The Sewing Drawer of Shame!!

Since working on the boy's Halloween costumes (pictures to come) I have reignited my love of sewing. But, before I get carried away, as I am wont to do, I thought I better clear out my sewing drawer. Turns out its a sewing drawer of shame!

Yes, here are all the bits and pieces that were hiding in that drawer. Before I can get to making all the many wonderful things I want to work on "right now" (!!!!!) I have made a deal with myself - I must complete all the projects in the drawer. I'm posting this so that now I am committing in front of the world (hi mom).

Here's the specifics, in no specific order:

Pants for me that just need buttons, buttonholes, and some hemming.

Christmas Table-topper Quilt. Needs some hand stitching then the back, quilting, and binding.

Random bits and pieces which I may, or may not, need to complete these projects.

Two baby girl diaper covers. Just need elastic on waist and leg holes. I can finish these for my new no-name baby niece, due in a few months.

2 fabric flowers. Just need a clip of some sort ... hair clip, or maybe pin.

Random scraps left over from Ben's quilt. Maybe for some pot holders?

Black material, but and ready to go for 2 vests - one for Ben and one for Dad. Although, by now, Ben will have outgrown the size I cut...guess it's for James.

Spring/Summer tabletop quilt. Back when I didn't know a thing about quilting. I need to rip out all of this red stitching and then try again.

1 king size sheet...blue and white stripes. I bought this with the intention of making a top for myself, maybe. Not sure what I'll do with it, but it has to either get used or thrifted. I guess I could use is as muslin for something else.

Random men's shirts/sweater. These were originally for two matching quilts I was going to make for the boy's beds. Now I'm thinking I'll just make pillows out of them for those beds. Then I can use these, and then buy fabric for the quilts.

This is actually pink lining material. I plan to use this to line a skirt out of some suiting fabric I have in my other sewing cabinet. Let's not even talk about that black hole.

Completed Baby Spit-rags. I made these out of cloth diapers (new and unused, obviously) and a few cute fat-quarters. I guess I better put them in James' closet so they can get used. Or, should I gift them? Or, should I post them up in the etsy shop?

Table-top quilt. I started the machine quilting on this a few months ago, but was having tension troubles. I've since had the machine serviced, so I should really just finish this already!

Black and white knit fabric. I bought this to make a cute tank from a Burda magazine, cut out one front piece, and then promptly put it in the drawer. I have to figure out how to back a ruffle in the front, and I have to cut the rest of the pieces, but this one should be pretty easy.

Hot/Cold Rice bags. I made three of these but haven't finished the covers for them. The idea is, you can remove the cover and wash them. This will require 4 straight lines of stitching...why haven't I done it yet?

Kitchen towels. Just need to add buttons to the tabs.

Also found in the drawer, a completed top that just doesn't fit me (maybe my sister will want it) and a pair of her pants to hem.

As you can see, most of these projects are almost done. I just need to get to it and do all the "boring" parts. The rule now is - I must finish all these projects before I can start on any new sewing projects. I must finish all these projects before Jan 1, 2012. Let's see how it goes.

Remaking a Chair

I found her at DI (thrift store) for $15. She was too stinkin' awesome to pass up at that price. I've been keeping my eye out for a chair to reupholster for our new (in progress) Master Bedroom and she fit the bill.

I actually liked the fabric on her, but it was in really bad shape. The seat was scruffed up pretty bad and the wood just wasn't the right color for me.

Check her out!

I started by priming and painting the wood...in spray form. I LOVE SPRAY PAINT!!! I then sanded her into submission and went over all of her with some stain I had from another project. I had to wipe off quite a bit of it but it worked out pretty well. I was going for a shabby chic (but not dirty) look.

Then came the re-upholstery challenge. I looked, and looked, and looked for some really great home dec fabric for her...to no avail. I wasn't willing to spend $20+ per yard so I had to find an alternative. Instead I used painter's canvas drop cloth. I've seen various people use it online, and decided that was the way to go. So I bought 2 and bleached them out a few times.

It was surprisingly easy to work with. I can think of a bunch of things to do with the left overs. The back of the chair had fabric stapled across it and originally had double piping to hide the staples. That wasn't gonna happen so I just bought some trim and hot glued it down. Its a bit of a fancier trim than I originally wanted, but I figure it's just hot glued down so if I want to change it out later it won't be so hard. It works for now.

She's just as pretty from behind.

Oh, how I love her. I keep calling it a her, so I guess I should name her...something old and classic, but pretty, and with a bit of spunk... how about Lucille.

Here's the back of the pillow...not sure if I'll add a button or not, maybe. This was such a score. The pillow form and fabric both came from the NPS store. If you haven't been there yet, go NOW! It is so stinking awesome. The form was $6 (tag says its PB for $12) and the fabric was from their remnant bin so I got 1/2 yd of wide home dec fabric for $.99...that's right, less than a dollar. I will definitely be looking for more fabric there!