THIS OLD HOUSE

Kim Kelly, Bella Rustica, and her St. Simons Island, Georgia cottage are in the October issue of This Old House magazine.  To get the entire story, go to her blog.  There are also outtakes and the story of what really happening when your home is photographed for a magazine.

Above is a slipcovered Parson's chair that I made.  The shot below shows what the inside back looks like.

The center picture below is the burlap roman shade I made.  Again, not a great shot (for my work) because of the hanging light that's in front of it.  

 This is a better angle to see what it really looks like.  Burlap is not my favorite fabric to work with, but it turned out pretty well in spite of all the 'issues' that sewing on burlap presents.

And last, but not least, the screened in back porch has a (barely visible, unless you happen to be looking for things you've done in someone's home) chaise that I also slipcovered. This is one of Scout's favorite places to lounge.  

The shot below is what it looks like not shot through a screen.

 I just love when work I've done ends up in a magazine.  I never get tired of it.

BEWARE OF CHENILLE -- IT GROWS!

Below are the new covers, but

 about three years ago, I made chenille covers for these chairs and ottoman.  Recently, my client decided she wanted new ones, partly because she wanted to lighten up the room and partly because they seemed to not fit properly.  Before I went to measure, I looked for and found the old measurements, and thought that would save time this go-around.   A funny thing happened, though, when I thought I'd compare measurements.  They were so far off that I couldn't believe it.  Now, I've been known to make things a little bigger, but 4" bigger?  I don't think so.

 My client liked the new covers so much, that with the extra fabric, I was able to make pillows for her red chairs.  The 1" pleated ruffle is in a contrast linen that I happened to have sitting around.  It matched perfectly and framed the pillows nicely.

 The 3 photos below are the original covers in the chenille that grew over time.  They look nice in these pictures because it is before the 'growth spurt.'  They definitely do not look like this anymore.

So if you decide to use chenille for something, be forewarned that it GROWS over time!

BACK FROM THE EDGE - LITERALLY

It has been nearly 9 months since my last post.  At the time, I had every intention of continuing to blog and carry on with my life like nothing had happened.  Trouble was, something very traumatic had happened,  and it was much harder to heal from and took far longer than I ever imagined it would.  In fact, I am still in the process.

On 24 September 2011, I was sexually assaulted.   This coming Monday, which is the one year anniversary of the attack, I am launching a new project called At Long Last Heard.  The statics say that every 45 seconds someone in the United States is sexual assaulted.  If this is correct, then that means that NO ONE I know has had that happen to them?  Seems impossible.  To me, this means that people simply do not talk about it.  (That has changed a little; I think maybe 5 women I know have told me of their ordeals.)  In our country, there are still two subjects that are very taboo:  sexual assault and suicide. I think the time has come to change this.  I am only one person, but I truly believe that the good that can come from my attack is to, at the very least, begin to change the attitudes and thinking about these subjects.

My new web site will tell the story of my journey this last year:  the good, the bad and the really ugly.  It is a little scary opening up my entire life so much, BUT I think it is very important.  If I can help even one woman understand the process she will go through or make someone feel like she isn't alone, then it will all be worth it.  Let me say right now that I understand sexual assault happens to both women and men, but as I am a woman, that will be my focus.  (If you are a man that has been sexually assaulted, I suggest you start your own web site to help other men.)

At Long Last Heard will launch at 12:01 am on Monday, 24 September.  I also have a Facebook page set up and next week, will set up a Twitter link.  If you, or anyone you know of, would benefit from this, please check it out.  And I would be forever grateful if you would copy this post and put it on your own site.  Or your Facebook wall.  If you would prefer to contact me directly, please write me at: atlonglastheard@gmail.com. 

As for A Little of This That and the Other, I am working again and have lots of new pictures to post.  It may be a lot juggling 2 sites, but this is my creative outlet and I think it is important to get back to sharing here.  Other than this post, I will not talk about my experience on this site.  I want to keep this blog as my 'happy place.'