Thrift Store Cabinet - Before and After

Little by little, I've been working on redoing my living room. 

I'm trying to reclaim the space from my kids but when you're on a budget, it's a slow process. 

I scored this cabinet from the Thrift store that I thought would work well in the room - with a little TLC.

I paid $40 for it. You can't really tell from the picture but it's about 4 feet tall. I love that it has glass doors!

I'm not too sure how old it is - I'm thinking 60s or 70s era.

I knew I wanted to paint it black, but had envisioned a bold graphic print on the inside back panel. I thought about a bold colour like turquoise... but just couldn't commit.

Then I fell in love with this fabric and decided to use it. 

I covered foam board (from the dollar store) for an easy change-up if when I get tired of it.

 And the result....

I changed out the knobs with ones I already had from a previous project.

Then I just threw some things in (will have to rearrange them later).

Those of you with a keen eye will notice the new paint colour in the room. 

That's Benjamin Moore's Wish. My new favourite paint colour. For now.

You might have also noticed that I need longer curtains. I haven't gotten to that yet. 

And I think I'll wait since this room's getting new windows soon!

I'm anxious to have a grown-up space of my own again but it feels like it's taking forever! 

Baby steps.

Thanks for reading,

Quilty Pillow

I've been working at reclaiming my living room from the kids - 

and trying to convert it to a more inviting 'adult' space.

And because I've been bitten by the quilting bug, I thought I'd make a new pillow for the couch.

 This is a much smaller quilting project than my last one but it packs a lot more punch!

 

I was anxious to really sink my teeth into a more modern style of 'quilting'. 

I use the term loosely because really - it is a pieced pillow sham. 

 

  It's a slip cover so there was no actual 'quilting' or sandwiching involved. 

Hidden zipper in back

The pillow cover is removable so I can throw it in the wash (did I mention I have two boys?!).

Now I just need to make one more!

 Thanks for reading :)

Acquiring new skills

So this is what I've been up to lately.

Quilting! Or more specifically - peicing a quilt.

I took a class and learned how to sew these various blocks into what's called a sampler quilt.

Next I'm taking a machine quilting class so I can learn how to free-motion quilt this baby and call 'er done!

Stay tuned...

 

a country table

I recently made this gift for our friend Susan before she moved away to the country. After many years of living in an apartment in the city, she bought a house of her own and was moving many miles away. 

I already wished we saw Susan more often than we did. But now this move means that I will see this dear friend even less. She has been so amazing to our little family over the years and we're so appreciative.

But even with this sadness, I am truly excited for her and for her new life ahead. 

Often when we spend time together it is over a big meal like Thanksgiving or Easter. So I thought it was very appropriate to make her a table runner for enjoying big country meals in her new country home. 

I didn't use a pattern for it, just sort of made it up as I went along. 
I'm happy with how it turned out - especially the binding. This was the first project where I felt like I mastered (or almost mastered) the art of binding! I wish I had done more quilting on it but time only allowed for stitch in the ditch. And if I'm going to be honest, I didn't have the courage to do free motion quilting.... just yet anyway.


 

Something from Nothing

I recently made this little mouse for a friend.

She asked me to make something for her daughter from a pillow that had belonged to her grandmother. 

This project reminded me of one of my favourite children's books by Canadian author and illustrator Phoebe Gilman, called Something from Nothing.

Image Source

 

Every little boy should own a copy of this heartwarming book. It's the story of a grandfather re-working the fabric of a favourite blanket throughout the early years of the little boy's life.

 

I thought this project would be such a sweet gift from something of generations past.

 

The pillow was made of a fabric that frayed very easily so I decided to use just a bit of it to applique the belly and ear patches of the mouse, and let it do just that - fray. For the rest of the mouse I used quilting cotton in coordinating fabrics and filled it with the stuffing from the pillow.

Mabelle the Mouse

I made a little pinwheel quilt for the mouse. The button in the center was created with that special pillow fabric. And you'll have to read the book for the significance of the blanket and button :)

To make this mouse I used a pattern found in this adorable book, Sewn Toy Tales - by Melly & Me: 

Image Source

 Thanks for reading.