Friday, May 29, 2015

FIRST REUPHOLSTERY, THEN SLIPCOVERS

Yes, I did reupholster these chairs, six to be exact, with Sunbrella.  And, no, I do not normally do reupholstery jobs.  Chairs seats are the exception to that rule.  These chairs, however, could not have been more difficult.  Even pulling the old staples out was tough...I kept slipping and when finished, I looked like I'd been in a fight.  My knuckles were bloody and cut up.


I had to do the chairs two at a time because my clients actually use the chairs when they eat dinner each night at the table.  Luckily, they have four people in their family and when two chairs were at my house for an extended period of time, it was not a big deal.  So after I finally got all 6 chairs redone, it was time to make little slipcovers, also out of Sunbrella.


The fabric my client chose for the slips was the same as upholstered seats, just in a different color.  


The slipcovers have tabs were covered buttons to keep them in place.


And as always, the nicest thing about Sunbrella is the indestructible nature of the fabric.  My client can simply wipe off spills and if necessary, even wash them.


My client's cat, Bart, enjoying 'his' new seat!


Friday, May 22, 2015

WHITE 'SAILCLOTH' SUNBRELLA SLIPCOVERS

These slipcovers are done with a sailcloth Sunbrella.  It is the nicest Sunbrella I've ever worked with!

The fabric is very soft and feels really nice.


My client bought these two sofas on Craigslist from an elderly lady.  They are custom made from Calico Corners, and she (my client) paid only $200 for them!  And while they were not ugly, they were not to my client's liking, fabric-wise.


That's where slipcovers come in.  I am often asked how one should decide whether or not to slipcover a piece of furniture.  I always say, if you love it and it is comfortable, do it.  If you just hate the fabric and do not want to have it reupholstered, do it.  If it is uncomfortable, don't bother.  If the piece is from IKEA, don't bother.


Overall, the white fabric really brightened up the room.  My client was thrilled with the result and said it was the best Mother's Day 'present' she received this year.  Since her kids were not around, new slipcovers were the next best thing!



The before - not bad, just boring.


Friday, May 8, 2015

2015 CORONADO HISTORIC HOME TOUR

The City of Coronado was incorporated in 1890, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.  This Sunday, Mother's Day, is the Coronado Historic Home Tour.  The homes on the tour represent six of the styles of architecture that built Coronado.  Those on the tour include Mid-Century Modern, Palmer, Spanish Eclectic, Tudor, Craftsman and Spanish Revival.  
In addition to these six, there are five other (addresses provided in your ticket booklet for 'drive-by' touring) typical styles constructed here over the last 12 decades, and those are: Victorian, Mission Revival, Colonial Revival, Arts and Crafts and Pueblo Revival.



I have the great fortune of having done work in 3 of the 6 houses this year!  And in the picture above, the Tudor, I did the sofa slipcover to the left and the chair and ottoman in the center of the picture.  



Also, as seen above in the picture to the bottom left, in the living room, I made the pillows, and the bottom right shows the outside patio in the back of the house, where I did the cushions.  There are also various other window treatments, bedding, etc. that I have done over the last 10 or more years.

The other two homes I have work in are the Craftsman and the Spanish Eclectic.




If you live locally in San Diego, I highly recommend you come to Coronado on Sunday and enjoy the  exquisite homes on the tour.  The hours are 11 am to 4 pm, and tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 1100 Orange Avenue.  Check out the web site for more information:  www.coronadohistory.org.


Saturday, May 2, 2015

'OLD' ROMAN SHADES

A few weeks back I got an email from a client.  In part it said,  "Hope you will remember us as you made 9 Roman Shades for our our home in Fairbanks Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe, in October 2005 when we moved to San Diego. Despite being put up and down every morning and every night, they still look like new."  


Of course I remembered them.  What the email also said was that, if I was interested, they needed more roman shades.  


So, I went yesterday to measure and pick up the fabric for the roman shades in the guest room.


As I had never gotten pictures of the ones I did 10 years ago, I took the opportunity to take them yesterday.  


When I first walked in the master bedroom, my first thought was, 'I did not make these.'  But really, how could they think I had if I hadn't.  When I looked closer, I realized that I had, in fact, made them.


What I do remember about this job was how each shade, all 9 of them, came out exactly the same, and by that I mean I cut them all from the top down.  So even though they had varying finished lengths, the tops were all identical.  I was impressed, and so were my clients.


I am happy that after all these years the shades still look really good.  And clearly my clients are happy as well since I am making more shades for their lovely home in Fairbanks Ranch.