New views of the bedroom

So, I didn't feel like blogging for a few months, but now I kind of do again.

Some rooms in the new apartment feel like we've been here forever. And then others feel like it will be forever before they have that settled-in feeling. Our bedroom is one that is feeling pretty good to me, but that's probably not surprising since it has been the star of my only posts during the past few months.

Oh, whoops. This next picture illustrates that I'm not done in this room.The blue slipcovers are still not finished. But look, they're in our bedroom now instead of the family room. See? Everything is different.

The gold mirror came to us from my aunt and uncle's basement. You know what? Many of the other things in this room came with it. The armoire, the campaign dresser between the chairs, the glass lamp, ummm ... even the chairs. I'm so grateful, as 1) this keeps our house from looking like an Ikea showroom, and 2) I like when the things in my house have a history and not just a barcode.

There's one more corner of this room that is not ready to be revealed, but it will be soon.

In other news: Isn't the start of fall the best?

Slipcovered armchairs, part 3: Getting there

When I last posted about sewing slipcovers for the armchairs in my reading nook, I was struggling. Only one skirt was tacked on, and even the throw pillows were unfinished.

Where am I today?

I'm happy to report that TWO skirts are now tacked on, and both throw pillows are complete. I still have to actually stitch the skirts on (I don't know why I am dreading that step so much), and I also need to attach the piece of fabric that goes underneath the seat cushion. You won't actually be able to see this piece, but it will help keep the rest of the slipcover in place. See how the arms are kind of saggy baggy elephant?

Poor elephant. At least the chairs only have to deal with my scornful looks and laziness. There are no laughing parrots to deal with.

Slipcovers for office chairs

What's better than Ikea? Well, a lot of things. But one of them is Ikea furniture that doesn't look like Ikea furniture. Ikea hackers know this first hand, but as inspiring as it is to browse through the blog and see all the amazing transformations, I still question the quality of the finished product. An Ikea dresser is an Ikea dresser, even if the knobs have been changed. Is it worth it to put that much effort into a piece of furniture that might not last for more than five years?

Which is why this photo stopped me in my tracks. It's been hanging out in my files for a while, but I never really took a good look at the chair.

Margot Austin

That, my friends, is the Ikea Karsten Swivel Chair with a slipcover! Here is the chair in all its naked glory:

Ikea Karsten Swivel Chair

The colorful slipcover and tidy office are very painful for me to look at, because three weeks ago, I trekked out to Ikea in search of a desk chair. The Karsten Swivel Chair caught my eye, and I had grand plans of making a slipcover pretty much exactly like the one in the picture above. But unfortunately, the chair never made it through customs. Marc sent it back to Ikea because it was missing arms, which apparently is an important feature when it comes to office chairs.*

During the same trip to Ikea, I spent a lot of time caressing furniture from the Trollsta collection. I have no use for a bright yellow end table, but isn't it a cutie?

Ikea Trollsta Table

And here it is looking like a bright spot of sunshine in a room with sky blue walls, breezy curtains, and spring flowers on the pillows.

Margot Austin

When Ikea looks this good with minimal hacking involved, I'm all for it!

* The office chair we ended up getting came from Staples and is also of the black mesh variety. This one is "more solid feeling" and comes with arms ... but it's still U.G.L.Y. If you have a slipcovered Karsten chair -- or any other office chair -- I'd love to see a picture. Anything to convince Marc that fabric beats black mesh any day.

Reality bites - aka, a slipcover update

I had the best of intentions, I really did. And the slipcovers have come a long way. But the reality is, I still have a long way to go on these puppies. I thought maybe if I went public with it, I'd have some motivation to actually finish the project(s).

So, here it is. The "reading nook." (Obvious disclaimer: I need to take a photography class.)

Eeeek! Sure, it's come a long way since these days:

But I need to motivate! Actually sew the first skirt on to the slipcover, and pin and sew the second skirt while I'm at it. And how about ironing the fabric for the pillows and actually making cases, instead of just wrapping the fabric around the pillow forms.

Have you ever heard the saying "Fake it until you make it?" (My husband learned it in medical school ... scary thought, huh?) Well, I'm faking it all right. Now I need to make it.

Do you ever lose steam halfway through a project? How do you finally make yourself finish?

Friday is my day

Fridays are my favorite. Two glorious days are right before you, ready to fill with Whatever. You. Want. I love that. In the summer I daydream about Saturdays and Sundays that consist of neighborhood strolls and barbecues. In January, I have other plans for the cold, dark days.

Like this -

Except maybe without the gloomy painted woman staring down at me. That would be a creepy Saturday.

I do have more ambitious plans for this weekend, too. Finishing the slipcovers, for one. Also a possible trip to Ikea (and beyond?) in search of a desk chair and a replacement part for a broken Hemnes dresser. I hope it's cheap to fix. Grrr, temporary furniture is not supposed to require maintenance!

What about you -- what do you have planned for this weekend?

Slipcover extravaganza

Today's post is in recognition of the slipcovers that are taking shape under my very own roof.

1. The slipcovers on these chairs have ruffles, which make them even better.

2. More ruffles! This time available for purchase.

3. For the grand finale, here is Joni at Cote de Texas' dissertation on slipcovers, from a post on her favorite design elements. Slipcovers are No. 2.

As a side note, I can't decide what makes for easier blog reading - captions above or below the photos. Which do you prefer? Maybe this type of consistency does not matter, but AP Style habits die hard.

Slipcovered armchairs, part I

I inherited two arm chairs from my aunt and uncle. Their heyday passed many years ago, but the shape and quality of the chairs is good.

One was a blue courderoy, which has faded to purple, and the other is cream colored. The cream chair is disgusting - the fabric is not in good condition at all. It has spent the past five years hidden under a blanket, looking kind of like it belongs in a fraternity house.

This weekend, I set out to do what I've been waiting a long time for: Slipcover the chairs. There's no way I could fix the seat cushions on my own (they're made out of latex, which was soft and squishy in the 1970s when the chairs were new. Now they are decomposing and are rock-hard). So, I loaded them into the car and went down the road to Freddy Farkel's.

OMG, it was amazing! I lingered in all the aisles, but found the fabric of my dreams in the warehouse aisle ... for $2/yard!! I dropped the cushions off for their reupholsterer to cover and freshen, but I'm attempting to make the slipcovers for the bodies of the chairs on my own.

The blue fabric is for the chairs, and the color crewelwork piece is a sample I picked up from the scrap bin. It will be cut into two, for two cute little pillows for the updated chairs.