It's brand new and I can't resist remaking it!
I waffled and hemmed and hawed and wrung my hands and read all the reviews and finally hit “purchase” on a couch online.
Site unseen.
Not a terribly expensive one, not the one of my dreams, the one that was a luxurious cloud…but one that fit for now and was a deep gorgeous jewel-tone teal and just the right length for my wee space.
It arrived in a large beaten-down box and a few minutes later it was assembled and plopped upon.
And it’s surprisingly hard. So very firm. But the color is bright, vibrant, and rich…and it brings continuous delight to my heart when my eyes fall upon it.
Whew, color is so powerful! I still get a giddy smile when doing the dishes and I see the copper cups with the mint green enamel plates and the deep brown wooden walnut bowls nestled together. I often think I should take a picture and show you! Simply for the pleasure of the way the colors play together.
But the couch is sturdy, soft to the touch, and so very pretty.
BUT not the semi-cloud I was crossing my fingers for, and truth be told, the back is a bit too short. Your head feels frustratingly unsupported and the arms are short little hints of arms, not up to the task of cradling you in the corner.
And I begin hemming and hawing and wringing my hands again.
Should I return it?
But then I thought, what if I made a cushion for the top; something that added a bit of sinking into magic? And maybe, I’ll add height to the back with some wood and upholster it in the same fabric as the new couch topper (which is what I found they’re called after I spent a good deal of searching online for ideas), and maybe…I’ll make a substantial and much larger bolster pillow to support the arm better when engaged in a good book and hot tea.
And I could feel the excitement bubble up in me…the thrill of the make. And all those around me shook their heads in confusion and said with some unhidden, but not surprised, disdain, “so, you’re going to remake the couch you just bought?!”.
YES! I said with glee. Wahoo!
And guess what? It’s begun! Here’s the nearly done couch topper. All that’s left to do is either tuft it or quilt it so it lies more neatly and the wool batting stays in place. After all, I have a very wiggly, wee fella (and a new cat!).
Next will be the bolster pillows, probably out of the lighter fabric, but maybe out of something more akin to the couch color (feel free to chime in on that one!) and a few experiments with a board behind the back cushions to see what making it taller will do.
And you know, had I bought that cloud of a couch, I would have undoubtedly
begun thinking about ways to “fine-tune” it after the first sit anyway.
What can I say…it’s how I’m wired! I bet you can relate.
Which leads me to the class I’m teaching virtually tomorrow,
the one on cloning clothes you have in your closet.
Ones that fit you pretty well, and you love or at least like a lot, and that you
want to make more of. But maybe with a longer sleeve or a bit more room
in the hip or…oh say, wouldn’t some buttons and pintucks here look
nice?
We can do all of that.
Get all the details here…but don’t dally, class starts at 9 am EST tomorrow, April 6th.
And it will be recorded! So have no fear if you can’t make it live, I gladly offer all my students support in the days and weeks after a class or retreat with me, simply reach out!
In this workshop, you’ll not only get all my steps and tips for taking a pattern from clothes you own (psst…no harm comes to those sweet clothes!), but we’ll talk pattern drafting anda bit on how to change a pattern once you have it…something that will serve you in all your clothes sewing adventures!
Check out the live virtual workshop and sign up!