public domain images

Some beautiful illustrations from books in the public domain.

w.i.p.

So, the workroom makeover is in full swing. I could tell you that I forgot to take “before” shots, but I’d be lying. I took them, but all they show are my piles of crap covering every horizontal surface so I’m not going to post any yet. Maybe after the room is done and I can counter with pictures that show I am not a complete slob.

Besides the workroom, I’ve also been rearranging my bedroom. By “rearranging” I mean: dismantling my closet entirely, setting up my antique brass bed,

 deciding (much to my daughter’s delight) the bed was too high (my nightstand needed a booster seat);

 and too “girly” (it is, and yes, the room is really that purple. It used to have dinosaurs on the walls too.)

and moving it into her room, setting up a will-do-for-now bed from the thrift store, building a new garment rack from iron pipe to replace the dismantled closet, and then deciding to completely reverse the layout of the room, and decorate it like the set from a Chanel ad. To accomplish that last part means finishing the demo of a wall-to-nowhere that has been waiting to come down for about 5 years, and also means some drywall repair.  At this point I decided the bedroom flip would have to wait until I was finished with the workroom. 

And here is a DIY from my dad: He didn't have enough room to store his extra art work in the garage of their new condo, so he hung everything. 

The last post sort of ends without a conclusion which I’ll post as soon as I figure out what point I am trying to make. In the meantime, here is an in-progress look at the current home decor project I’m working on:

I have two very old and ugly apartment size sofas and last summer I splurged on Pottery Barn natural canvas slipcovers. Between the dog, the Kid, and our barbaric habit of taking meals in the living room, these are in the wash almost weekly (and need it more frequently). The slipcovers are the “tuck to fit” kind, and frankly, tucking and fitting them is too tiring to tackle more than once a month. I’ve resorted to putting quilts and blankets over the slipcovers to help keep them clean, but have tired of the ‘dorm room chic’ look this creates. I had planned to sew fitted slipcovers, and have already bought the fabric, but have procrastinated because the fabric is also a natural color, and will need to be laundered as frequently the current set. Instead, I’ve decided to make coordinating patchwork sofa covers for the slip covers using left over fabric. Sort of like grandma’s plastic couch covers, but not plastic. The top has been pieced and I kind of like the way it looks a bit modern (even Bauhaus?)  and a bit Navaho at the same time. I chose the color scheme carefully to coordinate with the surroundings:

I purposely avoided using a complicated design as I want this to be an easy project. The layers are currently pin basted together (top, low loft batting, backing) waiting to be machine quilted. I’m pretty sure the quilting is going to ruin the whole thing because I've never machine quilted before, am using a crappy machine (the one called the drunken tailor), the angles are wonky, and I can’t find the quilting foot. In fact, if it gets finished without catching fire or being eaten by the dog, it will turn out better than expected.

a little side project

I've been looking for something to make from a pile of old cashmere and wool sweaters and last night I made a very long striped scarf. But when I woke under the full moon this morning I took it apart and started over, this time using a chevron pattern. I like chevron even though it's wildly trendy right now which virtually guarantees it will be "out" by the end of the season. But I don't love it enough to paint the wall, or slipcover my sofa-- or offer it any other long term commitment.  It looks very nice, considering. Considering the colors are random, I'm using oddly colored left over serger thread (bright purple & black), and the pieces are smaller than I would have used, had I not already cut everything into 3" strips. I don't have the patience for a large, tedious piecing project right now, but can see making a scarflette, or perhaps, a cowl.

Project #1 is an attempt to create a chew resistant soft dog toy. Using scraps of recycled wool, I laminated two colors with free hand machine quilting. These I cut into the toy shape, using a large "pocket yeti" pattern from an old project. I layered this to a piece of the denim (dyed red) and added a felt face appliqué. Then added another layer of denim over the top, leaving a space in the stitching to turn it right side out. Trim, turn, stuff and close.

He looks a bit like a hollow, or soul eater (from the Japanese Manga, Bleach). Not a great photo, I admit. Quite blurry-- I think he's trying to run away.

footnote: poor little guy lasted all of 5 minutes.