Office space DIY part two: Recovering the Chair

So as part of my office space DIY I was really keen to find some cool fabric to recover the chair with. I was all set to head off to spotlight until I looked in my stash and found some perfect fabric.

I had already used it once when I recovered Tamas office chairs and I  realised it would be just the thing for my new motivational space.

It really was the quickest DIY ever, literally 10 minutes!!!! All you need is:

• An old chair in need of a makeover
• Some fabric (I used upholstery fabric so I know it will wear well)
• Gun stapler
• Sewing scissors
• A screw driver

So here's the chair before I began. Pretty ugly old fabric but the chair it's self is in pretty good condition. The first thing to do is too unscrew the top from the frame. Pretty easy and would be easier if you had a drill rather than an old fashioned screw driver.

The next job is to lay the seat on your fabric and cut around it. Make sure you leave enough fabric to put up and staple. Once you have done that you just gun staple all the way around and boom you are done.

Screw the top back on the chair base and your DIY is complete!!!

I am stoked with the results and cant wait for the rest of my DIY office space to be completed.

Arohanui Mim

Recovering old chairs part 2

Ta da, i actually have the photos to put up!!!! usually i say i will and i don't... but not today people, today I DO.

So when i set about to recover these 4 chairs for Tamas new work space I had to actually find fabric cheap enough to make it worth while. I can't believe how expensive cool funky upholstery fabric is!!!!! right, does anyone in New Zealand have a good source for me apart from Spotlight???

So off to spotlight it was. I really could (and actually do) spend hours looking and trying to choose fabric, but it was made easier in that a couple of us had already worked out the colour scheme in the rooms and had picked the wall paper so I had some colour perimeters to work with.

I chose a cool black and white/cream spotted, kind of giraffe/leopard spots, for the admin office reception area, and a nice green for the lounge.

When recovering them i had a few issues. The first was actually unscrewing the arms to get the old fabric off. Some were ok but on some the screws had lost their thread and Tama had to help. The second thing was is was not just a straight forward staple gun round the edges. I had to create a pattern and sew the back as slip cover and then staple the bottom. It was all good but took a little longer. The third thing was after two chairs my hands were SO SORE trying to use the staple gun. I really must be weak and would totally love a air compressed gun as once again I had to call on my trusty husband to get those staples in securely.

But I am totally happy with how they turned out, yay.

The admin office has a really nice yellow and a rich choc brown as colours with white walls so the spotted chairs looked great in there.

The green looks great with the wallpaper.

In total the fabric didn't even cost $30!!!! so I was really happy to get four chairs done for less that $10 each. A total saving. Can't wait for my next project.

How to make a simple baby blanket

So my sister has just had a baby!!!!!!!!!! We are off to New Plymouth to visit and i am so excited. I really love giving handmade gifts especially to new babies. She already has some lovely woolen blankets made by our Grandma so I didn't think she needed one of those. 

I came up with the idea to do a soft blanket that she could pop on the ground when she wanted to pop the baby down but not put her on the floor.

I got this beautiful soft winsette fabric in two different colours So she could pick which side she wanted to use. It also has a quilted inner so it makes it extra soft. 

Here's what to do: Pick some fabric, you could choose the same for both sides or different.

 Next i cut both pieces the same size. I did these just under a meter square. Make sure you place the right sides together.

Next cut you quilt wadding the same size again to fit

I then pinned all three layers together. This is so when you sew it, it comes out flat and none of the fabric layers bunch anywhere. If you have ever made a quilt this is part of the process. I pinned prob a fist apart all over the whole blanket.

The next step is to sew all three layers together. I used an over locker but a straight stitch leaving a 10cm edge would be totally fine too. Make sure you leave a gap to pull it all through and take the pins out after you have sewn it.

Once pulled through you need to sew up the gap. I just did a running stitch.

How it looks all sewn up.

And there we have it!!!!!!!!!!!! so simple and so soft and nice. Easy to pop in the machine and wash too.

I can't wait to wrap my neice up in this!!!!!

Things i'm loving

I'm loving the fact that my eldest daughter is on her way up to the Taylor Swift concert!!!

(I am also a little jealous)

I am totally loving the show New Girl. If you are like us and still only have channels 1,2 & 3 in New Zealand watch it on demand. Seriously it is great, love love love it.

I am loving wedding invites!!! any opportunity to get dressed up and share in some love

I am loving this pile of fabric just waiting to be sewn into some crafty goodness

To join in with this link see the button on the right, things i'm loving and pop over to http://www.paisleyjade.com/2012/03/things-im-loving_16.html