Let's Add Some Color!

June 30, 2017 Sherri Rice

Many of the slipcovers that come through the workroom are understandably in neutral tones. But, every once in awhile, we get to play with color. This was one of those projects (and I got some pictures against the new navy wall in the workroom!)...

The chair is a Pottery Barn Teen chair that my client found at a consignment store. I don't have a "before" picture. but it came with a white velvet slipcover that my client was ready to move on from. She considered a variety of fabric options, but eventually settled on this red cotton duck. It was a great choice!

She just wanted to mimic the original slipcover, so we did, keeping the short, kicky skirt to show off the pretty front legs.

This spring I hired a workroom assistant, Mary (she is amazing!) - this was one of her first mostly solo slipcover projects and she did a great job!

And that bird pillow! You may have seen them on my Instagram or Facebook accounts, available through Pillows For Good. I have a few of them in my own home and they are a fun, versatile accent in all kinds of places!

Do you use red in your home?

Sherri

Fresh Couch

June 27, 2014 Sherri Rice

Hi there! I'm just wrapping up a couple of projects before I take a vacation break. And I LOVE how this one turned out :) Remember these projects?

Matelasse Wing Chairs

Dining Room Chairs

Well, this time we worked on the couch in this client's formal living room (I have to say that she has the most beautiful home!).

It's a Calico Corners couch in a classic style. My client was just having some difficulty working with the green color. And she wanted to update the look a little. She contemplated several fabric options, but settled on a great choice - Pottery Barn curtain panels in a weighty linen-cotton blend (these are similar). She pre-washed (and dried) them and they worked very well :)

Isn't that a beautiful room? And there is the couch, newly dressed. My client also removed the original skirt so we could do a shorter version - just enough to let the dark legs peak out.

Corner pleats and tailored arm covers.

And then we tried out a pillow that my client had made...

I know she is playing with several other pillow fabric options :)

In the end, the best result: "It is exactly what I wanted!"

One more project to go...

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

P.S. When I am not hanging out with my family or sewing, I am enjoying these new home design pleasures: reading The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith (aka The Nester) and watching Fixer Upper on HGTV. You must check them out if you haven't already - so much inspiration!!

P.P.S. Linking up here :)

Designer Couch Make-over

February 14, 2014 Sherri Rice

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day!

It's also a happy day because I have a new slipcover project to share with you :) Lots of in-process pictures for this one, so bear with me.

Here is the before...

A 30-year old designer couch (which has been reupholstered at one point) - solid as a rock and a very classic style. This is a couch worth investing in! My client had several concerns we needed to address - her dogs (you will see one later) like to lounge on the couch (especially when no one is home ;) ), she was feeling like the color was a little too green, and she had a pair of chairs done with linen-style fabric slipcovers that she wanted this couch to blend better with.

This time she wanted a simpler look - topstitching instead of piping or flange trim. And she picked a gorgeous brushed cotton canvas from Pottery Barn - it's a little more pricey than regular cotton duck or canvas, but SO nice to work with. It washed up beautifully, with minimal shrinkage, and is a great weight for a simple piece with few details.

Oh, the other issue we needed to deal with were a few "leaking" feathers from the down seat cushions. Well upon further investigation, the "few feathers" was actually this...

The fabric encasing the down was completely disintegrating! It's really amazing she only noticed a few feathers leaking out. Time to call in the big guns!

We ordered new down envelopes for the seat cushions (the back cushions were in much better condition; they just got new undercovers to catch whatever stray feathers might happen to escape). My client selected a 25/75 down/feather blend, and when they arrived they looked like this...

The structure of the cushion (minus the original feathers!) just slides right in there and zips closed. Well, "slides" might be simplifying it a little - it takes a little work, but this is what they look like after...

So much better! Now that is something I can work with :)

Instead of piping, my client wanted top-stitching, sort of like a Restoration Hardware look. So I purchased a new top-stitching foot and it works great!

Ready for the After?

Look at the loft on those seat cushions! We tried them out - I could happily sit there for a long time :) And we did a tall skirt this time (part of the simpler look, and it matches the neighboring chairs). Here's a little closer look at the topstitching...

And one more view...

... photo-bombed by the doberman :) They have a pair of them, and they are the gentlest, most well-behaved dogs - when I was on my knees measuring for the skirt, they came to investigate and we were eye-to-eye and they were so sweet. I'll be doing some crate covers for them next :)

So, there you have it!

Just a housekeeping note: my next project is underway and I am booked pretty solid for the next few months (and I even have a project booked for the fall!!). For that reason, I will need to take a break from taking new orders for a couple of months - I don't want my waitlist to get too long! If you have talked with me about a project already and you are on my waitlist, we will be proceeding as planned. Otherwise, stay tuned - I'll be working as fast as I can and will open up the waitlist again soon, hopefully before the summer :)

Have a great day!

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here.

Friday Five

January 17, 2014 Sherri Rice

Welcome to the first Friday Five of 2014!

And welcome new friends! If you are new here, Friday Fives are posts that I do when I have been busy working, but don't yet have a finished project to show you; they are random things from my week that I think are interesting and/or fun. So without further ado...

1. I chose my #oneword and then, through Holley Gerth, found Krafty Kash on Etsy. She makes these great necklaces that are perfect to highlight your One Word. I had some Christmas money to spend, so I got one...

Isn't it beautiful? I love that she uses vintage books to create them. I know I will be wearing it often!

Thank-you, Kashoan!

2. I am loving my Juki! I posted about it here, and I just wanted to say, it is still working great, especially with the gorgeous Pottery Barn canvas that I am currently working with. If you have the budget, it is great fabric (especially for this project - we are doing topstitching at the seams, instead of piping).

3. And, WOW! I linked up to Miss Mustard Seed's weekly linky party last week and a WHOLE LOT of people came over to my blog for a visit. If you found your way here via MMS, thank-you for checking out my project! And if you haven't had the chance to check it out, hop over when you are finished here. Just allow yourself some time - there are a LOT of great projects there!

4. Have you seen this yet? I shared it on my Facebook page, but it is too good not to share again :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOc0mRQIW8k

5. And finally, have you read this post from Nester? In this age of, what can seem to be an obsessive drive for "Pinterest-worthy" pictures and posts and diy-ing, there is always HOPE (and arrows). Be encouraged :)

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

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