Sewing Projects Galore!

That second-trimester energy really came in handy during our move. I unpacked the entire house in a matter of days. After that, I jumped into some home projects to help make our little, temporary apartment feel more cozy and comfortable. Here's a few of the things I've been up to.

Throw Pillows for the Couch

We didn't have a couch when we moved, so we acquired one pretty quickly after moving. We got one from Craigslist for $40, which is comfortable but hideous, so we got an off-white slip cover for $60.

Since throw pillows are kind of what I do (http://dreamyweamy.etsy.com), I decided to make some pretty pillows for our couch. I have a bunch of ugly pillows in different sizes that are just begging to be covered and used. 

The floral fabric is the same fabric I used on Daisy's play kitchen, which currently resides in our living room, directly across from the couch. I wanted to bring the bright colors of the room together. When Daisy saw the smaller pillow, she ran over, hugged it, and said, "I love this pillow!" 

A few days later, I made the bigger pillow, which didn't get as much attention, but required a lot more work! I love it more, because I took more time with it. 

I had a tiny strip of scrap fabric leftover from the smaller pillow. I ironed on interfacing, cut out the only shapes that were left, and arranged them in the corners of the larger, navy pillow. Then I appliquéd each of them individually with different color threads. 

I love the way it turned out. It was extra time and more detailed work, but that makes it more special. I had to point out my work to Zane for him to really appreciate it. I smile every time I look at it. 

Rufio's Bed

Rufio has this old comforter that he loves to sit on. It's big and bulky, and we put up with it in our other house, but this apartment just doesn't have the room for it.

I had been saying for months that I would cut it up and make a little bed for him. Now I finally had the chance to do it! I just cut a strip off of the large comforter, doubled it, and sewed the edges with blanket edging. This edging stuff is something that I inherited from my grandma's sewing supplies, so I don't even know what its proper name is or if they sell it anymore. 

This was a quick, afternoon project. Rufio loves it! Plus, Daisy can easily move it into our bathroom when we leave the house. One of her "leaving the house" chores is getting Rufio a treat and putting the treat and his bed in our bathroom (where he dwells when alone at home). This smaller size is easy to wash too. 

Curtains for master bedroom

Covering the windows was the first project that I tackled after unpacking. Our apartment windows face WEST! All the rooms were sweltering in the afternoon. Our living room window spans the length of the exterior wall, so I can't cover it without buying a super long curtain rod. I ended up buying two smaller, thermal panels and covering the sides. It actually has helped a lot with the heat, especially keeping the hot sun off our TV. I love the natural light, but hate the heat.

For the bedrooms, I bought a two-pack of white, thermal panels and hung one in Daisy's room and one in ours.

Unfortunately, the panel is just a few inches shorter than the window is wide. I added this sheer drape that I've had for years (one of the only window coverings I brought with us in the move) and bought cute, thick fabric for the sides. Our room is the coolest in any time of day, and the streetlights can't be seen at night anymore.

Our quilt is yellow. I made shams a while ago in teal, gray, and yellow, so I chose this light blue/teal color for the windows. I love it. 

We took the folding closet door off, so we could fit both nightstands and our bed in that space. So, don't mind my hanging clothes...and my sombrero. 

Daisy's bedroom has her green valance from our other house and the thermal panel. It looks pretty bad, since the panel doesn't cover the entire window. I have ideas on what to do in there, but haven't gotten around to starting anything. We'll be changing that room when baby #2 comes in a few months, because the girls will be sharing. 

There's actually more projects I've been working on. I'll be posting on them soon. Not working outside the home has given me more time to sew, which is great!