Saturday, June 20, 2009

PJs and a new chair cover

new chair cover What to do when it's pouring outside? How about pulling out your trusty seam ripper and taking apart an Ikea chair cover? I have an 8 year old Poang Ikea armchair that had a plain ivory cover that had gotten a kind of grungy from all the spilled coffee and 8 years of use. I thought this home dec leaf print was kind of cute, so I took the old one apart and re did it with the print. I finished it, but it was a good reminder why I prefer to sew clothes and not home dec projects.

First unzipped it and took out the foam cushions, then ripped off the old binding around the outer edges. Next I ripped out the stitching where the back met the seat at the bend of the cushion. That separated the front of the cushion cover from the back. The front is a piece of fabric quilted to a layer of batting, which I wanted to re-use so I soaked the front cover in some oxyclean and washed it gently. While that was going on, I took apart the back which was in three pieces, joined by zippers. I kept the middle most tiny rectangle and used the other two pieces as pattern pieces to cut the new back. Then I stitched the zippers into the new cover. When the front was dry, I cut a new front using the old one as a pattern piece, and quilted the new fabric right over the old fabric. Then I basted the front and back together and put on a new binding, and voila- new chair cover! Putting the binding on was actually a beast. It was really stiff and kind of hard to maneuver... it's not perfect, but no one is going to be carefully inspecting the binding on it, so it will do.

new chair cover

Then I was feeling a bit jealous of my sister's comfy new flannel PJs so I made myself a pair -also from Farmer's Market flannel. This is the vintage cherries print. Sooooo soft!

PJs

BeeBee, your copy of the pattern is an envelope ready to go up to the mailbox! I actually thought some more about how to better organize my BWOF traced off patterns, since I end up with multiple traced copies of the good patterns when I lose the original tracing... I'm really resisting getting a filing cabinet but I might have to break down and go with that.

One last important item. cutest corgi puppies ever on cute overload this morning. Awwwwwwww.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the chair cover! It is always nice to spice up the interior.

BeeBee said...

I like the chair cover. We have an IKEA chair/ottoman in the white that's looking grungy. After we move, I may try this. (ha, or not, depending on how far IKEA is from the new digs, LOL)
Thanks for the pattern.

Antoinette said...

It's funny how technically, the craft/ home dec projects may not seem challenging but they can be less familiar and compelling than garment sewing. The chair looks great! And when I saw the PJ pants you made for your sister, I thought to myself how I should make some for me. Looks like we were on the same wavelength. :)

verobirdie said...

I found your blog a few weeks ago, just before your ruffle'o'matic post.
see what it mad me do !http://aufildujardin.blogspot.com/2009/06/emilies-ruffles.html
Seriously, I'm glad I read this post. I did not know of gathering foot (although it is listed in my machine doc.) It has been a pleasure to gather the ruffle for this dress. Thank you!
And you see, whatever their age, daughters make us make wonders :-)

Uta said...

That chair looks so good! And fits your interior - what I can see of it - very well. As for flannel pajamas - we can never have too many, can we!