A Final Fling on Some Small Projects

 

 

Since finding out that I'll be returning to work at the beginning of July, I've found the sudden motivation to get on and finish a few more of the jobs I have on my list of things to do during Lockdown.

 

Immediately after receiving the news on Friday afternoon, I decided to get on and oil the chair that I had sanded and re-upholstered.  I wasn't 100% happy with the finish from the oil, as it came up darker/orangier than I'd like, but to be honest, it will just have to do.  OH gave it one last rub over after the oil was applied, using wire wool and this improved the finish to the point that we're happy enough with it.  He has today put the chair back together and I have now completed the final task of attaching fabric to the bottom of the re-upholstered seat. Here are a couple of pictures of the finished results:

 

 

 

 

I have one final small job to do, which is to securely staple the corners of the base fabric at the front of the chair.  The staples I have are not deep enough to go through the various layers of fabric, so I've had to order some more on eBay, but for all intents and purposes this project is now complete and OH is back sitting in it.

 

On Sunday, I decided to complete a final couple of sewing projects that I'd added to my list as Lockdown extended. The first was to make a new table runner to go on the blanket box in the living room. I had a fabric in mind from my stash, a Laura Ashley fabric from the year 2000, that I've not used before. It's very pretty and will be perfect for the room. It didn't take me long to make. It  just needs a quick iron and it's ready to go. Here's a picture of it in situ on the blanket box:

 

 

 

It completely covers the lid of the box, which is good, as it will prevent it getting dusty. (One less surface to dust is ideal as far as I'm concerned).

 

The next small project I decided to tackle was to make an anti-slip pad for my sewing machine foot pedal. I've been doing a lot of sewing during Lockdown and on many occasions the foot pedal has moved and then got jammed underneath a low level shelf on my sewing table, which means the machine continues to sew of it's own accord and sometimes causes problems with projects that I work on, as well as causing me a lot of frustration.

 

I saw the idea on a Pinterest post and thought that's exactly what I need. Whilst doing the food shopping at Tesco on Monday, I noticed some anti-slip matting on sale for £1. It was designed to go in drawers or under chopping boards, but fit the bill perfectly for this project, so I bought a roll.

 

As per the pin, I sewed some fabric from my scraps around the edges of the anti-slip matting, in a similar way to applying bias binding, after cutting it to an appropriate size for the pedal. Once again, it didn't take long to  make and I now have a great solution to stop the foot pedal slipping. I tested it and the matting definitely stops the foot pedal from going anywhere. It will make sewing so much easier.  Here's a picture of the finished mat:

 

 

 

These small projects are often the most satisfying to complete.  They cost next to nothing, use up fabric in your stash, refresh your home or provide the solution to a problem and take next to no time to complete.  I haven't actually got any more projects planned for now, but I did order some iron on interfacing for dressmaking the other day, for when I finally get the opportunity to move on to making some clothes again.  I'll keep you posted should I eventually make anything.

 

At least now when I do go back to work, I'll be heading back safe in the knowledge that all these small jobs have been taken care of and are no longer waiting for me when I get home.