Traditional Meets Preppy, with Color!

April 29, 2016 Sherri Rice

Many of my projects end up capturing more of a neutral style sense. And, while I love me some neutrals, it's fun to mix it up with some color sometimes.

My client already had a base of neutrals in her home, so she was ready for color to more fully express her style. Kelly green was her color of choice for the first couple of projects: a large ottoman and tailored tablecloth...

She opted for green duck cloth, with white piping trim, and large box pleated skirts...

It took a lot of fabric, but it's so worth it to have full pleats!

A layer of Dacron over the top softened the tufts...

(and then there were these two scoundrels, who made it very difficult to take pictures that day - tails everywhere!)

(Thankfully, Max has had a haircut since then!)

The second project was another large ottoman for a more formal space.

This time she chose a textured linen/cotton blend in a muted teal...

...with a band of natural linen/cotton for the accent (which, apparently, perfectly matches her couch!). Again, we did full box pleats for a luxurious look.

I top-stitched the band to keep the seams going the right way.

This fabric was sturdy enough that the top did't need any extra padding to minimize the tufting.

Perfectly fresh for spring!

Sherri

Craigslist For The Win

November 23, 2015 Sherri Rice

When my client first contacted me about a slipcover project, she had a particular chair and ottoman in mind. When it came time to discuss fabric options, she had found this chair and ottoman set on Craiglist and wanted it done instead. But this was no ordinary Craigslist find - these were Quatrine pieces, in like-new condition!!

The only issue were the red slipcovers - not my client's style. But, that's an easy fix ;)

She had another Quatrine piece that had a pique-type fabric, so she was looking for something similar. We landed on a beautiful white linen/cotton blend from Gray Line Linen. Once it was washed and dried, it had that great pique texture that she was going for!

She knew she wanted knife pleats all around the bottom. And, to mix things up just a little, we used white denim for the piping.

Here's a close-up of the texture of the fabric...

English roll arms are always a classic feature...

We finished off the project with little slips for a couple of footstools. This time we used the denim for the main slipcover and did the pleats in the linen/cotton blend (this shows the before and after)...

A new look more in keeping with my client's style :)

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here :)

Going Girly

June 19, 2015 Sherri Rice

My client wanted a new look for this chair that sits in her home office. She wanted something "girly," incorporating pink in the design...

Cute chair! But, the tassels were showing some wear and the fringe trim around the bottom of the chair was disappearing. So, we talked about options and decided to go with dropcloth, with pink ticking trim...

August Blues - Dropcloth with pink ticking trim

The box-pleated skirt keeps it feminine without being over-the-top.

And the tapered shape of the chair made it a natural for a special detail down the back...

I chose to cut the ticking for the piping and lacing on the crosswise grain, instead of on the bias, so it would look less like a candy cane and still take advantage of the stripe.

And a bow at the bottom to finish it off.

August Blues - Droploth and ticking slipcover after

A perfectly girly perch for a home office :)

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here :)

Making Well-loved Pieces New Again

June 12, 2015 Sherri Rice

August Blues - After, Chair and Ottoman3

I wanted to share a couple of pieces I recently completed that belong to the same household as this chair and ottoman...

My client had purchased a little extra fabric, so we did two more pieces - a large ottoman and an antique rocking chair.

The ottoman is affectionately knows as the "gypsy pad" and it has become a great place for the dogs to lounge. Here is where we started (after the pleated skirt in a third fabric was removed)...

We used the same denim as before, and changed up the style a little...

You can see the unusual shape here...

I used the three "lobes" of the ottoman as a guide to decide the size and spacing of the box pleats...

Now it will blend perfectly with the other pieces in the room!

There was a little fabric left, but not quite enough to do the next piece, so my client found a coordinating striped piece to do her antique rocking chair. The chair has been in the family a long time! And for good reason...

Isn't that a beautiful chair! Underneath the slipcover is a almost-mustard-color velvet, which was still in great shape, but just didn't go with the rest of the room. So, now it has some flirty pleats...

... and matching covered buttons ( I got to use my covered button-making machine - works great!). And then, I had to play with some back details, too...

August Blues - Rocking Chair Back Details

Familiar pieces all dressed up and ready to continue to serve the family :)

Sherri

Trying a New Denim

May 20, 2015 Sherri Rice

Sometimes our beloved animals are hard on furniture - can anyone relate? My client brought this chair and ottoman that had had some unwanted attention from a cat. And, somehow the tapestry fabric did not handle the attention very well. But, the chair was still very comfortable and had great lines, so slipcovers came to the rescue.

English roll arms and a rolled back? Yes, please!

My client wanted something in a natural color, that was also durable and washable for life with animals. We selected the bull denim recommended by The Slipcover Maker. And here is the After...

And here is the pair...

A simple design, with piping and knife pleats around the bottom.

August Blues - After, Chair and Ottoman2

The rolled back is such a elegant feature, I think...

I really like this fabric - it is sturdy, but soft enough to be able to work it around curves and fashion details like the pleats (and the price is very reasonable). I would definitely consider it for our home, if I thought I could get away with such a light color ;) Note: the shrinkage is about 6"/yd. so make sure you allow enough fabric for pre-washing!

Do you have a favorite slipcover fabric?

Sherri

It's a Vintage Revival

April 16, 2015 Sherri Rice

Sometimes the right thing comes along at the right time, even if it wasn't quite what you originally had in mind. Such was the case for my client with this pair of vintage chairs. In perfect shape and at a great price, they filled the need for a couple of chairs for a sitting area.

Now it was time for a new look, something a little more neutral to show off the wonderful cushions she makes (see her shop here). So, she chose dropcloth and went with the 10 oz weight, which was perfect for the simple style she wanted. And, here is the After...

No piping, and a waterfall skirt give this chair contemporary, clean lines.

I wrapped the existing foam cushions in new batting and gave them an underslip before putting them in their new covers.

To manage the curve of the front and back, I followed the original seam lines with my fabric panels.

And now this pair has a new lease on life!

Have you found anything vintage for your home lately?

Sherri

An IKEA Refresh

February 16, 2015 Sherri Rice

It's fun when the friend of a client contacts me and says "I want to get on your list!" So, I was excited to get to this project - an IKEA couch and chair. And the fabric would be dropcloth. Here are the pieces before, with their original IKEA slipcovers...

I haven't looked at IKEA slipcovers lately, but these ones had no extra opening to make them easier to take on and off, and, over time, they had shrunk a little. My client was very excited to have covers that she wouldn't have to fight to get on and off! She provided the 10 oz dropcloth and specified a pleated skirt. Lots and lots of pleats later, here they are...

Hard to believe those are IKEA pieces! And, by the way, she has the cutest house :)

She requested piping only around the skirt, so the rest of the seams were left clean and simple.

The furry member of the family was eager to try them out...

Lots and lots of box pleats (with a 2" turned hem)...

And then, because these pieces float in the room, we had to dress up the back...

I know I said in an earlier post something about buttons needing to be functional, well, I'm eating my words now ;) My client wanted the button look, but wanted the security and streamlined look of a zipper. So, did both - underneath the button placket is a functioning zipper. And now the slipcovers go on and off with ease!

And aren't her pillows gorgeous?

These pieces are destined for a keeping room in Tennessee (I so love the idea of a keeping room!), so my client is playing with different ideas for accessories - I can't wait to see them in their new home!

Do you have IKEA slipcovered pieces? What do you think of how they work for you?

Sherri

Dressed Up Dining Chairs

December 26, 2014 Sherri Rice

Happy day-after-Christmas, or Boxing Day as it's known in Canada (and other Commonwealth nations)! I am home in a quiet house with the boys, while the Professor takes his family out to check out the sales. It was a good Christmas, in spite of a couple of us having the flu (yay for Tamiflu!). I hope you enjoyed your Christmas as well. I was hoping to share this project with you before Christmas, but flu happened and Christmas came anyway, so here it is now :)

I have done a number of projects for this client over the last few years...

Those chairs are among my most pinned projects! Dropcloth has been the fabric of choice, so we stayed with it for this project for the dining room. Here are the chairs...

There are 4 side chairs and 2 arm chairs in the set. These chairs have great sentimental value, so my client wanted something special that would blend with what we had already done. We decided on a gathered skirt with horizontal pleats, like this...

August Blues - Antique Chair with Ticking Skirt

But, it was a challenge to make the ruffles go all around the back because of all the spindles. And, since the seats were just wood, my client requested a little padding for the seat area. And here is the after...

I made a pocket for 1/2" foam to be inserted in the seat area (the foam can be pulled out so the rest of the cover can be washed). The ruffled skirt attached to the back part of the seat with tabs and velcro. Grosgrain ribbon joined the ends of the skirt.

The side chairs required a slightly different treatment at the back, because of the additional spindles that jutted out from the rest of the back...

The gathers and pleats were such simple, but pretty details!

It was fun to set them up in my kitchen :)

Don't you think they fit right in? Special touches for some special pieces :)

Sherri

Welcome to August Blues - I'm so glad
you're here! August Blues Slipcover Studio strives to enable your home to better serve its purpose, by providing you with quality custom slipcovers that enhance the appearance and functionality of your furniture pieces. Established in 2011 and located in Denton, TX...Read More

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