cotton canvas couch covers

Cotton canvas couch covers. I can't say that four times fast. They weren't too hard to make, though, which is nice because I meant to get these done fast, in time for a baby shower I was hosting.

I started with the back cushions. There used to be three long cushions on this sofa, and none were practical for pillow forts or useful as floor cushions. I pulled the fluff out and used some cotton muslin to make four large pillow forms. These are just simple squares, 19 x 19 inches.

When the forms were all stitched up, I used the canvas (painter's tarp) to sew a couple of 20 x 20 squares together on three sides to make pillow covers. I hemmed the fourth side, but left it open. With the open end at the bottom and a snug fit, the open bottoms aren't too noticeable.

The seat cushions needed to be measured and traced. I cut them in two pieces then stitched around the perimeter on three sides with box stitching on the fronts. The fourth side of each was left open for easy washing, and I just tuck them into the edges in place.

It's not perfect, but it's a nice change for spring. The brown was just looking kind of dirty all the time; this helps. The new covers are really easy to remove and wash, and the canvas takes dye well if I decide the color needs to change. Overall, I'd call this one a success!

quick and easy seatbelt covers

The car seat we recently bought the kiddo (to replace the one in my car that tops out at a 40 lb. weight limit) included a couple of really handy little seatbelt covers. These are a definite bonus as his least favorite thing about riding in his car seats has been that the belts tend to cut into his neck when properly tightened.

He's been loving the new luxury seat. On the other hand, he's not been loving riding in my husband's car, whose seat does not have the accompanying seat belt covers. And on weekends and long road trips, that car is typically the one we travel in. It's been a little bit of an issue.

So okay; I decided I can either keep dressing the kiddo in hooded sweatshirts all summer (and pull the extra fabric up against his neck to protect it from the seatbelt) or I could just make a couple of seatbelt covers like the ones in the kiddo's other seat. Which is what I did.

Manufacturers typically recommend not adding accessories to car seats, but I felt this was an okay move for our family. After all, they also recommend against wearing excess clothing in a car seat, and the hooded sweatshirts were far more likely to interfere with car safety than two layers of thin cloth at one point on a seat belt. Also, because our other car seat had them as part of the stock package, I figured it was probably safer than other alternatives. You'll have to decide for yourself!

So, have I justified myself enough yet? :)

Here's what they'll end up looking like.

You can use any fabric for this project. I used pre-washed scraps of a cute gnome print by Michael Miller Fabrics, and some red felt. You'll also need thread and 3/4-inch sew-on hook-and-loop fastener (like velcro).

I also used the seatbelt covers from our other car seat as a pattern, but I took measurements for you: cut two pieces of patterned fabric and two pieces of felt measuring approximately 5.5 x 6.5 inches.

Round the corners, and stitch together one piece of felt and one piece of patterned fabric with right sides together. Leave about a quarter-inch seam allowance, and leave a couple of inches of one side open to turn inside out.

After turning inside out, press and top-stitch (stitch around the perimeter close to the edge) till it looks like this:

Cut four inches of hook-and-loop to fit along the long, straight sides.

Stitch the strips in place(right on the edge!), with the hook piece on one edge of the seat belt cover, and the loop piece on the other as pictured.

Trim loose threads and sharp corners of hook-and-loop. Fold in half. Complete!

Repeat for the second seat belt cover. Install in your car seat!

These take about twenty minutes, but you'll more than make up for any time spent the first time you ride in the car and no one feels like he's getting strangled in the back seat.

If you decide to make a set, I'd love to see how they turn out! Link in the comments below. Happy travels to you!



(p.s. you can make these pictures larger by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that!)


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The Stuff of Success

design work

I threw together this interactive PDF portfolio of some of my graphic design work about a month ago. It includes cover and flier designs from my work at Wipf and Stock Publishers, where I still work part time from home. Enjoy!

Portfolio

almost ready . . .

Thought I'd go ahead and post a couple of early photos of some of the hand-bound books I'll be listing for sale soon, along with a bunch of other goodies!

The publishing company I work for specializes in reprints of out-of-print theological books. To get from original book to new book, a lot of old book bindings are discarded, so I asked for a few to be set aside for me. I'm using them to make these neat, coptic-bound blank books. I'm really happy with how they're turning out!

These red book boards are complemented with the copper-colored book cloth, which nicely matches the twine used for the coptic binding:

This set of old, leather-covered book boards came from a book published in the 1800s. I cleaned them up and added copper-colored book cloth, antique-looking end papers, and more than 100 pages (fronts and backs) of really heavy sketch paper.

I'll make sure to have everything up by the 21st, and I'll keep you posted with a couple more teaser shots in the meantime. I'm also working on completely revamping my website!

p.s. Speaking of books, my friend Skylaar has a beautiful little number here. It pushes the definition of "book" a bit; your life will be richer for seeing it!