Handmade Monday - White Linen Transformation - The Finale (Part 3)

Good morning everyone happy Handmade Monday and a warm welcome to some new friends. I have been to visit your lovely blogs already, which was no mean feat this weekend let me tell you, when I lost the ability to 'comment', all sorted now thankfully. There are some great ideas out there at the moment.

Today I have the final episode in a series entitled 'White Linen Transformation' (or a before and after shot of a chair.)  If you're interested look here for Part one and Part two. My very good and very lovely friend is slowly turning her sitting room into an inviting oasis of cosiness (not that it wasn't in the first place mind) and as a finishing touch she asked if I would make a slip cover for a much beloved chair of hers.

So I took a big, no make that massive, no humongous GULP and said "I'd love to." It was a little challenging as I've never done one before and was a little out of my comfort zone. I read up a little, thought about it alot, and finally produced my first ever slip cover.

Lets have a closer look....

The cover is trimmed with piping........

........and I lined the skirt as I thought it needed a little more weight around the bottom (my curtain making skills helped me here).

I finished the back with a side velcro fastening for ease when slipping the cover on and off.

I'll zoom in a bit for a better look....

I learned new terminology like 'tuck in allowance' which basically helps the cover to sit tight and not move around when the chair is in use and discovered new equipment  like 'T-pins', which I didn't have but would consider buying if I needed to make more slipcovers, as my poor little dressmaking pins couldn't really cope.

Now remember this from last week........my little tease........?

Here's a few more......



I felt the chair looked a little barren and as I had some fabric left over, I made a little cushion to go with it. A piped cushion embellished with crocheted flowers and those gorgeous vintage market buttons.

It just helped to finish it off.

I did get a great deal of pleasure from using my existing skills and applying them to something different and learning new things at the same time and it looks just right in it's new home.  Just in case you're interested this book helped alot.


Courtesy of Amazon

Incidentally, as I started this project my eldest came in from school and said "Hey, that's really good!" but rather than feeling a warm glow of self satisfaction and pride in my work, his comment made me a tad deflated, as at the time I hadn't actually done anything to the chair, just stood it on my table for ease of working, without a piece of white linen in sight! I rest assured that he must have a keen eye for a good piece of furniture.

But I feel I must do something Christmassy now. I'm seeing lots of gorgeousness on all of your blogs and think I have a lot of catching up to do, but not of course before popping over to Wendy at 1st Unique gifts who has a brilliantly personalised gift to show us this week, I wonder what the other ladies have done?

Keep forgetting to say thank you to Sam at Sconchtextiles  for featuring me in her Folksy Friday a couple of weeks ago. Thank you Sam, make sure you visit her blog soon.

Happy Sewing!!!