Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Super Special, Ultra Exciting Project (mostly) Complete!

Last week I showed you the project I was going to tackle during my trip to visit my family in Utah- my brother's couch.

He got it for $25 second hand while he was a bachelor in North Carolina, then hauled it across the country when he and his girlfriend (now wife) moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.

They both liked the couch fine, but it was clearly in need of an update. Enter- Big Sister Sarah and her bag of tools.

My baby and I travelled from my parents' house on Tuesday and when I arrived that evening I started stripping the couch almost immediately. My brother helped me tear off the trim and most of the fabric that was attached with about 16 trillion staples.

Here's how it looked on the morning of Work Day 1.

And here it is at the end of Day 1.
Do you love that fabric they chose? It's velvety soft and is a beautiful color- sooo nice to work with.

New buttons were covered (in advance) and applied, fabric was wrestled, many MANY knots were tied, folds were made, muscles were strained and my spine screamed by the end.

Like the action shots my brother took?

Day 2 was a little less of a struggle. The inside and outside arms and bottom front all got covered.

Day 3 started with me running around the Salt Lake Valley trying to find a walk-in clinic for my baby (who'd been sick almost our entire trip), then sewing the double cording which would trim out the rest of the couch. Day 3 was when I'd hoped to finish, but that flew right out the window.

Day 3 was also when my two other littles were delivered to me by my wonderful Mom who worked a 5 hour day then drove another 5 hours to bring them up from her house.

Day 4 was spent putting the last pieces on and trying not to cry when things went wrong, while my wonderful brother and his wonderful wife took my two oldest littles for a fun-filled day to keep them out from under my feet.

By the end of Day 4, I had accomplished all that I'd hoped to during my visit.










Obviously, the couch isn't quite done. I brought the seat cushion covers home with me to use as patterns for the new ones, which I'll sew up this week and mail back. Then they'll take the actual "after" shots for me and I'll post them the instant that I get them!

All in all, this project turned out to be exactly what I'd expected it to be- BIG, challenging, fun, scary and rewarding.
I encountered a lot of unexpected problems which I had to find solutions for.
I had to undo a LOT of my work on several occasions to get things just right.
I learned techniques that I'd never used before and now have the confidence to use again, and turned out a finished product that I am happy with.
Hallelujah.

8 comments:

Jake & Lisa Danes said...

Sarah,
It's beautiful! You should be so proud! It looks great even with out the cushions! Can't wait to see the finished product!! Thanks for giving in to your screaming fans and posting!

Lana Lou said...

Sarah, this is amazing! I love seeing your projects.

eve said...

i am completely and totally impressed. that looks incredibly complicated and intimidating. good for you! your brother and sister-in-law are sure lucky.

Kory Jane said...

Wow!! Can I say that again...WOW. It looks so good. I wish you could do my couches for me. Too bad I live so far away.

Bryce 'n Dena said...

That looks great, sis. I just hope you didn't remove any of the comfies.

Keith said...

I have to say, between the history I have with this couch, the flack I've taken for it over the years, and now all of this, it's going to be the one thing I try to save in a fire - hope there isn't too much of a hurry. That thing is heavy! I should have had you refinish the kitchen sink instead.

I can't tell you how thrilled we are, really, it looks great. I don't know how you do this stuff. Rachelle and I are so lucky. Thanks for sharing your time and freakish talents with us. We had a blast.

Eugene West said...

Sarah,
HGTV should do a special on your amazingly talented family. So glsd to see that you are still being creative, you are one of the most talented people that I know. I hope that you and the family are well; The couch looks great.

Best Wishes,
Michael

Palmer family said...

Looks FABULOUS. Great Job Sarah. You are so talented. I love to see all that you can do...I am amazed...really!