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Hey there!

After a week of thinking that I bit off more than I could chew trying to figure out how to slipcover our sofa, I finally got my thinking cap on straight and did it.  It isnt your typical slipcover as I didnt add piping (too difficult), but Im very happy with it...and also happy with the fact that I stuck with it when I was about ready to throw in the towel.  But, let me tell ya, I would rather poke out my own eyeballs with a stick then ever attempt doing this again, LOL!  :)

I am so excited to be giving this room, our den, a makeover so dont look at anything but the sofa in these pictures because everything thats currently in there is on its way out! :) Fun!  Heres what the sofa looked like before.  Outdated, not my style of fabric, but nice lines....
I used two and a half packages of 9 x 12 foot canvas dropcloth for this project.  I started by cutting off the skirt around the bottom.  This is where I panicked because I knew there was no turning back now.  Trying to figure out how to sew an entire slipcover was intimidating for my first try, so, I did it in sections.  First, I recovered the back and stapled the fabric underneath with a staple gun.  That part was easy. 
Then I measured and cut out pieces for the arm and pinned them together.  To me this was the hardest part and what kept me confused all week.  I think it was the shape that was throwing me off.  Or maybe I was having a mental block, either way, I just. Couldnt. Get it.
After that was finished I removed it and began sewing.   I did the same thing with the other arm and then added a piece of fabric that would join them both together and would also be the bottom piece below the cushions.  I left the bottom loose because when it was all finished, I wanted to pull it tightly under the sofa and staple it for a tailored look.
The cushions came next, more cutting fabric, pinning and sewing until everything was finally finished.  This is what it looks like now.
What do you all think?  I am super happy with it even though I couldnt quite make it look like the settee from Anthropologie that I was inspired by.  And its my first slipcover, so Im pretty proud of that.  :) I cant wait to get some colorful pillows on that couch and a fun throw blanket!  So many possibilities now with a neutral color. 

Im redecorating this room for my hubby.  He wants something masculine and since this room is pretty much only used by all my boys, Ive got some ideas up my sleeve and want to make it really special for them.  Right now, its a blank room with a TV and a couch.  So stay tuned for some decorating fun!

 And now the winner of the X Burlap Pillow giveaway is:

 LAURA, whos comment was:
              "Id love to win! Ive really been enjoying your blog so far."

Congratulations Laura!  I hope you enjoy this pillow!  Email me your address info!  Happy Monday to all!

Im a little bit pillow crazy, probably because I cant walk away from pretty fabrics.  I love sewing them and changing them up all the time.  And theyre an inexpensive way to change the look of a room.  Ive been making different variations of this X pillow for years and thought it would be fun to make a burlap version.

I covered the button in the center with the striped portion of an authentic vintage grain sack I bought at a flea market.  The front is burlap, while the back and the X are canvas.  The pillow measures 18 inches x 18 inches.  Here is a view of the back.
Its fun, happy and makes me smile!  Soooooo, Ive decided to give 1 away to one of you with the hope that it makes you smile, too.  I feel so blessed to have so many of you following my blog and leaving such nice comments and emails that I thought this would be a fun way to show my appreciation.  If youre interested in having this pretty pillow, all you have to do is leave a comment below and a winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, July 10 and I will announce it in Monday mornings (July 11) post.  
Have a happy day!

Update:  Im hearing there have been some problems with commenting on Blogger.  If you are having trouble leaving a comment and are interested in putting your name in the hat for the pillow giveaway, send me an email at the address provided on the Contact page.  Im so sorry for any trouble any of you have possibly had trying to leave a comment.

*********************COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED*************************

Hi Everyone,

Well we had quite a rain storm pass over us last night-it rained heavily all night long. Minnesota must be the greenest place in the US at the moment.

I really enjoy working out of doors. I work almost all year around and sometimes that means it can be quite cold and uncomfortable. But at other times it means getting to work during amazing storms like the one we have going on at the moment.

Its interesting just how different the air feels and even smells during a storm. The sound of thunder sounds so much sharper outside than it does inside. Mix in the strong scent of wood and you have the most amazing work environment in world.

The animals I get to see are fun too. This year seems to be an amazing year for birds. Ive seen birds here that Ive never seen before. Early in the morning its like a chorus outside with all of them chirping and singing to one another. We have an owl and a wood pecker too.

This really beats working in a cubicle.

Ok back to work: the bowls that we made last month are ready to come out of their drying bags for inspection and final cuttings so well begin that probably later today.

And Ive been wanting to carve a spoon for the longest time. I have some arthritis in my hands and hand carving is something Ive given up. I think I may be able to get around some of the pain and stiffness by using a draw knife to do some of the rough shaping so Im going to purchase a draw knife and some bass wood (much softer than the hickory I use!) and try to make a spoon once again. Ill post pictures and discussion soon.

I will also be closing my shop for a week in July to clean out everything and to patch up the concrete floor. More about that next month.

Have a great day and if youre in Minnesota, go outside and listen to the birds and enjoy the spring showers.

VW

Hi Everyone,

Well, its a lovely day in my neighborhood. Trees and flowers and birds are all blooming and chirping away. Here are a couple of photos:




Time to go and take a look at the silk oak block I wrapped up some weeks back. If you will remember I had a silk oak block that I shaped into a cylinder in preparation for making it into a tea box. Here is the story behind this:

I have a lovely cousin whom Ive mentioned before and who has been quite ill this year. Fortunately she has a super supportive family in her husband, three marvelous daughters, and a large extended family of cousins and others. Her husband Leon is a great guy and hes loved and admired by all of his family members and hes done a great job of being a caregiver. So I think after all the work hes done and worry hes been through he deserves a special Selkie Wood Works tea box as a way of saying thank you to him.

Plans

Here is a photo of the block. It has no cracks and its perfectly straight:



I am going to turn this into a Japanese-style tea box with an inner and outer lid for loose tea with the goal of producing a Japanese-style tea box along the lines of the one made in this YouTube video by a Japanese turner whose name escapes me at the moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhJPfIaHa_0. I absolutely love to watch this video and have always wanted to make one of these tea boxes. Im going to do it a little different from what the gentleman in the video does.

As the wood is still probably damp inside Im going to be doing this in careful stages so the wood blanks dont crack or distort as they dry out. So this is going to take a while to produce. My first step will be do cut it into sections and then hollow them out some. Then Ill re-wrap the sections and let them dry for several weeks more before proceeding further.

So here we go again.  So get some coffee or tea and drop by the wood shop. As always we have more adventures ahead.

Best,
VW

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