Friday, April 26, 2013

Monogrammed Damask Sheets

I bought some heavy damask, for sheets, years ago and then decided that, of course, they needed to be monogrammed. Which effected an immediate 3-4 year procrastination...
This is the trial piece, or ended up thus. It's done on a tablecloth from my Granny's old pub and has a slightly different shine. I'll make a matching-ish pieced doona cover with a heap of tablecloths.
I just took the top sheet off the line and the fitted one is still on my sewing machine, so... later.


The design is based upon Irish crochet motifs. It feels Irish. The lettering is mine. RM2 has turned into our motif... my One True has the same initials you see.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

And Another Cushion

Once you get started on the cushions....


The fabrics are exquisite. I've used ALL of the ducky blue French silk scraps, and the medium silver/gold fabric (it's in the Rabbit Fur Bee Cushion). I love using things up.
It's, overall, perhaps a bit dark, a bit orange? However, it looks lovely on the new chairs so it's OK. The silks feel beautiful too, and it's filled with soft and lovely Kapok.
 

The Cushion Comfort Zone


Made using an outfit my Grandma wore to my Uncle Ted and Aunty Grace's wedding when I was 7 years old. Don't ask me how I remember this, not from the day (although I remember the day and my aqua dress and hair bun), but Grandma did tell me. Or was it Mum?
Gorgeous colour!
The ribbon was a snippet I've had for years and years. European, silk and now only a few centremetres left. The embroidery ground is vintage kimono silk.
The Wedding. I'm the little girl on the left, to the right is my brother Glenn, then a little girl named Judith whom I never knew. My Dah (left and behind me) died not so long after. Then is Grandma (not such a great shot) in my cushion dress.

All stem stitch using perle 5.

The new (old) lounge suite required new colours. It looks washed out here but isn't. Note the old rag rug on the floor. I bought 4 at a market for $20 each. I would have bought more but had no money. An older lady had made heaps and heaps and I'm sure her husband (she wasn't there) didn't appreciate why anyone would want one, let alone four or more.

Corded piping.

Hopefully you can print this out and it will be the same size as mine. Not that that matters.
Just in case you want it.

In situ. Soft and filled with feathers.
The inspiration.
From HERE. It's an old butter stamp.

 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

New Cushion.

Kim from l'uccello gave me this amazingly beautiful wool embroidery, and the colours look gorgeous with our new lounge suite. Mum had this velvet in her stash. It's big, nearly 50cm long, and squishy with a super-fine down filled insert (possibly complete with vintage mites). I haven't finished sewing the cord around the edge... it's a pain and has to be done in stages.

Backs MUST be velvet! Cushions are to lay your head upon. It's my rule, unless it can't be avoided.

New Old Footstool

I've been collecting old tapestries from the Op Shops for ages now. I can't pass them by. In the past I've made cushions or just stashed them, until I saw these! Well, not these particularly, but this type of thing. Amazing!
The stool was covered with funky pink and grey vinyl, but had ripped and degraded conveniently. It took about 2 hours! I couldn't be happier, unless I owned one of the chairs in the link!

Had to sew a bit on the side of the puppy (in blue)... might need to embroider over the seam. It looks a bit odd.






Our staple gun couldn't cope with the Masonite so I ended up using a thick nylon cord and pulling it in. The braid is old too.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Schulim Krimper Lounge

We won this at auction a week or two ago! Couldn't believe it! Got a great price and even had a dealer come and tell us so before we drove off (he'd just bought a house full so didn't bid).
Now I'm on a complete decorating bender. I've been drawing cushions for ages, and whilst we already had most of the furniture (hence the colour scheme partly accounted for), the couch was the last note and so I am FREE to make my cushions. Got a couple of pics to take tomorrow...
It's sooo exciting!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Cowboy Bee Cushion Revamp



I made this cushion cover some years ago, but the silk/metal fabric wore out in the middle, so I cut it out (it was over the top of the orange) and just now added the couched cording in a Yugoslavian style. It looks gorgeous on our new 1955 Shulam Krimper lounge suite.
Look here for the old and the pattern.