Project Time!

So what's a girl to do when it's still snowing and blowing on the 26th of March? My usual "March stuff" is to get outside as much as possible on any nice day that comes my way. There's been 2 this year. And, yes, I did go out those days and enjoy it. Otherwise, going out for more than a half hour is pretty pointless. There's snow everywhere and I'm tired of shoveling.

Today I tackled a project that I've mulled over in my mind for a while now. Years back I bought a nice bench to put beside the front door. It has 3 big baskets for shoes, and it's a great place for visitors to sit as soon as they arrive. However, on top of this great bench were 3 white cushions. The only color that the cushions came in - no options. White - the worst color ever for a farmhouse! Especially when this is the bench you sit on as soon as you come in from outside! Needless to say after years of use, they were no longer white. A good washing would brighten them up, but they needed more help.

Enter into the picture my curtains. I bought these awesome red and white gingham curtains from JCPenney several years ago. They were heavy, nice curtains, but the sun completely bleached the ones on the east facing windows in the dining room. The front of the curtains still looked nice, but the back was mostly white. My bigger frustration with the curtains was the fact that they had these straps that were supposed be buttoned up to whatever length you wanted the curtain. I liked it in the catalog, but the longer I lived with them on my windows, the more they drove me crazy. They looked messy - not neat and organized  - of which the later is definitely more my style.

Being that I love the red and white gingham fabric of the curtains, I got the idea to use the curtains to recover the cushions on the bench. I tried to get someone else interested in doing it, but that didn't look to be a promising endeavor, so I measured, I thought, planned it out in my head, and dove in. I took down my curtains and replaced them with some nice, simple lace valances. I laid the other curtains out on the kitchen table and started cutting. I made my first cover yesterday, and decided it needed to be just a smidge bigger. I made the necessary adjustments, and then started on all three cushions today.

This morning as I was cutting up the curtains on the table to recover the cushions, Eliza says to me, "so are you just going to cut those curtains off and make them shorter?" "Well, no, see those other curtains I put up?" "Yeah," Eliza says, "but I just thought that it would work to make those shorter." I looked at them for a minute - they were cut to the point where they were just the right size for valances. Hmmm....maybe she's onto something here. I cut the button straps off to the length of the curtain, sewed them them fast, hemmed the bottom, and ta-da - we had new curtains and new bench cushions!!!

I'm pretty excited about the new look. Also pretty excited about the fact that it wasn't all that hard either and didn't cost a dime! I've decided that sewing that involves basic geometry works well for me. I don't like frilly ruffles and such, but basic things are fun and rewarding. I'm excited to see what my little thinker says when she comes home from school today.


These are the curtains BEFORE my project. If you look carefully below the left window, you can see the bench with white cushions.




The end result!!! Shortened curtains and recovered bench cushions.