heARTS Creations

Fifty years later, and three fabric changes. This rocking chair was handed down to me years ago and I’ve always loved it and found it fairly comfortable. I’d changed the cushion covering three other times. Not only did I want to change the fabric again, but I wanted to make it more comfortable as the springs could be felt.

First, I with hubby’s help, completely took the cushion apart which was not an easy task as there were a lot of tacks and staples. Fortunately, he’s the tool man and had just the right ones to make the job a little easier.

After much consideration and deliberation, we decided to eliminate the spring base. Part of me hated to take away from the originality of the chair, but ease and practicality won. We had a piece of foam custom cut at a local foam dealer near us. We decided that the cushion needed to be an inch thinner so I marked it all the way around and used my electric knife to slice off an inch – just like cutting layers in a cake!

There was an original partial label on the bottom of the chair. There’s enough still visible that I was able to look up both the manufacturer and retailer. There was some history, and was so interesting. And yes, the label is back on the underside of the chair.

Together hubby and I put the new cover on – I pulled, he stapled. Although the cushion is not as round as it originally was, I like it – and most importantly, it’s comfortable! Bonus: I used a home dec fabric from my stash!

Love my “new” rocking chair!

Start to finish in just a few weeks – must be a record! Our recent snow and ice is partly to credit – not much going outside. The bookcase quilt top is finally done. It was fun and tedious at the same time. There was cutting of lots of different fabrics, different sizes. To personalize the quilt, I included some appliques like a mug with the recipient’s first name initial, and a snow globe with an “engraved nameplate.” I also added a kitty and a vase with flowers. I love how the wood grain fabric brought it all together.

As luck would have it, the backing fabric was already in my stash. Wow – isn’t this just perfect!

A trip to the long arm will take place the end of the week. Hopefully there won’t be any more snow to keep me home! And the pile of fabric used for this quilt? All put away – amazing!

I hope you’re all staying warm and safe and enjoying whatever you’re doing to occupy your time!

About a week before Christmas, I decided I wanted a new Christmas table runner. I have a nice little stash of Christmas fabrics and cut a bunch of half square triangles. I kept both the pattern and the quilting simple and the next day it was on the table! A nice way to end the year of sewing.

As I have done the last few years, I saved my empty thread spools and here they are. I’m actually surprised that there were this many. I’ll be very surprised if there are more than a few this year, as most of my thread spools are mostly full.

With this new year I’ve made a few decisions. I’ve scrapped my Works in Progress spreadsheet. My WiPs have greatly diminished to six. They’re so easy to keep track of now. Plus for the New Year I’ve made a great decision! Many bloggers choose a word for the year. I don’t usually do that, although my goal the past two years was to complete as many projects as possible. This year I am choosing two words:

Relax & Enjoy!

No longer do I want to feel like I have to sew or complete projects. I want to enjoy the process and not be overwhelmed. Just a couple of days into the year and this already feels Oh So Good!

Wishing all of you a relaxing and enjoyable New Year filled with love, happiness and good health!