bricolagelife

making stuff: it's the slipcover!

my big project was completed last week and here are the photos to prove it.

on the left you see the fabrics i used, gleaned from the sale tables at vogue in evanston. i hadn't been "new fabric" shopping in years and found this old fave a bit diminished from it's former glory. but the sale tables rule. on the right you see the finished slipcover. and pillow covers (with zippers!).

what i learned (the hard way) on this project:

:: sale fabrics are awesome deals but can be lacking in certain important aspects. mine came with dry clean only info but no fiber content. expect some surprises if you buy the bolt. this buff colored heavy ultrasuede-ish fabric was unrolled in the back room for measuring before i bought it. when i opened it at home i discovered about a yard of staining on the wrong side at one end and lots of damaged selvedge. at this point i wasn't too worried... i have a lot of experience working around these kinds of issues from years spent using second hand materials almost exclusively. but i would definitely examine the goods prior to purchasing next time.

:: measure. measure. measure. then trust your gut. in all of the research i did before shopping for fabrics the estimates for yardage seemed excessive to me. one site calculated a total of 12.5 yards of 50 inch wide fabric were needed for a two cushion love seat, another calculated 19 yards. having only worked with the fabric i had on hand in my own slipcover projects, i was a novice at estimating how much to buy in advance. but i was certain i'd used less than 8 yards on my own love seat at home. the bolt pictured above measured 11 3/4 yards at 54 inches wide. i crossed my fingers and bought it.  before i cut it i was very worried, but at least 2 yards were left over at completion.

:: if you stink at math this project will be daunting. if things don't fit properly, snip out the seams, remeasure, trim and sew again. forge ahead. if i can do it, you can do it.

:: even tho it might make good sense in theory, do not use upholstery fabric for this project. it is too heavy for the manipulations necessary in slipcover construction. use a canvas or denim weight cotton instead. it is durable but still soft enough to bend to your will.

:: use a new denim needle in your sewing machine. this makes the stitching so much easier.

this possibly useful information comes to you exclusively from the diy queen of learn from my mistakes.  

hope it's helpful :)

polaroid week

its polaroid week at flickr.

worth a look.  

big flavors: fish curry with a side of irony

i was making my favorite foolproof fish curry with lemon rice yesterday for some special dinner guests when an interview with sylvia earle on npr disrupted my reverie. she has a point, i thought, as i coated my ocean cod in turmeric and sea salt.

food for thought. how ironic.

mini road trip: milwaukee art museum

 

 

 

 

milwaukee art museum

 

alterra coffeehouse

a very good day. 

squashed like a pancake - for breast cancer awareness month

today i had my breasts squashed flat as pancakes in a big giant machine - and i was glad to do it.  

it's been a few years since i had a mammogram, tho my family history dictates that i be squashed yearly since i turned 30.  mammograms are expensive.  and for those of us who float in and out of the narrow qualifications for health insurance, it may mean a gap in those all-important annual compressions.  on a quest for a cheap mammo, i looked online myself (without much luck) and asked for referrals for affordable testing at the eminent local hospital that x-rayed me for years (they "couldn't" help me).  then my ever-vigilant sister sent me a link to leslie's list which finally gleaned some good results. (thanks, sis!).  when my doctor looked over my possible choices she offered me one she knew of... and they just happened to be offering a special for breast cancer awareness month!

advanced diagnostics was not far from home, i was able to get an appointment without a long wait, everyone there was kind and helpful and the test was less than $100.  oh, and they gave me a pen, a ribbon and a pink lollipop with my self exam info.  you can't beat that with a stick!

{and as an added bonus, they are located in a mid century office building i have admired for years, longing to see inside.  i finally got in and these photos show you a little of the original details in the entryway.  this was a perfect distraction for my anxiety as the moment of the squashing approached}  

it has always puzzled me why preventative care isn't more affordable and easy to obtain in this country. it just makes good sense.  finding an establishment like this one gave me hope.

there are sixteen more days in breast cancer awareness month, so you may find a good deal now on a mammogram in your town or neighborhood!  don't give up.  you might get lucky like i did.  ask your doctor for help if you aren't successful searching better options online.  my doctor stressed the importance of a good reading radiologist on staff, so it may be worth it to check that out.

for more info try here (where you can donate a mammogram if you are able).

and here.

and if you are a healthy woman with a sister who has had breast cancer, you can volunteer your help here.

nice finds: design your own fabric

i was alerted a few days ago about spoonflower.  i am hopelessly addicted.  you simply sign in, upload your images, select the pattern repeat, size and colors you like... and they print it on the fabric of your choice!

this is literally like a dream come true for me.  my swatches will arrive soon and i'm a little buzzed from the anticipation.  don't you want to play, too?

thanks, josh!

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #4

health insurance.

because christopher nolan hired my husband, made that super-amazingly popular batman movie and sold all those dvds, we got kicked back into plan b for a year.  i won't go into my diatribe on health insurance here.  if you know me in person, you've heard it all before.  many times, i'm afraid.  because this is a time for thankfulness.  because what this means now is we will be able to check off our old list such postponed necessities as dental and physical check ups, a routine lab test or two, that mammogram i've been waiting years for, eye exams - and new eyeglasses for everyone!  well, both of us, anyway.

this is why christopher nolan is awesome.  and my hard working husband, of course.

you guys are the best.  thank you.

happy friday, people.

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #2

the miele.

she is the light of my life, the apple of my eye, my true love and my savior.  because christopher nolan is awesome and made a wildly popular batman movie (in which he wisely employed my dear husband) and then sold a bizillion dvds of said movie, i am now the proud owner of a spanking new miele vacuum cleaner. after years of wrestling the accursed, sonorous and decidedly inferior hoover, i now glide around the apartment on a soft pink cloud of happiness while my german engineered appliance purrs beside me like a sleek sports car.  i confess that i keep an ever-vigilant eye out for things to vacuum at home now. 

this was my sweetie's surprise birthday gift to me.  i know that there is a commonly held belief that women detest being given appliances as gifts.  i am not one of those women.  bring on the useful fine appliances and electronic gadgets, i say.  they are prized above diamonds (or real sports cars) in my world.

so, thank you, thank you, kind sirs!  now i really must go... those walls look rather dusty.

anorak magazine cover contest

illustrators alert!  

the link is working now :)

also, this is very cool.  i wish i could live off the grid.

making stuff : stitchy fingers

completing the redwork gave me an idea and i've been stitching ever since.

have you heard about the anorak magazine cover contest?  (sorry - safari won't allow me to open the page right now, so here's a link to the anorak shop.  click on the blog link and search for the contest rules there.)