There's Something About a White Slipcover...

October 9, 2013 Sherri Rice

White slipcovers. There is just something so clean and refreshing and comfortable about a white slipcover. If you check out my Pinterest boards, you will quickly see that they are a favorite of mine :) We have a couple at our house, and while MANY proclaim the virtues of white slipcovers, they are just aren't a great fit for our household. It just comes down to what works for you :)

So, all that to say, when I get a chance to make a white slipcover for someone else, it's very enjoyable!

This chair and ottoman are well-loved by my client; they just needed a new look. My client requested a simple cover with pleats. So that's what I did...

The fabric is white cotton denim from Hobby Lobby (don't forget to use your 40% off coupon if you go, or watch their sales for 50% off deals!); it had a soft, comfortable feel and was nice to work with (and it was pre-washed, of course).

The cushion got a new layer of Dacron to fluff it up. And because the fabric was white and the fabric underneath was noticeably darker, I made muslin undercovers for both the chair and the ottoman (it helps the white slipcover look more white). You can see the undercover on the ottoman here...

Also, to keep the ottoman slipcover in place, I added a piece underneath that is velcroed to the underside (see the "whiter" piece?)

I love me some pleats :)

So, do you (or would you) have white slipcovers in your house?

Sherri

Friday Five

September 27, 2013 Sherri Rice

Well, hello again! It looks like it has been a couple of weeks (!) since I have posted, so it's time for a Friday Five, or something... I've been keeping busy, so here are a few peeks ;)

1. My new sewing space went from this...

... to this!

Well, that's an "in process" picture, but you can get the idea. And I am loving it - it's bright and clean and easy to work in (and the new color is Benjamin Moore Ivory White). The best part? It was a family affair...

Complete room tour to come (and, yes, the boys will still have a place to play) ...

2. I have been doing a little of this...

...and this...

(comes with rearranging several rooms in the house at the same time)

3. This made it's way into my new office space...

4. I got this project finished and delivered...

(and I'm a little excited because I haven't had my coffee yet, but I was able to figure out how to make this collage!)

5. And last but not least, I got this beauty! If you follow me on Facebook, you will have already seen her (yes, I decided in this house of boys, I need as much girl power as I can get!), but I am still working on finding a name for her - ideas?

My next slipcover project is underway (white with pleats and piping) - I am thankful to be busy :)

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

Upscale Shabby Chic

September 6, 2013 Sherri Rice

Happy Friday! I am settled comfortably on the couch with a wonderful cup of fresh-ground coffee. The sun is shining in and the work can wait, because I finally have a new slipcover project to share with you!

This felt like a large project, mostly because it took a lot of space in my sewing space :) It was hard to get good pictures! In any case, here we go...

My client loved this chair, well, chair-and-a-half - it's large! But it was time to refresh it with a new look. It took some time to settle on the right fabric - she went with a poly/cotton tapestry-style rose-printed fabric (it was almost the weight and texture of a matelasse). "Upscale shabby chic" was the desired effect. So this is how it came out...

When she picked it up, she declared that her English grandmother would have loved it. Mission accomplished? I think so :)

Love the roll arms!

And a back corner zipper closure.

The ottoman has a secret...

I wanted to make sure that the ottoman cover stayed in place through daily use. So, I added these pieces on each of the long sides. They velcro to the underside of the ottoman and secretly hold the cover in place ;)

And, then we had to make sure the fabric would stand up to daily snuggles with the dogs, so we added "toppers" out of cotton duck..

It was difficult to capture the color correctly - it's hard to see, but it actually exactly matches one of the colors in the rose fabric and blends with other colors in the client's room. The ottoman topper just slips over the slipcover. The cushion cover is banded all the way around and has an additional piece that runs underneath the "wings" of the t-cushion. Ribbons hold the cover on (they are tied under the cushion).

And, there you have it... upscale shabby chic!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sherri

A Celebration

September 2, 2013 Sherri Rice

I hope you have had a chance to enjoy this Labor Day weekend! I spent some time "laboring" today, but I am also celebrating - August Blues Slipcover Studio has been in business for 2 years!

One never knows for sure when going into business for yourself how exactly things will go. But I can say, God has been good and I am so happy to be doing what I am doing! In my first blog post (ever!) 8 months ago I wrote about Growth. I can can certainly see that growth has been happening - projects have been coming in more steadily, I am getting referrals, I can upgrade my equipment, I am re-thinking my workspace to make it "work" better, and my waitlist is telling me I am booked through to Christmas!

August Blues - Parson's chair in dropcloth

So, on this day I send out my deep thanks to my amazing customers (especially to Tonya Adam of When Pigs Fly, who took a chance and was my first customer - see her Parson's chairs above), to the Professor for letting me fly with this dream, my boys for putting up with the chaos and "Mom needs some work time," to friends in real life who have provided encouragement, and to friends and followers of this blog and on Facebook who have spread the word. And mostly, I thank God who blessed me with these skills and the opportunity to put them to use - it's truly a gift!

Happy Labor Day!

Sherri

Inspired Dining Room Slipcovers

July 22, 2013 Sherri Rice

This was such a great project! Remember the matelassé wing chairs? Well, these were the first project I did for that same client. She has a lovely dining room across from the living room where the wing chairs live. She was wanting to update the look of the whole room, and had already put fresh paint on the walls. At one of our first meetings, she was adding new color to the back of her china cabinet. Initially, she just wanted seat covers for the chairs, as she had already fashioned simple covers for the backs (including cute stenciled monograms!). We talked some more and emailed ideas back and forth and eventually landed on this inspiration picture...

Dining Chair Inspiration - CountryLiving.com

(Image from Country Living; slipcovers by Gracie's Custom Interiors)

... which made me quite excited as I had seen this picture in a magazine years ago and loved those covers! I never dreamed that I would get to recreate them some day! My client selected an ivory brushed twill for the fabric, understanding of course, that it would not quite perform like the linen in the picture, but would be sturdy and washable.

This project was accomplished in stages. First, I fashioned a sample cover to get the fit, shape, and coverage right (the red toile had to be covered with minimal "peak-through" on the sides of the top panels). Once I had the shape right, I made a pattern and cut all the pieces I needed (did I mention that there were 6 chairs? Hence, the need for a pattern!). I also cut plain muslin for the lining. Then, I made the yards of pleated trim - Quick Pleaters to the rescue again :) I cut and finished the edges of all the ribbons. And then it was assembly time!

And I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

We used ribbon ties so that the front and back panels could be separated if needed.

And here they are in place...

What a pretty room!

Have you every created something based on a picture you have seen somewhere (Pinterest, anyone?)?

Sherri

Vintage to Fabulous

July 13, 2013 Sherri Rice

Greetings, friends! Just a quick post during our vacation to show you one of the last projects I completed. We started with a solid, but decidedly vintage chair. It has sentimental value to my client (who happens to be a good friend!), so she wanted to update it so it could find a home in her everyday living areas.

She chose an organic cotton duck cloth to go with some curtains in her home, and requested a box-pleated skirt and back closure details. We also decided to leave some of the wood details exposed. And here is the after...

More details...

There were some tricky parts, but it all came together nicely in the end. And now she can continue to enjoy her special chair every day.

Do you prefer to update vintage pieces or keep them in their original state?

Sherri

Matelasse Project

June 6, 2013 Sherri Rice

I am so excited to show this project to you! It's definitely one of my favorites :) This was my second project for this client. She has a gorgeous house and was great to work with - she knew what she had in mind, but we were able to collaborate on the details.

In this case, she had a matching pair of Calico Corners English roll arm wing chairs that she was wanting covers for; something a little more neutral. We talked about a variety of fabric options that would cover both the color and the texture of the stripes and settled on matelasse. My client was able to score some gorgeous Company Store bedspreads on Ebay (2 full size and 1 queen size), with the hope that we would only need the 2 full size ones to complete the project. I had white cotton duck cloth to use for the piping and seat decks (and some other special details!).

And here is the final result...

My client requested that the skirt start halfway between the base of the seat and the top of the legs. The front legs protruded out from the front of the chair quite a bit, so we opted for gentle gathers at each corner to accommodate the "bumps."

Knowing that fabric was limited, I made a pattern for the outer wing/side piece so those pieces could "nest" together when I cut them and, therefore, take less fabric. There was JUST enough fabric, so I was able to keep the queen size bedspread intact - yay!

Oops, and there you got a peak at the back ;)

Yep, covered buttons and loops - love that! Once that detail was done, it felt like I was working on a wedding dress :)

I love how the pattern pops from this angle.

And here are the chairs together in the room (sorry for the poor lighting - it was hard to correct!). Ready, just in time for a party she is hosting next week.

And the best compliment? My client is thinking she may need to rearrange the room so that the back of the chairs can be seen more easily :)

It was a fun project. And now our boys are out of school, so I have one more client project to complete and then I will take a little break to have some family summer vacation time. I will post in the meantime as I am able ;)

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

P.S. I've linked up here :)

New Website!

June 1, 2013 Sherri Rice

Hope you are having a good weekend!

I just wanted to pop in to let you know that my new website has just been launched. I am SO EXCITED!!! I apologize if you have been trying to access it during the last few days - we had some technical difficulties (ok, I missed a little step along the way :/ ).

Anyway, please check it out here...

Thanks for joining me on this journey!

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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