Shelley, Author at Slipcovers by Shelley

Nursery Rocker Chair

January 25, 2013 by Shelley

Rocker—BEFORE–my client picked up this chair off KSL.com for $30 for her nursery. We didn’t worry about the chewed up arm, since the fabric layed smoothly right over the top.

Rocker–AFTER–she got this great bold purple print and prewashed it.

She wanted to do a skirt, because the way the rockers stuck out front—our only option was a gathered skirt. I loved the way it turned out.

And of course there was some matching involved! Funny thing is I saw an upholstered chair done out of this fabric at a clients house about a year ago and remember thinking in my head….glad I didn’t have to match that one up!

It actually was easier to match up than I thought it would’ve been.

How cute are those curtains!!!! How fun to decorate a girl nursery!

Menswear Plaid slipcovers

January 18, 2013 by Shelley

These slipcovers were for a neighborhood friend that is a midwife. She is setting up a birthing suite for her business. The red couches weren’t working for her, so we headed to the fabric store to pick out fabric. I LOVE the fabric store!

Couches–BEFORE

COUCHES—AFTER–She wanted something cozy, but fresh and updated. We found this great menswear type plaid.

They only had 29 yds left of the plaid (I wanted 34 yds)–so we chose a solid light blue for the piping. Ideally I wanted 30 yds without the piping, but I thought I could make it work. It was TIGHT!!! I was still able to match all the vertical stripes and most of the horizontal.

I did use duck cloth on the decking to save fabric. I also had to use it on the zipper section of the seat cushions (it doesn’t show)—There was nothing left!

The chair we chose this great textured cream chenille fabric—so soft and cozy and inviting!

Oops—I just realized the right cushion needs to be flipped over so the horizontal stripes on the front of the cushion line up.

She was still working on some painting when I brought these back. Look how cute those kitchen chairs and table are going to be.

What a great place to come for prenatal care appts!

Side Note–

–Heading to Maui in a 10 days!!! Can’t wait to feel the sun again.

–Marathon training is going good— our long run next week is supposed to be 11 miles…hopefullly it warms up a bit!

–Work studio is coming along…insulation is done, and sheet rock is being hung today! I picked out flooring yesterday and it’s being delivered today!! I chose a gray tone handscraped laminate…it’s Beautiful!!! Now I want to put it in the rest of my house!

Pair of Matelesse chairs

January 12, 2013 by Shelley

My client was having a big holiday party at her house…so it was crunch time. Her husband said she couldn’t have people over with their torn, faded slipcovers. I was able to squeeze her in and get them done.

Slipcover–BEFORE— she has had these for about 12 years and the arms had taken a beating….threadbare and faded and torn.

SLIPCOVER–AFTER—she got a great Matelesse fabric that will hold up over the years.

She was concerned about the back getting worn and dirty again…so I made a topper out of the tan toile.

The linen gingham skirt ties in the topper. We also did gingham on one side of the cushion–so she can flip it.

She also had me make arm pads to help with the wear on the arms. We laughed when I brought it back…because basically we made slipcovers (topper and arm pads) for the slipcover. Hopefully this will help with high traffic that this room gets.

SIDE NOTE-

#1–I submitted a “we paid cash story” about our new car to Money Saving Mommy and she featured it this past week!

Besides sewing…saving $ and being debt free is my other passion. Everyone always asks how I do it….here’s my advice–maintain the same lifestyle…when you get a raise or bonus–put that $ towards something specific (loan, cc debt, savings, etc.) , don’t absorb it and “spend what you make”. Yes we can probably afford a bigger house than the one we bought 13 years ago—but we do we NEED it? Nope—all my boys keep migrating back to sleeping all in the same room anyways. I choose not to afford lots of things—just because you can afford something doesn’t mean you should.

I always pack a lunch, buy most stuff used, freeze milk and bread (eliminates unnecessary trips to store), make dinners from scratch, use snowball effect when paying off debt, set goals, stay focused, make lists, use mint.com, reammoratize (calculators online) every month when paying off large loans to see progress, pay off credit card in full every month, set up separate savings accounts for car, house, vacation, etc—that way the money’s there if something goes wrong and you don’t go into debt for emergencies or trips… I LIKE TRIPS.

Just yesterday–I headed to DI (thrift store) to pick up my son some church shoes…his other’s are too small. Got a pair of hardly worn ones for $6, then grabbed three pairs of Old Navy Jeans there as well for the boys next size for $6/ pair. I try to buy ahead of time when I find things for cheap. I figured a new pair of church shoes would’ve cost about $25….but I got the shoes and 3 pairs of jeans for the same price.

#2–My work Studio is coming along….We just had our first inspection (4-way). So the electrical, framing, and ductwork are done. This week is insulation. Then the following week is sheetrock—if I can get any of these contractors to call me back with a bid. Spent and hour or so checking out flooring last night at Home Depot.

#3–Our youngest son was baptized about a month ago before the holidays. He is very picky about what he wears…so this was exciting for me to see all my boys in suits! Love how handsome they all look. That morning, I went downstairs to help him get dressed and I found my oldest had already gotten him to put on the suit and was helping him put on his tie….tears to my eyes! What a sweet moment! I love when they are being sweet and not pounding on each other!