Sew in... Upcycling Homeware

Bit of an 'aspirational' one from the Post Mistress today! Ahem... what I actually mean is I haven't actually made anything for a few days but as ever, I have lots of ideas brewing. First off, I have a dearly loved blue marble effect cushion I bought back in the 1980s and noticed on Sunday that sadly, the corners are now frayed and the piping is looking worn. These days, I hate throwing quality textiles away so as the cushion pad inside is still in near perfect condition, I have decided to get my beautiful new sewing machine out and re-cover it. I can even re-use the zip on the existing cover as it's still in perfect working order. It goes to show, if you invest in quality items, with a bit of ingenuity, they can last a lifetime.

Old cushion from the '80s with scuffed edges and frayed piping

Another idea I had was to recreate something similar to the vintage style round velvet cushion my grandmother used to have. As I remember, it had a panel that went around the edge which was about 2 inches wide and the front panel gathered in under a central fabric covered button. I'd really like to incorporate some fabric from my old thick cotton Paul's Boutique bag into the new cushion as I love the day-glo paisley flowers, but I will need to buy another complimentary fabric to go with it as there won't quite be enough. Scouring the net, I've managed to find a free pattern on how to sew a flat drum shaped round cushion, so watch this space!


Tatty oversized Paul's Boutique bag in neon with cream background

And finally, a habitual magpie, my husband rescued this footstool when a neighbour was throwing it out and I immediately spotted its potential. IKEA offers a wide selection of fabrics with cheerful modern prints and I will almost certainly breathe new life into this footstool by re-covering it in one of IKEA's colourful materials.


Reclaimed footstool with leatherette cover, ripe for a makeover



The reclaimed footstool with its cover removed

Lilac John Lewis sewing machine, isn't she beautiful!

Watching the Clock

Check this out! Spotted in Heals this week, I simply had to pap this crochet covered wall clock in understated olive with a white face. J'adore!

After seeing this textured mini marvel, I imagined the fun I could have covering seemingly dull household items in a tightly woven amigurumi style crochet, transforming them into knitted objets d'art! Picture frames, lampshades and plant pots would all benefit from a unique crochet makeover, let's call it 'knitholstery'.

I may give something in my flat a funky crochet covering this year. Then I'll do a before and after thing and you can tell me which picture looks better!

Domestic Goddess

Another "ta-da!" moment. I finally got around to filling the knitted pouffe and here it is. Not bad, huh? I'd originally decided to use it as a pet bed for when I get some animals in the future, but actually it's too firm for pets to sleep on, so I'll just use it as a funky foot stool instead.

I think I'll make another one in a brighter colour in the future and neaten it up a bit more. The size came up exactly right as well; it's just the perfect size for sitting on or for resting tired feet on at the end of a long day... Domestic bliss indeed. Here's the pattern again if you fancy having a go yourself, it's very easy, garter stitch throughout. Do let me know how you get on!

Stealing a march on next winter, I squirreled away two remaining scraps of this chunky yarn and worked it into a two-tone rectangle. The creamy stripe shows what the yarn looked like before I dyed it. Hubby took a shine to the wool when I was knitting the foot stool so I plan to make him a snowboarder hat or scarf for next winter. Here it is so far...

Gotta Love Croydon

For years, Croydon in south London has been the subject of much ridicule. Despite incubating the talent of two world famous supermodels in the '90s, and hosting an efficient transport interchange and an IKEA superstore; the densely populated metropolis is more widely associated with featureless concrete commercial buildings and teen mums. To its credit and to my surprise, I discovered today that Croydon has a crochet square named after it! And here it is, papped nonchalantly on its creator's fair laminate flooring. Gotta love Croydon.

Mustering all my patience and courage, I plan to have a stab at a similar afghan granny square soon. Will keep you posted.

Before I go, here's a snap of mum's hat. It turned out lovely, don't you think? She's more of an old skool knitter so I don't think her pattern came from cyberspace. However, I'm sure if readers were keen to replicate it, someone is bound to have added a similar pattern to Ravelry's patterns section.

Reflection

Well, it's that time of year again when people start saying they're going to join a gym or give up smoking. Being the Doubting Thomas I am I usually struggle to feign interest when people tell me this; but then, with my empathetic side intervening at the last possible moment, I manage to utter a few encouraging words: "Good for you!"

With a fondness for reflection, I myself have been wondering, what will 2012 bring and what, if anything, should I change about my life next year?

Well, with 2011 going into my Room 101, I decided there's definitely space for a whole lot more fun next year and that's about as far as I've got.

And speaking of fun, once I've brought my PC back from it's comatose state (yes, it's still poorly and in need of a geeky once-over), I will be able to share pics of my new knitted footstool and mum's cosy hat. Yes, that's right, the pouffe is finished and it actually looks rather good!

Revelling in the relaxing and cosy bubble that is Christmas week, I have no qualms about enjoying a few more days rest before January rudely interrupts us all next week.

Have fun. Surround yourself with people that make you happy. Create things. Gx

Step by Step

The pouffe is coming along lovely! I'm delighted by it's chunkiness and the texture reminds me of wattle and daub or something medieval. What do you think?

Put your feet up

This week I spotted textured knitted cushions in both John Lewis and Laura Ashley, but of course I enjoy the challenge of making my own unique pieces.

Here's an update on my latest project... I've finally made a start on my foot stool and have included images below of the newly dyed yarn and my first few rows: 35 stitches in garter stitch on circular needles. As you can see, it's very dense and chunky so will hopefully be really thick and hard wearing when it's finished. I can't remember whether I included a link to the pattern previously, but here it is just in case. The pattern suggests stuffing it with duvets but I plan to use two pillows instead, depending on how large it is.

Well, I'm off to a Christmas pub lunch now. Enjoy your day!

The house that funk built

I've always loved retro style so am considering going against the grain by buying a well proportioned '60s or '70s property in a nice area, retrofitting it to make it energy efficient and styling it up inside. Just like this home in Living etc. Properties of this era aren't as popular as victorian semis for example, but I think with confidence and a little creative flair, a stylish home that's sympathetic to its roots can be achieved.