Monday, May 14, 2012
Reinvention by Maya Made
I preordered this book months ago. I have been following the Maya Made blog for quite some time and when she announced the publishing of her book, I ordered it immediately. When it landed on my doorstep and I was able to flip through it, I fell in love. There are several projects in it that I knew I wanted to make. Not just that, but projects that I needed in my home.
A few years ago, I bought this remnant decorator fabric with the purpose of making floor cushions. I didn’t know what pattern to use but in my head I wanted some of the square cushions with piping. The problem was the stuffing. Foam is expensive and clearly not in the budget right now. But Maya’s book gave an alternative I didn’t think of. *Silly Me!*
Why not make the cushion and use it as storage for blankets, quilts and other unused linens. And that is exactly what I did. I made two of the large Poufs out of the remnant fabric. One is stuffed with quilts. One is stuffed with extra curtains, pillowcases, etc. And now I have perfect little poufs that can be used for seating or casual foot props. Since making them, the coffee table in the den has become a nice little workspace for me.
Next up was the Summer Bolster. I made this out of two pillowcases that I had bought years ago to use in a sewing project that never came to be. Once I opened the pillow cases and sewed them together, I ended up with fabric longer than required, but I decided not to cut all of it off. A longer bolster is that much better in my opinion. I was glad I kept it. I rolled up the guest bed comforter and stuffed it inside. I used ribbon from my stash to tie up the two ends.
I’ll be making another one soon for the master bedroom.
Since I was on a roll, I decided to pull out a few t-shirts that have been sitting in the corner waiting for a new life. I got most of these at Blissdom 2012 and added in a few more that have been in my bottom drawer unworn for years. I cut them apart and pieced them together using another remnant piece from my fabric stash as the backing. I did not add any batting as I wanted this to be a light summer lap throw, just a little something to drape when sitting in the air conditioning. I did not quilt it but I’m thinking about adding that latter when I am brave enough. I have more t-shirt pieces that will become another project soon. I’m just waiting for them to tell me what they want to be. :)
If you are a sewer or ever so crafty inclined, you really should get this book.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Go you and your bad-ass sewing self! I love it!
ReplyDeleteAnd WHAT is it with the price of foam?.. I could stuff cushions with dollar bills and end up ahead!
When I had some furniture re-upholstered a few years ago, I was told the price of foam fluctuates with the price of gas because the foam is a petroleum product. I doubt foam will ever be reasonably priced again.
DeleteApril,
ReplyDeleteYou are seriously my role model! I need that book in my life. I need to get crafty and I was just looking at my Blissdom tees like what will I do with them. I've been wanting to get a sewing machine!
I think everyone should have a machine around. They definitely come in handy. Get a good one and find some sewing classes in your area. You'll be off in no time. Just don't buy too much fabric to start. Stash hoarding is a sickness.
DeleteApril! April! What a thrill to see you diving in... you are most certainly on a roll! Wow! I love everything you've made. It's fantastic to see your interpretations, too. You've inspired me to start a flickr reinventions group. Not sure if you're on flickr, but I'll let you know when I get it going. I believe others need to see the amazing work you're doing.
ReplyDeleteLove,
maya
Thanks! I'm definitely on Flickr. I'll add my pictures when you start the group. Thank you for visiting my blog and thank you for such a great book.
DeleteI love books like this! One of my favorites is Remake, Restyle, Reuse by Sonia Lucano. I'll be adding Reinvention to my list of books to check out.
ReplyDeleteI'll check that book out. Thanks for the suggestion.
Delete