BYOV: bring your own vegetables: October 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Some models come to fruition, while some just don't:

[Edit 11/16/2009: The dining area and living area art have changed rather drastically! I foresee it constantly evolving in the future.]

How To Make a Slipcover for Milk Crates

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Photo from Paint In My Hair
How to make a slipcover for milk crates, on Paint in My Hair.

Now if only I had some milk crates.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Yes, that's a beat up chair. I'm thinking of buying it off craigslist and painting the frame and reupholstering it to look a but more modern, and to fit into my bedroom decor. Something like these chairs, but not nearly as wild. I've been itching to tear a chair apart and redo it.

Photo from ApartmentTherapy

It's either that, or a chair inspired by the Aurelie Mathigot. I'm also keeping my eyes out for an upholstered bench less than 20" wide.

Photo from ApartmentTherapy

Want

Monday, October 20, 2008

Photo from Unknown source.
Doily Table Runner (shown above) - I can so do that
~~Koko Company Cable Knit Throw in Golden Yellow (not a color they have)...or a similar knitting pattern~~
~~Vintage Lotus Bowl~~
~~The "Love" statue painted onto my giant 36"X36" canvas~~
~~A new tv~~
~~Gnome and Mushrooms Wall Decals (can probably be made)~~
~~Long-rope white pearl necklace~~
~~An intro-level DSLR Digital Camera~~
My vanity chair painted+reupholstered to match my bedroom
Craft Lavender
Van Gogh's Flowers in a Large Canvas Print

How To: Make a Tufted Upholstered Headboard

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Much of these instructions have been adapted from BeJane and about.com, but I like my instructions better :) I used a simple shape, but if you have proper wood-cutting tools you could make a headboard in nearly any shape you like. There's instructions on the web, elsewhere for making a headboard that attaches to your bedframe. Despite having cement walls, I preferred my headboard to be mounted to the wall. It makes the building process much simpler.

Additional Readings/How-tos

Materials

Plywood cut to shape (MDF is also okay. Lowes cut my plywood to 24"X55" for a full-sized bed. It's best to have this cut 2" wider than your mattress/frame)
2" Foam cut to the size of the plywood (55"X24" which I bought at JoAnn's. Foam is really expensive, so you should wait until you have a coupon. Also, foam is not typically sold at widths more than 24".)
Batting, 10" longer and 10" wider than your foam (for me: 65"X34")
Ironed Muslin Lining Fabric, same size as batting
Ironed Decorative/Front Fabric, same size as batting (I used a spare, gray velvet "modern home velvet window panel" from Target.)
Sandpaper (I used a medium grit)
Drill with 1/2" bit
Staple Gun, staples
Flush Mounts or Other Hardware for Mounting Headboard to the Wall
For Tufting: Covered Buttons Backing Buttons Needle, Thread Needle Nose Pliers

Step 1: Sand Corners and Edges of Plywood

The point of sanding is to prevent the wood from poking through the decorative fabric, plus it makes the board a little easier to handle

Step 2: Determine & Mark How Many Buttons/Tufts and Where

I used pieces of paper to determine how many buttons/tufts I wanted in my headboard. Then I marked where I would have to drill.

Step 3: Drill Pilot Holes and then 1/2" Holes

After marking where you want your buttons, you should drill smaller pilot holes, and then use the 1/2" bit to drill the actual holes.

Step 4: Lay Down Muslin Lining, Center Batting on top of Muslin, and Center Foam on top of Batting

Make sure you have ironed your muslin, as you don't want wrinkles in your headboard. There should be about 5" of batting and muslin on all sides of the foam.

Step 5: Center Plywood on top of Foam

Note that I added duct tape to prevent the plywood from cracking in half, this is not necessary.

Step 6: Staple Muslin and Batting to Long-Sides of Plywood Board

Starting with the center of a long side, fold the muslin and batting over the plywood, and staple gun it into place. Begin with three staples, each 2" apart. Then go to the opposite side, pull the muslin and batting fairly tight over the wood, and then secure the muslin and batting with 3 staples spread 2" apart on that long side. Keep doing this switching and stretching between long-sides, until the muslin and batting are secured, except for 7" or so on the ends.

Step 7: Staple Muslin and Batting to Short-sides of Plywood
Now, pick a short-side, fold the muslin and batting over the plywood, and place three staples, 2" apart in the center of the short-side. You should leave 5" or so unattached on the edges. Switch to the other short-side and pull on the muslin and batting so no wrinkles appear on the "right side" of the headboard. Remember, if you make a mistake you can just pull the staples out and start again.

Step 8: Fold the Edges Like Gift Wrap

Do not pull too tightly when folding the edges, or the plywood may break through the batting and muslin. To fold over the edges, I take the corner and pull it down towards the opposite corner, then I take the left-side (it should be sticking up at this point) and fold it over the corner and then I do the same for the right-side that is sticking up. It does not make much sense in words, but it is like folding the edges of wrapping paper. Or, you can fold the edges in another way, if you prefer.

Step 9: Staple the Edges to the Plywood

Repeat Steps 8 & 9 Until All 4 Edges Are Secure

Step 10: Center Headboard Over Decorative Fabric and Secure with Staple Gun

Basically, repeat what you did for the muslin and batting (Step 4, 6-9), but you do not need to staple as much. Instead of 2" between staples, 4" or 5" is okay.

Step 11: Add Buttons/Tufts

To make these directions simpler, I placed the specific instructions for adding tufts and buttons to the upholstered headboard on another post, here. If you wanted to make the tufts "deeper" you could probably try extra layers of batting. The batting is soft enough that you could pull on it with the thread and buttons to a dramatic extent. (Or you could try the Diamond Tufting Technique like Target's Seville Headboard.

Step 12: Mount Your Headboard to the Wall

If you can't find flush mounts, Lowes (and probably Home Depot) offer a somewhat similar frame-hanging system that costs a little more. I bought two 7" sets which I attached to my headboard with wood screws and to the wall with concrete screws. We'll see how it works.

Done!
Next up: How to Tuft an Upholstered Headboard

How To: Tuft an Upholstered Headboard

This "how to" assumes that you are building your own upholstered headboard (see instructions, here) and that you have already prepared the wood, foam, batting, lining fabric, and showing fabric. It also requires that your piece of plywood already has 1/2" holes drilled into it, where you wish to place the tufts.

Additional Readings/How-tos

Materials

Upholstered headboard with 1/2" drilled holes.
Foam, batting, and fabrics should already be attached to the wood Tapestry needle (a long upholstery needle is even better)
Embroidery thread, scissors
Covered Button (see the how to for fabric covered buttons)
Needle nose pliers
Backing button that is larger than 1/2" drilled hole

Step 1: Thread Needle with Button and Push from Back to Front of Headboard

Thread the needle with the thread, and push it through one of the backing-button holes. Push the needle through a drilled hole. If you cannot push it all the way through the fabric, use the needle nose pliers to help push. Pushing through the fabric can be really challenging.

Step 2: Pull Needle Through Front Fabric

Once the needle pokes through the front fabric, you may need to use the needle nose pliers to pull it the rest of the way out. You should leave a 3 or 4 inch tail of thread on the wrong-side of the headboard. You will need this later to tie off the threads.

Step 3: Thread the Needle Through a Covered Button and Push Back Through Drilled Hole

Thread the covered button onto the needle, and then push the needle back through the front of the fabric. Remember to leave a 4" tail of thread on the wrong side of the headboard.

Step 4: Pull Needle Back Through Drilled Hole

This can take many tries, as pushing a small needle through 3 inches of foam, batting, and fabric is not exact. Try not to put too many holes in your front fabric! Once you get the needle to push through into the drilled hole, you should pull it out, using the needle nose pliers if necessary.

Step 5: Thread the Needle Through the Backing Button and Tie Off

Now that the needle is back through the drilled hole, you should push it through another hole in the backing button and then tie several knots with the two ends, to ensure that the covered button does not come loose. Do not pull the thread too tightly! You want to reduce stress on the embroidery thread, if possible.

Step 6: Cut Threads to 3 or 4" Long and You're Done!

How To: Make Covered Buttons

Friday, October 17, 2008

I was going to make a full post about this, but realized there's a lot of material on the subject of making fabric-covered buttons. Here's two good ones:

Purl Bee: Covered Buttons using a kit (Quick Tip: If you're having difficulty getting the pieces to all stay together, I've used a hammer before. It flattens the top of the button, but at least it works)
Craft Pudding: Covered Buttons without a kit

How To: Make Fabric Flowers

Thursday, October 16, 2008

These instructions are shamelessly adapted from those by Blair of Wise Craft, but the flowers have so much versatility! You could use them to decorate purses, as Blair has, or you can attach them to a wall decal as I have, below. The before & after with these great pops of color is pretty dramatic! (or so I think!). Of course, the DIY Wall Decal , DIY Upoholstered Headboard, hand-painted grey furniture, and DIY desk chandelier certainly play a role in this transformation, as well. Even with an artwork swap, it comes out awesome.

I'm really, really pleased with this update!

If you're interested in making other kinds of fabric flowers, check out my other tutorials below:

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the felt flower tutorial!

Materials

Some felt or fabric or clothing that you wish to cut up
Scissors
Needle, thread
The template from Wise Craft, although I made a bunch freehand in smaller sizes

Step 1: Cut Fabric Using Template

You'll need two larger and two smaller flower pieces.

Step 2: Fold Larger Pieces and Place Next to Each Other

Step 3: Fold Smaller Piece and Place Under & Over Larger Pieces

Step 4: Place Second Smaller Piece Under & Over Larger Pieces

It's easiest to think of this method like how you would close the bottom of a cardboard box. Each piece is under another piece, but over a different piece as well.

Step 5: Sew All Four Pieces Together

This can get tricky. I try to hold the four pieces together the best I can, and then sew them all together as quickly as possible.

Step 6: Finish

Wise Craft shows how to add a button center, attach a pin backing, etc. But for my purposes (as seen in the first photo of this post), my finishing technique is simply to fluff the flower and tape it to the wall using double-sided adhesive.

Embroidery, a First Attempt

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I'm getting prepared for a much larger project that requires some embroidery...or lots of embroidery. This is my first attempt at something far more complicated than what I plan to do, but who doesn't like lavender sachets?

I sort of took the pattern from here, traced over it in Adobe Illustrator, and made my own adjustments. [Edit 2/9/11: I've placed the lavender template I used at the bottom of the post.]

Quick Tip on How To Transfer a Design from Paper to Fabric: Buy a heat transfer pencil (I bought my at Jo Ann's) and trace over your printed/paper design. Use an iron to transfer the paper design to the fabric. It comes out really faint, but that's probably a good thing.

.explore.

When Models Come to Life