Home Dec Sewing, part 1

So, I have this friend.  Rebecca.  She and her husband are working on renovating/decorating their older victorian-ish (I think) house - and let me tell you, she has the BEST style.  Her house is gorgeous!   I was half-flattered, half-terrified when she called me one day and asked me to sew some home dec stuff for her.  Sewing things for myself?  No problem.  I can hide the mistakes, or just not look at them.  But sewing for someone else?  Different story!  The pressure's on!  Even though the pressure is totally self-imposed, it's there.  But I said yes, because I couldn't NOT do this!

I mean, just feast your eyes on her fabric choices:

That's Waverly "Fun Floret" on the left, and Waverly "Pom Pom Play" on the right.  Dee-lish!  Can fabric be dee-lish?  Yep.

She wanted me to make some zippered bench cushions and chair pads for their kitchen nook.  I have done cushions before, and it's always a little unpredictable how they'll turn out.  But I used this tutorial this time, and it helped so much.  Also, I got smart with these, and wrapped the high density foam in muslin before I stuffed them into their covers.  It made it so much easier to get them in there!  Muslin & hot glue.  ;) 

For the chair cushions, I just winged it.  I was able to knock them out in about an hour or so...super easy!  Just pillowcases with piping, more or less.  No zippers necessary!  Those ties are actually grosgrain ribbon, and they keep the cushion covers closed, as well as tie to the chairs.  Double duty! 

Ta-da!  (And isn't this table just begging for a pot of orange mums?)

LOVE that fabric!

Paint first, ask husband later.  That's Rebecca's motto.  She painted this kitchen set.  Isn't it great?  Thankfully, her DH loves it.  :) 

The piping is just my ol' favorite "clothesline and symphony broadcloth" combo.  Cheap & easy.  Like me!  Just kidding.  I'm not cheap.  Did you miss my piping tutorial?  Here it is!  Oddly enough, I also made orange piping in the tutorial.  But it wasn't for this project.  What's up with that?  Why all the orange piping? 

But Rachel!  You say.  What about that gorgeous orange fabric?  Well, just you wait.  That' wasn't quite ready to be photographed, but soon!