It's All About the Velvet

January 29, 2015 Sherri Rice

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook (it's where are the fun is, you know ;)), you will have seen some velvet goodness happening in my workroom. This is the project... My client contacted me, looking for covers for her couch cushions. She has a leather couch and a largish puppy who was leaving his claw marks on the cushions.

As you can see, her first line of defense was to flip the cushions so the full leather sides were underneath. But, of course, this was not the look she was going for. So, covers were in order. She has a collection of South American textiles and thought that a rich velvet would complement these best. We found a delicious chocolate cotton velvet that was an almost perfect match to her couch!

After...

The fabric was very nice (lots of colors at fabric.com :)) and was a good weight - there was measurable shrinkage, but otherwise, it washed and dried beautifully. We added piping edges to the cushions and made arm covers as well. I made the arm covers extra long, so they would tuck under and be held in place by the back cushions.

August Blues - Velvet Cushions and Arm Covers

Velvet can have a tendency to "creep" against itself when it's being sewn together, but this was minimal with this fabric.

Looks comfy to me!

I hadn't had a chance to work with velvet on this scale before; I think I might need to see what other velvet projects I can come up with :)

Do you have velvet in your home?

Sherri

Rice Family Rock Tour 2014

August 15, 2014 Sherri Rice

I promised a review of our summer vacation, so here it goes - presenting the...

Rice Family Rock Tour

Our trip gained it's nickname from the dominant landscape that we encountered as we traveled through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. We usually take a portion of our vacation in the Rockies of Colorado, so these landscapes were an interesting change. I am not the best photographer, and some of these were taken from a moving vehicle, but maybe these will inspire your next road trip!

Stunning views from our hotel in Trinidad, CO. We have made a point to stop in this town for several years - we love the architecture in the downtown area.

Along Highway 12, west of Trinidad. For some reason when I see these rocks, I always think of the Rink-Rinker-Finks in the Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think. And do you see the face?

A gorgeous valley view.

Twins :)

Hard to capture in a picture, but this area really felt like a moonscape. I was sure glad to see other cars on the road, because there was nothing else there!

Almost at Monument Valley.

Chevron rock colorations :)

And the classic Monument Valley picture. We stayed the next few days in Flagstaff, AZ, which gave us easy access to our goal - the Grand Canyon...

Pictures can not adequately capture the enormity of this place - it literally took my breath away! Lots of places you cannot see the bottom from the trails along the edge, and it just goes on for as far as you can see.

The next day we took a little trip to Sedona, AZ...

The best views are from the airport - this is a panoramic shot from there (I wish I would have remembered this feature on my camera when we were at the Grand Canyon!).

Then we took a side trip down the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque, NM to Santa Fe, NM. I highly recommend this route over taking the interstate highway! And if you are looking for turquoise jewelry, you must stop at the Gypsy Gem in Madrid. She mines some of the turquoise herself, and teaches the skills to kids who live in the area; she knows her stuff! I found some great pieces there. Another must-see (which I did not get a picture of) is Weasel & Fitz: Purveyors of Curious Thangs. Our youngest is very proud of the recycled inner tube wallet that he found there, and I almost came home with a license plate lampshade - very cool stuff!

And then we got to Santa Fe. LOVE this city! The architecture, the atmosphere, the history, all definitely worth the trip. We will be back!

This is a view from a drive up to a ski area. I love the layers of mountains you can see from up there!

These buddies came along for the ride...

And this guy, too - trip-planner and driver extraordinaire :)

Proof that I was there...

And, of course, the boys. They are pretty good travelers (3000 miles and no DVDs needed!), but this was a pretty sweet sight at the end of the day :)

It was a pretty amazing trip - 3000 miles and 5 states in 11 days. And I love that the boys are old enough to enjoy and remember these adventures. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a circus, especially because we bring the dogs, but it is so worth it :)

And the icing on the cake, for me in particular, was our little stop in Abilene on the way home. Camille and I met online awhile back, and quickly discovered we had a lot in common (including both having professor husbands!). She and her family graciously made time for us to come by for a visit in-real-life. Such a sweet time; she is as gracious and welcoming as you would imagine from her blog. If you happen to need a place to stay in Abilene, you must see if their little B&B is available. And if you need a little (or a lot!) of decorating advice, she is your girl - truly lovely style executed in a very down-to-earth, liveable way. Thank-you, Camille!

So, now we are home and I am getting back to slipcovers and getting all my boys ready to go back to school. And dreaming of our next little family adventure...

Sherri

Friday Five

May 23, 2014 Sherri Rice

Happy Friday! It's been awhile since I have added anything here. Not for lack of work, but just not much to show, since I need to spend my time sewing (and looking after my family!). But, today I thought a Friday Five would be fun, so here we go... :)

1. Going to the dogs... I was going to give this it's own post, but there's not much to tell, except that dogs can have their own slipcovers, too! My client had a couple of large crates that she wanted to have blend into the decor a little more. So we had just enough fabric left over from this job to do this...

Top-stitched to match the couch :)

2. And what would a slipcover for dogs be without a quick peak at the buddies that live at our house...

This one is beagle through and through, but with very intense eyes, so she always looks quite serious.

And this one is our senior dog - going on 14! We have had her since she was 13 months, and she is the Professor's first dog :)

3. A conversation about dogs and slipcovers inevitably leads to laundry (at least in my house!), so I am SO EXCITED to report that these beauties (here and here - and this is not a sponsored post - Lowes has no idea who I am ) will be arriving at out house in 4 days! My mother will attest to the fact that our dryer has been in need of replacement for several years (yes, years!), so we will now have a pair that will work reliably and will have a larger capacity to handle all your fabric washing needs :) And did I mention we have the SMALLEST laundry room ever? First world problem, I know, but it is in the process of a little make-over, which I will show you, if we ever get it done ;)

4. In other exciting news, our oldest has been taking pictures with an old phone that he likes to play with. And I love what he is capturing! Here are some samples...

(Good thing I cleaned the bathroom!) These are unedited by me, except to add the watermarks. I can't wait to see what else he does!

5. And speaking of our oldest, we are embarking on a new therapy adventure with him, starting later this summer. We are very excited about the possibilities for him, but it has meant much communication between us and the therapist, and with the school, to set things up for the fall - part of why I have been a little absent from this place :)

So, Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone - may it be a great time of remembrance and fun :)

Sherri

P.S. I have some great projects coming up - chenille and tassels, grainsack, and linen (not all the same project ;P )

Friday Five

May 31, 2013 Sherri Rice

Hello there! How has your week been? I don't know where mine went; well, I guess I do - we have all been under the weather and it finally caught up with me. Yay that it's not strep throat, boo that I have a sinus infection, yay that it was caught early. So, onto the five...

1. I have been working on an amazing slipcover project. It's for a pair of wing chairs and I can't wait to share it with you :)

2. I have also been working on redesigning my website at augustblues.com - now I'm just waiting for it to be launched on the web. I'll keep you posted on Facebook in the meantime!

3. In other slipcover news, I entered this contest, just for fun. There are some REALLY talented seamstresses around, so it's very inspiring to see all the entries. These are last year's winners - amazing! Wish me luck!

4. Oh yeah, our boys have one more week of school and somehow our youngest is already looking like a first-grader - how does that happen? I think our oldest is just ready to be done school - praying he can last 4 more days!

5. Ok, I'm having trouble coming up with 5 things (I guess it's been that kind of week), so I thought maybe you would enjoy a picture of our dogs...

Yep, kind of how I feel today ;) Tempting though it is, I will carry on with my day - going to mail my contest entry, do a bit of sewing, and then attend a couple of year-end parties at school :)

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

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