Making Well-loved Pieces New Again

June 12, 2015 Sherri Rice

August Blues - After, Chair and Ottoman3

I wanted to share a couple of pieces I recently completed that belong to the same household as this chair and ottoman...

My client had purchased a little extra fabric, so we did two more pieces - a large ottoman and an antique rocking chair.

The ottoman is affectionately knows as the "gypsy pad" and it has become a great place for the dogs to lounge. Here is where we started (after the pleated skirt in a third fabric was removed)...

We used the same denim as before, and changed up the style a little...

You can see the unusual shape here...

I used the three "lobes" of the ottoman as a guide to decide the size and spacing of the box pleats...

Now it will blend perfectly with the other pieces in the room!

There was a little fabric left, but not quite enough to do the next piece, so my client found a coordinating striped piece to do her antique rocking chair. The chair has been in the family a long time! And for good reason...

Isn't that a beautiful chair! Underneath the slipcover is a almost-mustard-color velvet, which was still in great shape, but just didn't go with the rest of the room. So, now it has some flirty pleats...

... and matching covered buttons ( I got to use my covered button-making machine - works great!). And then, I had to play with some back details, too...

August Blues - Rocking Chair Back Details

Familiar pieces all dressed up and ready to continue to serve the family :)

Sherri

Trying a New Denim

May 20, 2015 Sherri Rice

Sometimes our beloved animals are hard on furniture - can anyone relate? My client brought this chair and ottoman that had had some unwanted attention from a cat. And, somehow the tapestry fabric did not handle the attention very well. But, the chair was still very comfortable and had great lines, so slipcovers came to the rescue.

English roll arms and a rolled back? Yes, please!

My client wanted something in a natural color, that was also durable and washable for life with animals. We selected the bull denim recommended by The Slipcover Maker. And here is the After...

And here is the pair...

A simple design, with piping and knife pleats around the bottom.

August Blues - After, Chair and Ottoman2

The rolled back is such a elegant feature, I think...

I really like this fabric - it is sturdy, but soft enough to be able to work it around curves and fashion details like the pleats (and the price is very reasonable). I would definitely consider it for our home, if I thought I could get away with such a light color ;) Note: the shrinkage is about 6"/yd. so make sure you allow enough fabric for pre-washing!

Do you have a favorite slipcover fabric?

Sherri

An IKEA Refresh

February 16, 2015 Sherri Rice

It's fun when the friend of a client contacts me and says "I want to get on your list!" So, I was excited to get to this project - an IKEA couch and chair. And the fabric would be dropcloth. Here are the pieces before, with their original IKEA slipcovers...

I haven't looked at IKEA slipcovers lately, but these ones had no extra opening to make them easier to take on and off, and, over time, they had shrunk a little. My client was very excited to have covers that she wouldn't have to fight to get on and off! She provided the 10 oz dropcloth and specified a pleated skirt. Lots and lots of pleats later, here they are...

Hard to believe those are IKEA pieces! And, by the way, she has the cutest house :)

She requested piping only around the skirt, so the rest of the seams were left clean and simple.

The furry member of the family was eager to try them out...

Lots and lots of box pleats (with a 2" turned hem)...

And then, because these pieces float in the room, we had to dress up the back...

I know I said in an earlier post something about buttons needing to be functional, well, I'm eating my words now ;) My client wanted the button look, but wanted the security and streamlined look of a zipper. So, did both - underneath the button placket is a functioning zipper. And now the slipcovers go on and off with ease!

And aren't her pillows gorgeous?

These pieces are destined for a keeping room in Tennessee (I so love the idea of a keeping room!), so my client is playing with different ideas for accessories - I can't wait to see them in their new home!

Do you have IKEA slipcovered pieces? What do you think of how they work for you?

Sherri

Matching Matelasse

October 23, 2014 Sherri Rice

August Blues - Loveseat Before - without cushions

It was high time to do a loveseat, so this was the project! My client had a Quatrine loveseat that had been wearing it's original matelasse slipcover for a "few" years. The loveseat (with wonderful down cushions!) was in great condition, it just needed a new cover. My client chose to use another matelasse, but this one had a larger pattern - it's just a little more formal, I think. Here is the before (unfortunately, I didn't get a "before" with the original slipcover on - I'll just tell you it was beautiful, but well loved ;) )...

This project was done via an on-site pin-fit outside of my usual local service area, so the project had to be accomplished in as few visits as possible. So, all the cutting, matching, and pin-fitting was done in one visit. As with any large-patterned slipcover, we had to decide where it was most important that the pieces be matched. Given that the back and sides would mostly be covered by other furniture, I focused on matching the front pieces. Here is a "during" picture...

And here is the after...

The lighting was a little challenging, so you can't really see the matching here.

(Please excuse the large bin that I use to transport the fabric and slipcover)

The fabric was just a bit narrower than the width of the loveseat, so I added pieces to the ends of the largest pieces to get the width needed. The zipper is hidden along the corner seam on the left side. We also decided to use a plain white twill for the piping trim and covered buttons.

We used the covered buttons to accent the pleats; we may do something a little more with those, when we find the right idea...

Here is another matelasse project I did awhile ago - have you used matelasse in your house?

Sherri

A Walk on the {elegant} Wild Side

October 17, 2014 Sherri Rice

I have been in the slipcover business for just over 3 years (when did that happen?!?) and this project was my first opportunity to work with linen. I wasn't avoiding it - it just wasn't what my clients were choosing. And now I think I am in love :) I love the organic texture and drape that just can't be duplicated. And now I have a couple more linen projects on my list :) So, let's have a look...

We started with this antique wicker loveseat that had belonged to my client's grandmother (always a great place to start!)...

The red upholstery was not original ;) But, it wouldn't work well under the lighter colored linen, so we decided to take it off and I did a not-fancy upholstery job with a couple of layers of dropcloth to give us a neutral base to start. No, I am not going into the upholstery business!

Ahh, much better!

Then the fun began, with these ingredients...

... neutral zebra-print linen and a collection of vintage buttons. My client just wanted a simply-styled cover, so I came up with this...

August Blues - Finished Loveseat Slipcover

Sweet and simple. The cover was shaped around the posts and closed with the mis-matched buttons and tabs. The bottom edge was finished with a simple blind hem.

My client also requested a bevy of throw pillows for the loveseat and other places around the room. She included a solid, rustic linen for this part of the project. Time to play!

The largest pillows (20") were done in the solid linen, with a zebra flange and french pleats at the corners.

The 18" pillows were done in the zebra, with looped button closure using mother-of-pearl buttons I had on hand.

Yes, that is a functional closure (one of my pet peeves is pillows with buttons that don't work - weird, I know ;) ).

The lumbar pillows were done in the solid linen, with a center panel of pin-tucks and more zebra flange.

Just an fyi - the down pillow inserts came from Cutting Corners. They have stores in Dallas and Fort Worth (and a few other cities), but we weren't making a trip there, so I took advantage of their FREE shipping (and they have a Design Pro discount if you are in the design business). The inserts got to me within a couple of days and worked great (no, I don't get any compensation for this - they just give great service!). And, yes, order them 2" bigger than the intended size of your covers - it really makes a for a nice, plump pillow.

And there you have it - a little wild and a lot elegant :)

Do you use animal prints in your home?

Sherri

From Traditional to Casually Comfortable

September 26, 2014 Sherri Rice

Pardon my absence from this place - I have been juggling projects and family needs, so this writing falls a little lower on the list. However, I have a lovely project to share with you today; it's perfect for the nesting instinct that seems to kick in in the fall. My client is renovating their home, and, with a new addition to the family, wanted to lighten up her furniture, while still keeping the original fabrics in place so she can change up the look as needed. We started with this large tufted chair and ottoman...

When she saw the white fabric I used on my previous project, she knew that's what she wanted. She loved that it was white, but not stark, blinding white. And I love that it feels great, is sturdy, and covers darker fabrics really well :) In fact, I may just need to keep this fabric in stock, because it makes a really nice, white slipcover. Anyway, enough about that - here is the after...

We kept it snug and clean-lined, and let the pretty legs show.

The bottom edge was finished with piping and top-stitching to keep everything in place. Just underneath the edges of the pieces , the bottom edges are attached to the chair with hook-and-loop so that they stay in place.

We tucked a zipper into the back corner, and played with the curves...

Love those rolled backs!

When I make covers for the cushions, I typically remove the original cover - it enables the slipcover to fit better and avoids a "double-bump" around the edges of the cushion where the original piping runs. My client wanted to keep the original cover intact so she could go back to the tapestry fabric if she wanted. In this case (and as often happens) the zipper on the original cushion was way too short to make taking it off and putting it on easy. So, because of the way the cover was designed, I was able to remove the original zipper, make a longer opening and re-install a longer zipper to make the process easier. Now she has two easy options for the chair :)

How do you feel about white slipcovers?

Sherri

P.S. Playing with before/after shots...

I Won't Be Quitting My Day Job...

August 23, 2014 Sherri Rice

So, the story starts with my "need" to find a different kitchen table. Our IKEA table was getting chipped and worn and was looking more shabby than chic. I was trolling Craigslist on a regular basis and happily found a "new" table - a vintage-ish curvy French style for... $15!!! And the size was just a little better fit for our space.

My plan was to paint and distress it. I had been hearing a lot about milk paint, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out. My first project turned out quite well, so I anticipated similar results. Well, if you have read anything about milk paint, you will know that it can be a little unpredictable. I opted not to use a bonding agent, since I wanted a chippy look.

Well, the legs and skirt of the table turned out about like I was hoping - a little chippy, and easily distressed where I wanted it. I finished them with wax, and then flipped the table over to start on the top.

And that's where the project started to go south. I did two coats of the milk paint and it chipped like crazy! Like, half of the paint disappeared! And it didn't stop chipping, even after I thought I took off most of the chips and tried to finish it with the wax. It was just before Christmas and we were having house guests, so I decided just to go with it. We used a table cloth most of the time, but every time I took the cloth off, more paint chips fell on the floor. That got old real quick! In hindsight, I strongly suspect user error - I'm not sure that I mixed the paint correctly and the temperature in the garage where I worked was probably too cold.

So, in my abundance of paint wisdom, I decided to fix it with some coats of primer and latex paint (because I am impatient and I had those items on hand). Primer will stick to anything, right? It did make the table usable, but, while the primer stuck to the milk paint, the milk paint was not entirely stuck to the table. So the layers continued to peel off randomly as the latex paint stuck to plates, books, etc. It just looked BAD :/ (and I don't have a picture, but you can use your imagination!)

So, since the Nester says you can't ruin something you don't like and I was DETERMINED to make this table work, I picked up some stripper and went to work. A little (a LOT) of elbow grease later, and the table top was stripped down (mostly) to bare wood. Then I got some Vintage Farmhouse Paint (like I used here) and went to work...

The color was a great match to the milk paint legs. 3 coats and some strategic distressing later, it was ready for a final finish. I was going to use wax, like I did here and here (I have been very happy with the finish on those pieces). But, I needed to get some more, so I decided to do a little online research before I headed out. The consensus was that, for a piece like the table, that would get heavy use, wax would not be durable enough and that a poly finish of some kind would be better. So, I came home with a water-based polycrylic (remember, I am working in our kitchen and it is Texas-in-August hot, so I didn't want to have the windows open more than necessary). 3 light coats (with light sanding in between), and here is the final result...

Yep, the finish yellowed some, but now we have a functional table that (knock on wood!) will not chip or peel or otherwise get in the way of enjoying our meals. After all, it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful :) (Flowers and pretties don't hurt, though ;) )

...And that, my friends, is why I will stick to slipcovers and leave the fancy paint finishes to the experts (well, at least until the painting urge strikes again)!

Have you ever tried a project that didn't turn out quite like you expected?

Sherri

Old World Couch

June 7, 2014 Sherri Rice

Summer has officially started at our house. The boys had their first day off from school yesterday, which is why this post did not get posted yesterday. We started the day with oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup, which, I have to say, were quite yummy (I think, because part way through making them, I realized that I forgot to do my usual 1/2 oil, 1/2 applesauce trick and did the full amount of oil instead)! The Professor took the boys out in the morning to do some errands/activities so I could get some sewing done. Then, because there were REPEATED requests for an ice cream treat when they came back, I quickly pulled together a summer chore chart, so that ice cream treats could be earned. They boys were quite enthusiastic about that; we will see how long that enthusiasm lasts :) So, now I get to show you this project (some of you have already had a peek :)! Not only is it a great before-and-after, but together we were able to bring my client's vision to life. And she had a very clear vision, so all I had to do was put the slipcover together :)

Here is the couch before...

It was a solid Norwalk-brand couch that was just in need of a fresh, new look. So, here is the after...

It's a new couch!! My client wanted an "old-world" look, so she and her husband picked this great mix of chenilles - a solid, an animal print, a burgundy swirly pattern, and a burgundy and gold geometric (the paisley cushions she already had). Since this is a busy household with boys and dogs, we pre-washed all the fabrics. And while I was putting the slipcover together, she found that great rug that pulls all her colors together - it was a Home Goods find :) !

You can see how we mixed up the fabrics - I took careful notes to make sure all the right fabrics ended up in the right places :) And then we added 4 different kinds of trims to the pillows...

Two kinds on the couch (plus the animal print piping) and two more here...

...and here (it's hard to see in the picture, but this pillow was an off-the-shelf one that we added trim to to dress it up)...

And the best result? My client said, "It looks exactly like the picture I had in my head!" Mission accomplished :)

Oh, and my client? She blogs over at Sassie Aspie Mom; if you have been around here for awhile and you check out her blog, you will see that we connected over more than fabrics and slipcovers :) We both agreed, it's been a God-thing.

So, today is Day 2 of summer, and we are off to enjoy a geocaching adventure with some neighbors. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sherri

Welcome to August Blues - I'm so glad
you're here! August Blues Slipcover Studio strives to enable your home to better serve its purpose, by providing you with quality custom slipcovers that enhance the appearance and functionality of your furniture pieces. Established in 2011 and located in Denton, TX...Read More

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