bought a piece of fabric and we sewed it on while it was on the long armer and finished up!!

Never heard back from the boy on whether he liked it or not.  I know that is not why we do things but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

Summer Projects - Headboard bench

Dear Readers,

In April I bought a new mattress and box springs.  It sat entirely too tall on my bed.  So I decided to make a new headboard out of an old door from from my Grandmother's home and use the old headboard and footboard to make a bench.

First I bought some 1x 6's and made a box to support some boards for the bench.  Then I cut the footboard down so it would be the right height for the bench, and cut the posts off to the height for the arm rests.

Next I attached the box to the headboard and footboard.  Then I painted everything with chalk paint.  I am planning for the bench to be exterior, although under an awning, so I wanted all the surfaces painted to help preserve the wood.  I also painted the slats at this time so it would be easy to get the parts between the slats.  Last I attached the slats and added wheels.  I am obsessed with having wheels on my furniture as I live alone, and sometimes I need to move things and it is really nice if you don't have to call someone to help you.

The last step was to add the arm rests and paint them.  Finally, I put a coat of wax on it to give it a little character.

Summer Projects - DVD Shelf

Hey all,

I did a lot of summer projects this year.  The first project I completed was a shelf for my DVD player and electronic stuff.

The cords were coming out of a hole in the wall so first I found this cool cord guide at the hardware store and I put it in.

As you can see it had been sitting on the edge of the hearth with cords going everywhere.  I planned the shelf to sit out from the chimney a little as the outlet to plug the electronics into was in the corner and there are gas lines running along he edge of the chimney.  I made the top so it would lift off so if you have to work on changing hook ups it is easier to get in there.  I also found a wooden box at JoAnn's and cut holes in it for cords to go in so the cord "nest" would be would hidden.

Group quilting and sewing

Hey readers,

Just a short post tonight, need to get a few more chores done so I will have a good week at school.  

We are coming down to the end of the school year.  Last full week with Seniors....so not too much more to go!  I have been craving the beach.  I always lived near the beach growing up, and it has been two years without a trip to the beach.  I need to make that happen.

If you are not a member of a guild, you need to find one.  It is so nice to get together with others that love doing the same things you do.  Plus the satisfaction one gets from working on a group project and seeing it done are great.  Last Saturday we were working on three different projects at our monthly Sit n Sew.  One group was working on gifts for the goodie bags that we will give out when our guild hosts the MQA state meeting in the Fall.  Another group was working on the Habitat quilt.  And the group I was working with were putting the rows together on the house quilt.  We had such a nice time and accomplished so much!!

Saturday, I put the borders on a quilt our guild was making.  Cut the binding and pieced it, and put it on a tube so it would not wrinkle.  I also put the backing together.  My brother was here for the weekend, so he carried it back to Columbus for me.  

Also on Saturday, the Possum Town Quilters, presented a quilt to a new Habitat for Humanity recipient.  The new home owner, was Cookie, aka Dennis Bailey.  Cookie has worked at Columbus High for years.  This was short notice for this quilt, so last Saturday on our sit and sew day, we made a jelly roll quilt and set in some t-shirts.  We got the top done except for attaching the borders.  Watana carried it home, put the borders on, and quilted it with a sports theme.  Then the Wednesday Maple Street quilters, many of whom are PTQers, sewed the binding down.  I did not go to the dedication as the weather was bad.  

This afternoon I worked on some gifts for my dad's birthday and a quilted piece that my step mother, did not know what to do with it.  So I set it in a pillow for her, and made a couple of travel pillow cases for my dad.  I don't think he reads my blog that often so I am going to take a chance and post a photo of them here.  

Have a great week.  

Sew on!!

Terry

Rocky Mountain Dreams

Dear Readers,

Hey all I know it so I missed posting last week, but I wanted to get a post in this week for sure. I finally finished the Rocky Mountain dreams quilt. 

You may remember I was working on it around Thanksgiving time.  I picked blues to represent the sky, browns, reds and greens to represent the colors of the mountains.  The pattern is Scrappy Mountain Magestries by Bonnie K. Hunter.  Click here for a link to her pattern.  I finished machine quilting, bound, and labeled. I used some of the walking foot techniques I learned in my Craftsy class from Jacquie Gering. Click here to read about that class.  Since I named the quilt Rocky Mountain Dreams I decided to quilt it like a topographical map.  

Yesterday my guild, The Possum Town Quilters, had a sit-n-sew day. We were very productive.  We got the middle of two quilts done.  They should have something on the blog about it soon. Click one link at the right to read about it.  It was a really nice day and lots of fun to work on joint projects with a big group. 

Then I got a pedicure and had dinner with two other friends. 

Get out and make something.  It makes you feel good. 

Sew long. 

Terry

Upholstery and two fabric quilts.

Dear Readers,

I spent most of the day trying to get the yucky upholstery off of a chair I bought soon after buying this house.  It has been sitting around, first in the garage, and last summer I brought it in and put it on a cafeteria table I have been using as a dining room table.  My son affectionately started calling it my large object de' art.  I made the cushion a month or so ago, but have been hesitant to start on the chair.  It is a wing back and I have never reupholstered a wing back chair.

I got the back legs off with no problem...I am having trouble getting the front legs off.  UGH!

When my hands would get tired, I would go sew on my two fabric quilt.  That is the theme of next years Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge.   It is going to be either a baby quilt or a small throw.  I am doing a stack and whack with the animal print fabric.  I don't have any more of the great orange I used in the safari stars quilt, but I have some animal footprint fabric I used on the back of another quilt that I think that will work.

Quilt on,

Terry