There is a chair in my house that we call Nana's chair because every time she's here, that is where she sits. She has trouble getting around and this chair is so comfy and just the right size for her short self. Any chair that Nana's in must also hold one to three additional children at any given time, so this chair has been, shall we say, well loved. It is kind of a Velveteen rabbit of chairs because this once lovely green silk, wing-back chair now had stuffing coming out and spots that had been loved right off. Anyone who has been around my mother can see that little people, especially her grand-kids are drawn magnetically to her lap. For several reasons really, because she has pretty jewelery that little fingers love to touch. She has lots of silly voices, and her lap is never too crowded for one more, but most of all because she always brings new books and is the most amazing story teller ever. No one can make the written words come alive like she can. But years of rocking babies, kids romping, and piling into it had left the chair looking like it belonged on the curb.
I was inspired by the patchwork chair on Indie Fixx. It made me think that maybe I could save the chair from the sad fate of the roadside. The only problem being that I couldn't afford to have someone else reupholster it and I don't sew. So I ran the idea by my faithful and more crafty friend, seeing if maybe she could help me. She said,"Yes we should do it!" as if I had just asked her to bake cookies with me. Her confidence and help was all I needed. I chose fabrics from Alewives going for a eclectic, patchwork anthropologie feel. Alewives fabrics are gorgeous and just looking at the colors and patterns made me want to create pretty things. I figured the hand-made, patchwork look might disguise my lack of sewing skills as well. So Laura and I took on a perfectly reasonable first sewing project: reupholstering a chair.
She worked on the seat cushion cover on her machine while I yanked and stapled and hand-sewed each section. We both enjoyed watching our creation evolve. Meanwhile we had lots of little "helpers" covering entire portions of the chair with little rainbow pearly push pins. I was pleased with the outcome although I still want to put a few applique birds and circles on the wings of the chair. I had enough fabric to make some new throw pillows to brighten up the room as well.
It's definitely a throne fit for our sweet Nana. All pretty and bright, waiting for lots of cozy reading and snuggling, until the day that the birds and flowers are worn off and we're left with a patchwork, velveteen chair. We're keeping it warm until your next visit.
