Working Under The Radar

June 22, 2017 Sherri Rice

Hello, there!

I feel like I'm having to learn this blogging thing again, it's been so long since I last posted. If you are new around these parts, welcome! It may have been quiet around here, but my sewing machines have been humming - I have so many projects to share with you, so let's get started...

I did this project a few months back. It started with two chairs and grew to add four more. We started with a pair of these classic arm chairs...

...added four more curvy side chairs, and refreshed them all with simple white cotton duck slipcovers...

So fresh and clean-looking! Here are some details...

(Aren't those pretty chairs?)

Simple slips for some classically beautiful chairs!

Sherri

P.S. Pillows by Pillows For Good.

Crisp and Tailored

June 18, 2016 Sherri Rice

My client knew exactly what she wanted for this next project - tailored, white slipcovers. The only thing that changed in the course of planning was the size of the project - we started with one sleeper sofa, but then she purchased the same sofa in a non-sleeper version to replace a sectional that just wasn't working for them.

Unfortunately, I don't have any "before" pictures, but both of these pieces are "Axis" style couches from Crate and Barrel. She chose white 12oz duck cloth and this was the outcome...

We opted for no skirt, just taking the slipcover almost down to the floor. And I think I am a fan of those simple track arms :)

This one is the sleeper - I treated it the same as the other, but installed a zipper around the seat deck to make it easy to access the pull-out bed without removing the whole slipcover.

Just very simple. But, those throw pillows! My client has the best collection - every time I install a slipcover, she brings out all these perfectly mixed-and-matched pillows - wait until you see the whole room!

Such a great space, made lighter and brighter with the white slipcovers...

A perfect summer look, just in time for the Texas heat!

Do lighten your home for summer?

Sherri

Craigslist For The Win

November 23, 2015 Sherri Rice

When my client first contacted me about a slipcover project, she had a particular chair and ottoman in mind. When it came time to discuss fabric options, she had found this chair and ottoman set on Craiglist and wanted it done instead. But this was no ordinary Craigslist find - these were Quatrine pieces, in like-new condition!!

The only issue were the red slipcovers - not my client's style. But, that's an easy fix ;)

She had another Quatrine piece that had a pique-type fabric, so she was looking for something similar. We landed on a beautiful white linen/cotton blend from Gray Line Linen. Once it was washed and dried, it had that great pique texture that she was going for!

She knew she wanted knife pleats all around the bottom. And, to mix things up just a little, we used white denim for the piping.

Here's a close-up of the texture of the fabric...

English roll arms are always a classic feature...

We finished off the project with little slips for a couple of footstools. This time we used the denim for the main slipcover and did the pleats in the linen/cotton blend (this shows the before and after)...

A new look more in keeping with my client's style :)

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here :)

The Chair with Two Left Feet

April 30, 2015 Sherri Rice

...or When a $5 Craigslist Chair is Just a $5 Craigslist Chair :) This is a story about a chair...

I thought the corner of our front room (my office/furniture holding room) needed a little something, a chair specifically. I like wing chairs for the height they bring to a seating arrangement, so I went to Craigslist to see what I could find. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a chair whose primary job was to fill a space and look good (with a slipcover, of course), so when I spotted one nearby for $5, I contacted the seller about details and we went to have a look.

The seat cushion was attached, not my favorite, but the rest of the chair seemed ok - sturdy enough, the fabric was in good shape, and it didn't smell funny. So, we took it... I mean, it was $5! And, I soon realized why it was only $5...

When we were loading the chair, I noticed that one of the back legs had been put on wrong. Well, that would be an easy fix. Once we got it home, I attempted to fix that rogue leg and realized that both back legs were the same, as in they both belonged on the same side of the chair. And the legs were plastic, not wood :/ And then (yes, there is more!) I looked more closely and noticed that both front legs also belonged to the same side of the chair. Who makes a chair like that??? And who pays money for a chair like that? Ahem...

Well, I didn't get around to slipcovering it for awhile and eventually that chair got moved to the bedroom. And then I noticed that my favorite chair (not the one with two left feet, but another one that actually was a great Craigslist find) was being used to hold the Professsor's clothes - what?! So, the Craigslist chair promptly got moved to his side of the room , so I could use my favorite chair for actually sitting in! And then, finally I had time to make a slipcover :)

I used a chunk of dropcloth, and added some leftover white piping. I didn't have enough fabric to make a long skirt to hide the wonky legs, but since the chair's new job was to hold clothes, I figured no one would notice. And here it is...

August Blues - Dropcloth Sliipcover After1

Whew, much better, even if it is actually as off kilter as it looks in the picture! It now blends perfectly with the rest of the bedroom decor and is beautifully serving it's purpose.

August Blues - Dropcloth Slipcover Close-up

Now, the lesson to be learned could be "buyer beware when shopping Craigslist" and that's a great lesson. However...

August Blues - Dropcloth Slipcover After2

...I'm going to go with the Nester, who says "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."

Can I get an "Amen!" to that?

Sherri

P.S. And can I just ask, can we make clothing-holding chairs a thing?? Because, I'm pretty sure we all have them... ;)

New Life for a Nursery Rocker

March 27, 2015 Sherri Rice

We are all back to work/school after Spring Break (if you follow on Instagram, you will have seen some of our adventures), and it is good! This project is a great example of how a little creativity can prolong the useful life of a quality piece of furniture. My client had an adorable rocker that she had used in her kids' nursery. It was custom made locally, and was a great piece that she was hoping to save for her kids to use for their own families. But she didn't want it to just hang out in storage. Here it is...

You may have noticed that this chair has legs, not rockers. My client was able to remove the rockers and replace them with pretty legs. Now this chair can go anywhere an extra seat is needed!

My client chose linen for the slipcover (I believe it was Snow Glynn Linen from Covington). She requested a gathered skirt and piping trim. And here it is...

The gathered skirt was perfect for the curvy form of the chair. It was finished with a blind hem.

Reminds me of this chair I did in dropcloth...

Augusst Blues - Inspiration and Inspired

Because of the curves, we opted to do a zipper down the middle of the back, concealed behind a faux button placket...

The linen just seemed to need mother-of-pearl buttons :)

August Blues - Button Placket

Now the chair has grown up and is ready for it's new place in the guest room.

Do you have a chair, or other furniture piece, you can repurpose?

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here :)

Builder Basic to Personality Filled - A Kitchen Update

January 16, 2015 Sherri Rice

We purchased our then-5-year-old builder-basic house 9 years ago, with the intention of adding personality and character over time. Well, SLOWLY we are getting there, so I am very excited to show you our {mostly, for now} finished kitchen! I seem to spend a lot of time in this room (go figure!), so it has always been a priority to have it functioning as best as it can, and looking good in the process. It is a fairly generous size, as kitchens go, and has large windows that face east - I love morning sunshine! But, the cupboards and finishes are very basic, and as a result, have been showing their age quickly. A full remodel isn't in the budget, so we have been looking for ways to make it "us" on a VERY tiny budget.

This is what we started with (this picture was taken a year after we moved in)...

And this is what it looks like now...

Much better! It's really been lots of smaller projects that have added up to a completely different look. We started by changing the lighting, replacing some of the cabinets with open shelves, painting the cabinets that were left, and putting new flooring in. I talked about our breakfast bar here- it's been one of my most viewed posts! And I shared our kitchen table journey here. I won't talk about all of the rest of the changes here, but if you want to know more about any of the details, let me know in the comments.

The biggest change we have made since the breakfast bar project is raising the cabinets and installing a shelf underneath. I first saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it could work because it could give us more closed storage and enable us to move some of our everyday things off the counters. It worked and I love it! I won't give you step-by-step instructions, as others have already done that, but I thought I would show you how it works for us. And maybe it will inspire your own kitchen makeover!

Our adventure in cupboard rearranging started with the "hutch" we made that is located on the other side of our fridge...

We removed the upper cabinet and the lower cabinet doors. Then we installed shelves from Ikea (here) and I made curtains out of ticking for the lower cabinet. We also painted it a slightly different shade of white and used different drawer pulls, so that it looked distinct from the rest of the kitchen cabinetry.

The day we took those cabinets down, I REALLY just wanted to take them all out! But, I know myself and know that a little closed storage is a good thing :) This hutch is one of my favorite parts of the kitchen! It holds all our everyday dishes and has become our breakfast center...

Taking the cabinets down, and then putting them back up, was definitely a two-person job. We didn't put them all the way to the ceiling because we needed to get a hand (and a drill) in that space to screw the cabinets back to the wall (and if they were any higher, I wouldn't be able to reach anything!). The new small-scale crown molding around the top finishes them off. The cabinet over the microwave needed to stay in place, so we made a little niche area. I think it makes the cabinets more interesting.

We put up beadboard wallpaper for a backsplash and installed the shelves. We used 10" boards since I didn't want the shelves to be as deep as the cupboards. The brackets were unfinished wood and came from Home Depot.

It was fun to organize the shelves with our often-used (and pretty) things - the baskets hold spices, tea fixings, and dog paraphernalia).

We initially painted the shelves and backsplash a different white (Benjamin Moore Cloud White) than the cupboards (a mystery color). But, then I tried to touch up the finish on the upper cupboards and realized that my touch-up color was not the same as the initial color (has anyone else done that?). Since I wasn't certain we could match the original color, we ended up painting the upper cupboards (again!) in the same color as the shelves and backspash. And I like it better :)

If you are wondering about our "island," it is a vintage table I found at a local re-sale shop. It was originally intended to be a desk, but then we had to do a furniture shuffle and it ended up being our island. The "garbage" cans (also from Ikea) hold our dog food a little more stylishly than the plastic bins we were using.

And if you were wondering where our kitchen table is, this is why it didn't make it into any pictures (warning: full disclosure ahead)...

The projects never end! We are in the process of putting up crown molding in our family room and this has become our worktable. At least the breakfast bar gives us somewhere to eat ;)

One more look...

August Blues - Kitchen Before and After2

Have you done any low-budget kitchen upgrades?

Sherri

P.S. Many thanks to the Professor for entertaining and then following through with my hair-brained ideas for our kitchen and to my dad for painting many of the cabinets, not once, but twice!

More Linen Loveliness

December 6, 2014 Sherri Rice

Linen has been the fabric this fall, at least in my workroom. And I am not complaining! This time, the project was slipcovers for a pair of Ethan Allen club chairs with attached back cushions and the matching ottoman - well-loved, but in need of refreshing...

My client chose a creamy white weighty linen - Glynn linen from Covington. This linen has a beautiful weight and comes in lots of colors. I pre-washed and dried it, and then got to work. Here is the after (pillow is mine)...

This linen covered the high-contrast print better than we anticipated, so an underslip was not necessary. My client loved the double corner pleats I had done on a chair for my Mom, so we did the same here. And I left them unpressed to add some feminine flair to the simple design.

As these chairs may go back to their printed version at some point, we left the back cushions attached, and just covered them all in one piece.

And now these pieces are ready to take their place, just in time for the holidays.

Do you have any linen pieces in your house?

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

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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