I finished one of the slipcovers for my dining room chairs!
Well, almost. I need to make ties for it, but I couldn't help showing it off.
Click here for a tutorial on the finish on the chairs. Click here to see how I made my hand painted "grain sacks" for the seats. I'll be posting a tutorial where I share tips about working with drop cloths soon.
I made a simple fitted seat cover with a piping edge and pleated skirt.
I used the first and middle initials of my family members for the letters on the "grain sacks." Now, everyone has "their" chair.
I drove 45 minutes to Hobby Lobby this morning to get the leafing adhesive, so I could finish my chalkboard frame. It was killing me to have it half finished. I love the gold against the black chalkboard. Definitely fancy meets simple. I purchased the frame (along with about six others) in an auction lot for a quarter. The frame was a dated, speckled gold with a fabric border, but gold leafing all of it disguised the 1970's look.
I wrote a quote borrowed from a sampler made by my husband's grandmother. It hung in his dining room when he was growing up. For those who can't read my writing, it says...
Christ is the head of this house,
the unseen guest at every meal,
and the silent listener to every conversation.
What a great reminder.
I had a question from a reader about the "neatness" of my writing with chalk. Well, it's not chalk. I cheated. It's a really cool marker called "Chalk Ink." It comes in all sorts of colors and looks so much neater than chalk. You can purchase it in a pack of four at Michaels for $12.00. (Use your 40% off coupon and it's even less!) It is located with the paint pens...trust me. I was sent to three different aisles by three different associates until we found them.
So, for the curtains and pillows in the living and dining room, I had my heart set on a Waverly print, but those hopes were dashed when I saw it was almost $40/yard. I needed 20 yards. Sigh. So, just when I thought all hope was gone, I saw this same print in the summer clearance section with the outdoor fabrics. It was only $10/yard and was even wider than the decorator fabric. I don't care if it resists moisture and fading. Why would I? With toddlers, it's even better! And it looks EXACTLY the same, it's just made of a canvas instead of a linen/cotton blend.
Let's do the math.
20 yards x $40/yard = $800
20 yards x $10/yard = $200 (I purchased 10 yards from JoAnn Fabrics, but I used a $55.00 gift card, so that was only $45 out of pocket. I ordered 12 yards off of Fabric.com, using $100 of birthday money and a coupon code. Woo hoo!)
It's Waverly's Tucker Resist in Chambray.
It's Waverly's Tucker Resist in Chambray.
I'm posting this to the CSI Project's Fabric Week.
