Fabric Feedback

What a beautiful day! We both rode our mountain bikes to work and enjoyed turning a normally boring commute into a great workout. It was fun. I love bikes. And I really would like to get a road bike – one that just zips along. All in good time.

Now for the main purpose of my post: I need your feedback!

I’m ready to tear into this low-back arm chair and reupholster it. Any fabric ideas would be much appreciated!

Here is the chair:

 

So far, here are a few ideas for fabric:

1 2

3 4

5 6   

7 8

1. Alexander Henry – Heath

2. Alexander Henry – Sofia

3. Jessica Jones – Boardwalk

4. Mod Green Pod – Bloom persimmon/seed

5. Mod Green Pod – Aspire peppercorn

6. Vicki Payne – For Your Home Geo Aqua

7. Amy Butler – Midwest Modern Optic Blossom

8. Braemore – Stacks Natural

Thoughts? Ideas?

Lime Green and Grey

We went on a hike this weekend in the beautiful Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, MT. It was wonderful to catch the morning sunrise over the mountain tops, breath in the crisp fresh air, and smell the dewy earth. To hear nothing except our own echoing voices. To feel the crunch and squish of snow and mud under our feet. To spend time with my hunny – talking and laughing and dreaming. It was great.

As we hiked, I couldn’t help but notice this natural color combination. I love the stark lime green against the subtle chalky grey with delicate rust accents. 

 

Now I’m seeing this color combo all over the place! Here are a few examples I found recently:

1.

2.

3.

4.

{images sources}: 1 & 2. Here 3. Here 4. Here (Lovely fabric from Mod Green Pod!)

DIY Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Last fall, we refinished our hardwood floors. The whole process took a good long weekend. Many wonder if it is even worth the energy to do-it-yourself. It is definitely a back-breaking job and it makes your house a crazy mess with sawdust EVERYWHERE! But the results are worth it.


Here is a break-down for those who are considering refinishing their own hardwood floors.


Supply List and Cost (for ~600 sq. ft.)

Large floor drum sander Orbital edger sander Sandpaper for each sander (60 grit & 100 grit) (1 day rental)	$95.00
Funnel	$4.00
Watering can (like for plants)	$10.00
Pole sander sandpaper (120 grit)	$6.00
7 gallons Water-Based Semi-Gloss Polyurethane ($44.00/gallon can)	$308.00
2 quarts wood conditioner	$24.00
Lambskin floor applicator	$8.00
Shoe covers	$3.00
Paint/Stain Brush	$10.00
Dust masks	$5.00
Eye goggles, ear plugs	$6.00
Total	$479.00

Process
I’m just going to give a quick run down on the overall process. You’ll find your own rhythm once you get going.


1. Drum sander – 60 grit sandpaper – start at one edge of room and pull sander to the center of the room. Do same on other side of room. Meet in the middle. Make sure sanding start and finish marks blend well in the center of the room.


(I know this seems like a no-brainer, but I just have to say: go with the grain of the wood. Our floors had all sorts of deep marks going against the grain – not good. Also, if your floors are in horrible condition, start with a lower grit sandpaper and work your way up.)


2. Orbital edge sander – 60 grit – go in circular motions around edge of room getting as close as you can to the wall. (Warning: You will become a hunchback at this job!)


3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 again for another pass.


4. Now do 2 more passes with both sanders - this time using 100 grit sandpaper.


5. Vacuum and clean floors with a very damp rag.


6. Apply wood conditioner.


7. Sand with pole sander – 120 grit sandpaper.


8. Repeat step 5 again.


9. Ready for polyurethane application #1. Use watering can to make small puddle along a wall. Drag puddle using the lambskin applicator. Keep a wet edge – just like with watercolor painting. Add more polyurethane as needed, but not so much that you have a huge puddle at the very end. Kinda messy to clean up. If you do have extra at the end, soak it up in the lambskin and squeeze into bucket until excess is gone. Will make lots of bubbles in the bucket which isn’t ideal if you are going to use it. (Also, make sure you can end at a doorway or exit or else you’ll be trapped!)


10. Let dry for at least 2 hours.


11. Do coat #2 (just like the first coat). Let dry at least 2 more hours.


12. Sand with pole sander – 120 grit sandpaper.


13. Repeat step 5 yet again. (You’ll be sick of cleaning your floors by now!)


14. Apply coat #3. This should be the last coat if all went well. Wait about 72 hours before you put furniture down.


All done! Yes!


Here are some pics:


Before: (Notice the staining near the center of the picture and near the entryway.)



 After:
 




In this last photo, it is interesting to see how paint color and lighting can change how the floor appears.
Good luck with your floor refinishing!

Things in a Row

1.2.

3.

4.

[image sources]

1. Apples apples in a row. Crisp goodness. apples

2. Garden on the mind. Why not bring it inside? Fun use for extra tea tins. tea tin garden

3. Light bulb simplicity. bare bulbs

4. Back on the farm. Scrambled sounds nice. fresh eggs

***

Peddlers Station, 645 Custer Ave., Billings, MT 59102

By the way – last Saturday we rode our bikes down to a local antique shop called Peddlers Station (6th & Custer). We had never been there before, but when we walked in they mistook us for a couple that came in a year ago on their bikes and bought a chalkboard. Hmm…who could that have been, our good friends S & L perhaps? Hilarious!

Here is a picture I bought for $5 – and they even delivered it to our house! Awesome little store – must ride your bike there to visit.

Have a wonderful Saturday! Great day for a bike ride!

The Bench

It has been beautiful here lately! Sunshine, squishy mud, crisp air. Love it. It makes me really excited to plant a garden soon. So excited that I bought a shovel the other day just to dig some holes. Yup. That is right. I’m a dork.
Whelp. Lets see here. I have been working/playing a lot in the basement “studio”. A couple weeks ago I refinished this little stool. It is a friend to a sewing table and just needed a new hairdo.
Here is a peek at the torture it went through:
::Before

View Full Album

::In progress

View Full Album

I disassembled the bench and used 220 grit sandpaper to remove all the old varnish. With sanding, I developed more of an appreciation for straight simple designs in furniture. Curvy details are definitely a bugger to sand.



Linseed oil brings life to wood. I applied 2 coats of linseed oil and then 2 coats of wax.  A nice natural finish. Beautiful rich walnut with warm red tones. It is amazing what sometimes lies beneath a stain or varnish.

View Full Album

I find it very interesting how traditional upholstery used animal hair (such as horse hair) for the guts of furniture. Here, it was intact and in good condition, so I kept it as the guts of the seat cushion. Then, I topped it off with synthetic foam for extra cushion and height.


::After
      
I love how the curves reflect light. It gives dimension and class to this good little bench.
I know the fabric isn’t the most trendy – the local fabric options are a bit lacking here for decor weight. But it was cheap. I’m a fan of the frugal factor.
__________________________________________________________
On the fabric note, there are quite a few places online to find killer deals on designer fabric. One great site is www.fabric.com. There, I found fabric for my next project: The Grandma Chair. Here is a sneak peek at the fabric I’ll be using:

P. Kaufmann Indoor/Outdoor Soho Sorbet
Geometric. Fresh. Simple. Makes me thirsty for orange juice…