MORE SUNBRELLA SLIPCOVERS

This is NOT the job I am working on right now, but a job that I did back in December. What made this one so challenging was I had to 'fix' slipcovers that were already made. An upholsterer had done the job and had even taken the furniture to the shop (something I don't do; I cut in your home) and still they did not fit properly. The only saving grace was they were way too big.

I had to remake all the welting, which meant more fabric. And I had the designer take them apart. If I ever have another job like this (hopefully not) I will take them apart myself. I told her she needed to label all the pieces or else I wouldn't now what was what. I really should have been more specific because even though she did what I asked, instead of placing the tape in an upright position so I would know which was the top, she just slapped it on wherever she felt like. The result was I didn't know which end was up, literally.

Until I fixed them, she hated her slipcovers and was so disappointed because she had waited years to get the furniture done and it was awful. I should've taken pictures of the before just so you could have seen what the upholsterer thought was acceptable work. It boggles the mind. In the end, it all worked out and my client was thrilled.

Now, it's back to work for me so that I can get these other slipcovers finished for the installation on Tuesday.

OUTDOOR LIVING IN CALIFORNIA - PART 2

Way back in February I did a post about how fortunate we are in Southern California to be able to take advantage of our outdoor living space. Every manufacturer of fabrics now has an indoor/outdoor line. The name most everyone knows is Sunbrella.

The nice thing about Sunbrella is it is practically indestructible. Usually made of acrylic, it can withstand sun, rain, children and pets, and still look fabulous.

It comes in a million (okay, maybe not that many) different colors, patterns, textures and price ranges. A great source is outdoorfabrics.com.

This furniture had no existing cushions, so I had the foam cut, put batting on the foam and then made the covers.

One of my favorite things about sewing with Sunbrella and other outdoor fabrics is not having to pre-wash the fabric to shrink it. It doesn't shrink, which just means one less step for me in the process of the job.

I am in the middle of a job right now that is slipcovers for a sofa and 2 chairs using Sunbrella. I will deliver the job on Tuesday and post the pictures soon after.

MAGAZINES AND/OR PRESS

As you may have noticed, I have added the titles of magazines my work has been in over the years. I keep seeing on other people's blogs the magazine covers their work has been in and I thought I should have mine on my sidebar as well. If you go to my portfolio blog, you can see exactly what was in which magazine. Just as with my modeling jobs, a lot of the time I don't necessarily see the pictures. I am always on the lookout for work I've done, but with so many magazines and the fact that they are shot so far ahead of time, it is easy to miss the issue the work appears in.

AMAZING TRANSFORMATION

The original - front view

Close up of arm fronts

It's a little hard to tell, but there is a definite depth difference between the upholstery and the wood. This became an issue because the slipcover wouldn't lay properly without some kind of build up. That seemed way too complicated.

So I decided to use batting. This is the back and when I cut the pieces for this, I forgot that the outside back was much larger than the inside back, so there is a gap.

I had to actually sew the batting to the chairs, which was a bit of a pain. No, honestly, it was a huge pain and not easy to do.

I truly did have to cover all the wood that the slipcover would be sitting directly on, otherwise it wouldn't have looked right. When I am working on these seemingly impossible jobs, I frequently have to remind myself that I get these kinds of jobs because I CAN do them. It may take some creative brain power, but, in the end, I do figure it out.

Ta Da.

Like I said yesterday, the fabric is white denim with apple green linen welting and trim.

The side view.

Close up of the 1" pleated flange welting on the outside back. The skirt also has a 1" trim at the bottom.

The back with green buttons.

I am actually really pleased with how they (there are 2 chairs) turned out. I haven't even called my client yet to tell her they are finished, so you are seeing them before she does. I think she'll be happy with the result.

A BIT OF A TEASE

Okay, this is the chair I am working on right now. I almost finished today. I just have to gather and sew the skirt on and do the button-holes and the buttons. As you can probably tell from the picture, this is another of those chairs that you wouldn't normally slipcover and this one presented an even trickier challenge: I actually had to cover the wood with batting. You'll just have to wait, though, to see how I covered it and what the new slipcover looks like. Hint - white denim with apple green linen welting.

Stay tuned...

I LOVE PINK DENIM

I made this (giant) pillow from pink denim. It is so large, that even though there is already one, the pillow acts as a padded headboard of sorts.

The pillow has a pleated flange with a green and white 1/4" contrast welting that matches the wooden bed frame.

WHY I LOVE PHOTOSHOP

This is the original bouquet.

This is the original inverted. I just LOVE the colors now.

And for even more interest, I then posterized the inverted.

The original is very pretty.

The inverted is stunning! (This, of course, is my opinion.)

The original raspberry colored flowers.

When inverted, the flowers become green! And the background becomes much more visible and interesting.

I have to be really careful because photoshop is definitely addicting and I can spend HOURS playing. Half the time I am not sure how I got the result I end up with. Still, it is fun. Now if I could just decide what to do with all my inverted and posterized images.

SHOWCASE HOME - BANKER'S HILL

This is a showcase home I worked on with Sally Dixon a couple of years ago. When the photographer is shooting the rooms, he isn't doing it with me (or even the designers who worked on their respective rooms) and my portfolio in mind. So the picture or pictures that end up in the magazine don't and can't show all I did. It really is a matter of actually going to the showcase tour to get the full and true effect.

The slipper chair with a lace up back in the leopard fabric. I had the pillow embroidered with Sally's older daughter's name.

The bathroom was very tiny and extremely difficult to photograph. The fabric on the sink skirt and the roman shade were the same.

The roman shade was even harder to get a good picture of.

Assorted pillows on the bed.

A dog bed from the Ralph Lauren faux leopard fabric.

Close up of the bed pillows.

And since no detail is over looked in a showcase home, I also made, from a vintage chenille bedspread, a basket liner. I was even able to use the fringe from the spread.

WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY

I've been tagged by dustjacketattic (if you haven't yet been to her blog, pop on over and check it out - it's simply amazing, a feast for your eyes!) to list 6 things that make me happy and to pass it on to 6 other bloggers.

Ask me again tomorrow and my list may vary. Today, however, I choose these 6 things that make me happy:

sunshine

my friends and family

working for myself

living in Coronado

beauty

the ocean

I tag the following people:

Maija

Debbie

Karyn

Rita

Tristan

Brianna

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

REVERSIBLE PILLOWS

This is the front of the pillow, with a 1" banding on the ruffle and a contrast welting to bring the green of the fabric out.

The back is the same fabric as the front, but the "banding" on the front is the entire ruffle on the back. There are also buttons from the same black and white fabric. Turning the pillow over gives a different look to the bed.

This pillow has a 3" ruffle and 1/4" green checked welting with the dark, larger scale floral print on the front.

The back side doesn't even look like the same pillow. By using a different fabric, even with the ruffle being the same fabric, it completely changes the look of the pillow. They are harder to see, but there are also covered buttons from the green checked fabric.

A lot of times people do not want to have tons of pillows on their bed. By using different fabrics on the front and back, it is possible to have twice as many pillows! The only drawback is you cannot have both sides showing at the same time. Minor detail, though.

EVEN IN FLORENCE, SLIPCOVERED SOFAS

A good friend of mine just returned from spending 3 weeks in Italy. His friend lives in a 45 (!) bedroom villa, by himself. Needless to say, he doesn't use all the space he has. The room he does use a lot is the living/dining room. As soon as I saw the pictures, I said, "Look, he has slipcovers!"

I can't tell for sure, but the fabric looks an awful lot like a light blue denim. Even with fresco-painted walls and 20' ceilings, slipcovers are appropriate. I just love it.

ANOTHER CHALLENGING CHAIR

This is the front view of one of two arm chairs my client wanted a slipcover for. Given the style, the slipcover has to be in two pieces.

Back view

The chair looks completely different with its new slipcover.

Tabs with covered buttons connect the skirt pieces together at the front and back corners.

Side/back view.

Because the chair has arms, I had to use snaps under the arms to keep the back cover in place.

Back view with both pieces of the new slipcover. I used covered buttons up the back, although once you unsnap the under arms, it just slips right off. Again, these buttons are strictly decorative and I used them mainly to tie the button tabs on the bottom piece to the top piece.

This slipcover is a good example of wanting a lighter look for summer, but not wanting to have the chair reupholstered.

BLUE DENIM, TOO

Except for the bleaching, everything I said about white denim slipcovers goes for blue denim as well.

This chair has a short, box-pleated skirt.

And, of course, my signature button-back closure. In this case, it was strictly decorative. I didn't even unbutton it to put it on. Still, I think it is just more interesting than a plain back.

And to those of you whose name was drawn for my 100th post giveaway, I haven't forgotten you. I have just been a bit busy. Be on the lookout for something in your mail very soon. And thanks for your patience.