New cushions for the summerhouse / shed

Hope your week has been good. Since getting back from a months holiday in South Africa, I have been catching up & aware that my Summer-to-do list is waiting to be done.

Thankfully, my A Wondering Star daughter & her man Andy must have read my mind or my list & they did one of the major jobs as a surprise while we were away ...

The dreaded glossing of the woodwork downstairs - doorframes, skirting boards, glass hallway partition; not a mean feat at all as there are some 7 doors, miles of skirting board (or so it seems) and a very fiddly glass partition between the front door & the hallway. I am so thankful for their thoughtfulness and hard work.

While out on Friday, dropping off some donations at a local charity / thrift shop,  a pair of very pretty curtains caught my eye. I am partial to feathers & game scenes & the colours were traditional but not boring ….

Hmmm, only that morning I had opened the summerhouse / garden shed up, glanced inside & bemoaned the ugly orange cushion covers that I have put fleeces over because they just don't fit in. I also like change. Suddenly, change came to mind ….

The curtains I spied ticked all my requirements: game scene, colour, classic colours of grey, tan & burgundy, heavy fabric & very reasonable priced at just £5. I inspected them & did a rough guestimate as to size & then happily took them home to wash, iron & unpick the heading tape.

I sew & will turn my hand to most things as my grandmother had been a dab hand at sewing & always said: 'just try it, work it out in your mind then have a go.'

So out with the machine & bits & bobs. I had everything else so was feeling rather thrifty. I knew the fabric would not be enough to do both sides of the cushions but I have been looking at upholstery trends with plain back or alternate fabric & rather like that so I looked through my fabric stash & found enough cream fabrics to do the reverse plain without having to purchase any additional fabric. I felt very keen to press on with the new covers ….

Sewing pins - the dog was a birthday gift & the bird was gifted by Riekie while on holiday with her

 I got out my large roll of plain paper & marked out the outlines with extra space for hemming & sewing. I even folded them over to make sure I had it all even then I planned where the pieces would fit on the 2 curtains ...

The dreaded orange cushions - I will be so glad to cover them

The curved seat backs being measured

Planning, pinning & cutting in action on our large conservatory table

Progress - many cut & pinned ready for sewing in the lovely sunshine

Pinking the edges so it did not fray ....

New fabric verses the old orange ...

I am not confident with zips so I instead did an opening that I attached ribbons to both sides to close it up. Perfect for washing too …

Grey time - a nice, calming change using all the previous chair cushions

I recently repainted one of the chairs & the divider Paris Grey by Annie Sloan & the others are Old White.

The wool throw / blanket was already there & a perfect match for the new cushions

An Ikea lantern from the house with tealight holders which were already there ...

A comfortable corner

A relaxing place to read & gather inspiration

Welcoming green hedges to calm & energise the soul

The view across the garden

A perfect change which has made the space feel more 'grown-up' & inviting

The surrounding garden complimenting the colours perfectly

I know I will be enjoying the last of our summer from here - either reading, drinking tea & chatting or even using the wi-fi to keep up ....

One more job ticked off my list. How about you - do you have jobs that need doing over the summer?

Thanks for stopping by & taking the time to leave a comment - I always enjoy your visits

Dee ~♥~