It's finished!!

It has been a while since I posted.  Owning a house is proving to be lots of work.  Since my last post, we have dealt with multiple leaks that needed immediate repairs.  I also have been busy preparing for 2 craft shows.  And now I am trying to Deck the Halls of my new home.  I will post those pictures soon.  Most importantly I am happy to report, I have completed the bench cover project.  It turned out fantastic!  My client loved it so much I am making a table runner and decorative pillow out of the left over fabric.  Here are the pictures of the rest of my progress.

This is the fabric.

My display of how it will look as I work on it.

A perfect Fit! 

Now for the trim.

Kitty, please be nice to my cover.

I used a matching color basting tape for the trim.  It will protect the edges from wear and tear.

The table runner is a diamond shape.  It will make more sense on the client's table.

I used the same under lining on the runner as I did on the bench cover. 
I had to piece fabric together as I didn't have a big piece of the lining fabric left.

I used the same binding as on the bench cover. 
Stay tuned for the grand finale.
I can't wait to see the entire set in her house. 
It is going to look so elegant.
Last step the pillow. 

It worked this time!

Due to a family emergency and countless home improvement nightmares, I had to take a break from sewing.  Hopefully things have now calmed down and I am getting back into it.  I started my curtain project, while waiting to go try out my bench project.  I will post the curtains once I finish the bench.  I am happy to report round two of making the bench cover liner was a success.  The cover fit perfectly.  Now I can start cutting the top layer of fabric.  Goals this week, finish bench cover, finish curtains, and make a yoga mat bag for another client.

How bench looks without the cover.

The client wanted the cover to go over the front curved part of the bench and to stop at the ridge.  The top has a layer of batting for a little extra cushion.

The sides and back will fall just above the legs once the top layer is sewn to the bottom layer.

Here We Go Again

I have, finally, started my chest cover project.  The cover consists of two parts.  The top layer and the under layer.  The top layer is made of a delicate prequilted decorator fabric.  It was very expensive.  The under layer is made out of simple broad cloth, with a thin piece of batting for extra cushion on the top of the chest.  I decided to make the under layer first.  See below for my progress.  Everything was moving along swimmingly, until I tested it out on the chest.  I decided to start my project as a break from the house projects, during my staycation.  Well, apparently that wasn't the best idea in the world.  I bit off a little more than I could chew.  I measured the chest wrong. I ended up being off a couple of inches.  Luckily, I thought to test out the under layer before cutting the top layer.  So I remeasured the chest as compared to what I had made and now I am back to the beginning.  Below is attempt #1 progress.  After I complete attempt #2, I will show you what it looks like on the chest.  I forgot my camera the first time. I guess that was destiny, since I had it wrong.

The hope chest. The cover will go over the top down the 2 sides and back to the floor.

Cutting out the pieces.

Here I have sewn on the four pieces and sewn batting to what will be the top.

I have now sewn the sides to the back piece.  Now it is starting to take shape!

The underlayer of the chest cover.  I laied it on a box to see what it would look like.  Where the front corners of the top piece meets the side pieces is a curve.  This is suppose to mimic the curve of the chest, had I gotten my measurements correct.  In attempt #2, you will hopefully be able to see the curved portion better.

Thus,

Here We Go Again

Finally

My move in projects are finally almost complete. My closet organization project was a huge success and a huge bill but that is besides the point. I finally was able to move the rest of my crafting supplies in from the garage.  Now it is time to start sewing!  I spent my Labor Day weekend visiting with family.  Of course, that visit included a trip to Joanne Fabrics to get more projects. I received all the fabric to start my bench cover custom order. This is my first project in the new house. Measuring and cutting starts tomorrow!

It has been a while.

It has been a while since my last post. Life in the new house has been super busy. Still unpacking boxes.  Unfortunately, my craft stuff is the last to get unpacked because we need to build shelves in the closets.  With any luck, I will get shelves next week during my staycation.  I have managed to do a few house projects though. I put fancy shelf liner in all the cabinets in the kitchen and the linen closet.  That took pretty much an entire day because my rulers and markers were packed somewhere in a box.  I ordered blinds. Unfortunately, I am living exposed until Wednesday. My husband and I decided to have them installed so we could concentrate on other projects like my shelves. 

I did manage to get to the fabric store to order fabric to make curtains for the front door windows. I will be picking that up this weekend. I am super excited to start that project for 3 reasons. One, so I am not so exposed. Two, I have never sewn a lined curtain before. I am looking forward to the experience. And 3, hopefully it will keep Bloo from looking outside and barking at everything that moves.

I tried my hand at gardening one afternoon. I feel that my attempts maybe failing me.  My husband bought some herb plants.  He didn't plant them right away.  I probably waited too long.  I am trying to nurse them but there isn't enough sunlight in our yard to help my cause.  I think from now on my gardening will be limited to shade plants.

Other than that things are going pretty well in the new house. I have one custom order that I will be working on.  Pictures to come once I start.  It is a cover to a hope chest.  Stay tuned for pictures of my curtains.

Looking back and going forward

Today marks the last Saturday that my husband and I will be living in our condo.  We are upgrading to a single family home!  As I sit here, I can't help but look back on my time here.   Like all memories we had good ones and bad ones.  I think our best memory would be when we got Puppy Bloo. We got him when he was just 7 weeks old.  Now he is 3.  All his puppy pictures are from living in the condo.  Living in a small space my husband and I had to really work hard to coexist.  We made regular trips to the dump and the Salvation Army.  It seemed after every holiday we had to make room for the new stuff. 

Crafting in a small space with a husband and a puppy had its challenges.  I had to clear space in the living room so that I could cut out large fabric.  That was Bloo's favorite part of crafting, mom was on the floor.  He would pounce and try to get me to play.  When I wouldn't, then he would throw a temper tantrum and lay down on the fabric so I couldn't cut it.  Bloo wouldn't stop there. If I was cutting out fabric on the dining room table, he would be on the other side trying to pull the fabric away from me.  Let's just say I had quite a few cutting mistakes.  Luckily, he has calmed down as he has gotten older.  He now just lays under my feet when I sew or iron.

Then came the challenges of crafting in a small space with a husband.  My sewing station is in the bedroom.  If he is sleeping, then I can't sew.  If he is in the living room, then I can't cut.  I eventually adapted to a schedule.  As soon as I buy the fabric, I prewash the fabric.  Then, I store it in a bin until I am ready to use it.  Typically, Friday evenings I get out the fabric of choice for the upcoming week and have an ironing marathon.  Saturday mornings my husband likes to sleep in so I lose lots of hours where I can't sew or make noise.  So I grab my pile of fabric, scissors, marker, and ruler and head to the living room for a cutting marathon.  Usually by the time he has woken, I have everything cut out.  I then have the rest of the weekend and next week to sew, do house chores, and anything else that may come up.

I end today's post looking forward to the future. I can't help but wonder, what memories will we make in the new house.  What new crafting challenges will I encounter and what current challenges will be alleviated by having more space?  Will I have more, less, or the same amount of time to devote to sewing with the additional house chores?  Will I be inspired to pick up a new craft?  I guess time will tell.

Entering the world of Blogging

Tonight I cracked open a fortune cookie. It read; "It doesn't take much to be a success.  It takes everything."  My fortune couldn't be more true.  I am quickly learning that in order to be successful, it takes everything you've got. I have been thinking of ways to expand my sewing business.  What better way than a blog.  And so Simply Sewtastic is entering the world of Blogging!  Please be patient as I develop my skills.  I am not sure how this will progress or what I will discuss.  But I hope you will find it informative, inspirational, and an all around fun read.