Knocking Out the Projects

Once I get the sewing machine out, I feel the need to just plow through a bunch of projects.  I found the idea on Pinterest from this sight.  It will be one of Lucy's Christmas presents.  They are fabric/felt letters, and they turned out super cute. 

This is the backside of the letters, I used a really pale pink flannel. 

And this is the little bag I made to store them in.  Turns out, draw string bags are easy.  I <3 Easy.

Lucy loves playing with her baby dolls.  I love that she loves it.  In these pictures, I was trying to empty out her doll cradle so you could see the cute pad thingy I made for the bottom of the cradle...but she was getting ticked at me.  Every time I took one out she scolded me and put all them back in bed.   

 Finally, here's the quilted pad.  I love this material, it reminds me of vintage 70's stuff.

And the babies are back to bed.  I've taught her well, I guess.

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Slipcover for Chair

So...the other day I mentioned the white slipcovers, and how the drop cloth one that I purchased for the chair (and intended to make into a fitted cover) was driving me crazy and NEEDED to get made into a fitted cover asap.  

How's that for a run-on sentence?

Well, I did it.  

And I love it.  It's kinda wonky looking in parts...because DUDE it's tricky to sew that much material...but I still love it.  

Trust me, when I tell you, that I am the last person that should be presenting a tutorial of any kind.  So consider this a tutorial on the tutorials I used.  

Here goes. 

If this were an actual tutorial I would have taken better pictures...thank goodness this is a tutorial on tutorials because craptastic pictures will do!  This is the chair covered in the "drop cloth" style cover...it was a ton of material and I tucked it around the chair to make it as fitted as possible.  Most of the excess material I shoved under the seat cushion, which made the chair hard as cement to sit on.   Good times.

I talk more about where I got the covers in this post (in case you're wondering.)

First I went to the thrift store and bought two old bed sheets to use as a template.  And then I washed them.  In 1000 degree water.  

Anyways, I found this picture on Pinterest and I used it as my visual.  Because I'm like that.

Source: thenester.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This is my version:

I followed the seaming of the upholstery already on my chair.  I wanted the seaming to be in the right places so that it didn't pull too tight on certain seams when we sat down...thus ripping them.  And I made notes to myself in permanent marker.


For the next steps, I utterly failed at taking a single picture, which is unfortunate because you could have seen my kids walking all over the material and me trying to KEEP THEM OFF. What I did was take the slipcover that I purchased, and laid it out on my living room floor.  It took up the entire floor.  And then I took the sample pieces on the chair (above picture) unpinned them and laid them out on the slipcover material, like a giant puzzle.  I had just enough material.  Then I cut around the pieces.


And then I pinned the pieces around the chair, wrong sides facing down or in, or whatever.  The slip cover is basically inside out at this point.


Like so:

Next, I took a needle with black thread and basted (big huge stitches) where I had pinned.  


Side note:  On the sample bed-sheet version, I didn't baste it.  I took it off and attempted to sew it with just pins.  Not only did I get stuck with pins, I couldn't figure out what was what once I tried to shove that heavy material under the needle of the sewing machine.


Basting was so much easier to follow, definitely worth it.


Sewing it together proved to be the trickiest part, because it's just a lot of material, and at some points on the arms, there are three different sections of material coming together...and did I mention 100% Cotton Duck is THICK?!?


But, it was definitely worth it.  And I'd do it again.  It took me part of an evening and then the next morning to finish it.  

Ta da!

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Hemorrhaging

Day 27, 28, 29, 30 & 31 of 31 Days of Happy


It's hard to believe that October is almost done, along with 31 Days of Happy.  Maybe I'll spend the month of November posting on all the things that do not make me happy.  HA.  Kidding, only kidding.  


It's a little tempting though.  


Back to happy...


One of the major things that has been on my happy list this month is the Bible study that our ladies are doing.


This one:

This is our third Beth Moore study.  They're all amazingly good...but this one...extra extra good.  

I keep going back through it to re-read what I've underlined, to rehearse what I've learned again and again.  (we're only on week 4 of 10) 

There's something Beth Moore says, in particular, that I just can't get out of my head.  


"Without God's intervention, we can offer only a small bandage to someone hemorrhaging from uncontrolled emotions.  We may bring calm for a moment, but our efforts will have little lasting effect."


It's a word picture that I can't get out of my head.  It's so very, very true.


Maybe it's because I'm in ministry...or maybe it's just because I'm an average person like everyone else, but so many around me are very literally hemorrhaging with problems.  With issues.  With emotions.  With life.  


Can you picture someone hemorrhaging?  I've heard stories.  It's not pretty. It's not a slow bleed.  It's fast, and furious, and messy.  If not stopped quickly, it means death.  The doctor doesn't have a patient hemorrhage, and decide the best course of action is a band-aid.


My words may be able to calm...for a moment.  Which is good.  But they do not fix the problem.  They are not meant to fix the problem.  


Only God's intervention brings healing.  He's the only thing strong enough to stop a hemorrhage.  So many times we want someone to give us the answer. Give us the 5 step plan, or better yet 3 steps...shorter is always better, right?  And when the person we go to, lets us down or doesn't have an answer, or can't even help, we lose hope or worse yet...give up.  We continue to hemorrhage.


Only God brings the healing.  And before the healing can start, He has to stop the hemorrhage.  The way He chooses to stop it, well...that's up to Him.   What's up to us, is whether we will let Him or not.


In my experience, there's a vast number of people that would rather die hemorrhaging than surrender and let Him intervene.  


And I don't get it.  I just don't.


But that little quote of hers...it's gotten to me.  And God's using it to remind me of who I am...which is just someone He uses to send encouragement and truth.  And who He is...which is the Healer.  He is a great-big God.    

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White Slip Covers

 
Day 25and 26 of 31 Days of Happy


White Slip Cover Happy


I like white.  It's not practical, but sometimes...practical is over-rated, or in the very least not cute.


I blame Pinterest for pushing me over the edge into white-slip-cover heaven.

Source: theshowandtellblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: thepursuitaesthetic.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Jenn on Pinterest

We are terribly hard on furniture.  I have proof...

I came across this blog, and was elated to find out she had a messy family like myself, and STILL loved her white slip covers.  She makes her own covers.  I debated about whether or not I thought I could make my own.  I ended up  deciding that my patience and skill level was not quite adequate to tackle a sofa cover (yet), but I thought I could probably pull off a chair/ottoman one.


After some internet searching I came across the website Ugly Sofa.  They sell high-end slip covers for a deeply discounted price.  Perfect. 


And when the covers came, guess what the tags said?  Pottery Barn.  I may have skipped around my living room for several minutes just from sheer elation.  

They even sent me this little monogrammed (Pottery Barn) makeup bag thingy as a surprise free gift.  Bonus!  

Before:  

After:

This is right out of the package...I am NOT ironing a couch.  For Realz.

Loose-fit cover

I ended up making my own ottoman cover *pat on back* 


And for the wing back chair, I ordered a loose cover, and am planning on making a fitted cover out of that.  But first I'm gonna have to practice with old bedsheets or something.  


The couch cover has been on for a week.  I thought I'd give it some time before I  blogged about it...so I could let you know how it's really going.  It  stayed cleaner than I thought it would.  I did learn that I need to put a blanket over the seat on the weekends though, because the boys go in and out of the house and then sit on it and it was looking a little grubby.


I washed it yesterday for the first time.  Easy peasy to wash, bleach, dry,  and get back on.  It makes me kind of grossed out to think of whats on my couch and never been washed off.  *shudder*  I really do love it.  It's casual, yet clean looking and it just makes me happy.  


I need to get crackin' on the chair slipcover, because the loose fitting one is driving me a little crazy.  I only paid $30 for it, and it is enough material for me to make the fitted cover.  It was far cheaper to go this route than it was to purchase the material at the fabric store.  ( all covers are 100% White Cotton Duck)


I also made some envelope pillow slip covers as well.  Because as you know...makeovers just keep spreading from one thing to the next.  Like the common cold.


I've made some other stuff too...I'm a sewing fool.

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Nothing Like a New Baby...

Day 21, 22, 23 & 24 of 31 Days of Happy


New baby nephew/cousin = Happy!




The Boys and Lucy were pretty excited to meet their newest baby cousin, Logan.  Can you tell?  (Ben and I totally ditched them when we went to see him in the hospital, because we're nice like that)

Lucy likes to give baby Logan love smacks pats on the head.  She was quite annoyed that we wouldn't let her.  It seems all we do lately is ruin her fun. Don't worry Logan, it's a good thing you joined the world at a whopping 10 lbs, because you're already 1/2 her weight...

We love you bunches already, Logan.  It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming your big brother Jack to the family!

Happy Big Brotherhood Jack!  Speaking from experience, the oldest kids certainly have it the toughest.  *cough*

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One and a Half

Day 18, 19 & 20 of 31 Days of Happy


Is combining three days of happiness in one post cheating?  I think not...I prefer the term "efficient."


Today Lucy is officially 1 1/2 years old.  


She talks non-stop.  Most of it we do not understand.  Her brother Jake (6yrs wise) informed me it's because she's speaking in Chinese.  Alrighty then.  


She has gotten quite good at saying animal sounds, uh oh, and sit.  And if you saw her cute little Miss America wave, you'd die.  She has the wrist-flick down to perfection.  


She also screeches.  A lot.  When happy, mad, excited, angry...you get the idea.  


We'd like the screeching to stop.  Like immediately.


The screeching aside, she's a hoot.  And so stinkin' adorable we can hardly stand it.  


She makes us all happy.  

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Happy Monday

Day 17 of 31 Days of Happy

Sitting here on the couch, next to my husband, while he watches his football team makes me happy.

If his football team, chose different colors for their uniforms, I'd be even happier.  Seriously Miami Dolphins, you're a football team...choose some manly-er colors already. 

The end.

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