Homemade trundle bed attempt (winter 2013)

"Finished" product - unfortunately not successful

My son's bed had just enough space underneath it for a spare mattress. But pulling it out without some sort of handle was impossible. I could barely pinch the corner or yank by the fitted sheet, if there was one, and I bend back a few fingernails that way. An idea rattled around in my head for a while and finally I went out and bought a piece of plywood that would serve as a platform. Then I found some wheels online that were small enough to allow the whole thing to clear the underside of the bed. I had considered some sort of runners instead of wheels (maybe a few 1x4 strips) but wasn't sure how to get the edges smooth enough to glide in and out.

Pilot holes for the wheels

Unfortunately I had to trim the plywood down to size. For some reason when I bought it, I was sure it would fit under the bed as-is but no, it was too long by an inch or so. When I discovered that I was so deflated, I left the wood propped against the wall... where it stayed for a good month. Then one day, I had a free hour or two after work and decided to search for a power saw. Thank goodness for sales reps - the man at Lowe's gave me the pros and cons of jigsaws, circular saws and miter saws. The miter saw was tempting but could not make long cuts, plus it was bulky and expensive... if I need to cut trim I'll use my handsaw and miter box. The circular saw brought out a primal fear of tools that can easily maim me. I walked out with a jigsaw for about $30.

Actually making the cuts was interesting. It went really fast but WOW it's tough to keep a jigsaw straight. The guy at Lowe's warned me but of course I plowed ahead without buying a guide or anything. It turned out well enough, though.

In progress with a lot o' little wheels!

I figured I needed to attach quite a few wheels to distribute the weight. The finished result was a bit weird. But no one was apt to see the bottom so I crossed my fingers and kept going.

This boat cleat was lying around and I thought it could work as a handle

I thought I would finish the edges off with some trim eventually, and stain this, but I never got that far. This project was a big FAIL.

So... unattractive and impractical!

Where did I go wrong?

1. The wheels. They were cheap to buy but still not worth the cost because they started shedding ball bearings the first time they rolled. That's probably my fault for thinking they could work on carpet, under a heavy weight. 
2. The cleat. For one thing, the edge of plywood can't possibly have the "teeth" required to hold screws. For another, that thing is a toe-crusher. It sticks out exactly where your feet are while tucking a kid into bed.
3. It's ugly. I knew it was going to be under a bed and a mattress and not particularly visible, but still... I would rather not add something that's practical but unattractive to my house. I'm not in college anymore (haven't been for many, many years).

Flopping a mattress on top doesn't help

 I won't even bother trying to sum up the cost. It'll just depress me.

Ottoman slipcover (spring 2013)

Slipcover camouflages the war-torn ottoman

This ottoman has been with me for years. It's practical: it has storage and matches a "chair and a half" with a fold-out bed. It's been tough to ditch them for newer furniture because (a) I have kids who are still young and therefore destructive, (b) I hate to get rid of something so functional, and (c) I'm not sure what else would fit in that space.

"Before" shot of the beaten-down ottoman

I figured it might make sense to try to make a slipcover. But I don't have a sewing machine and anyway, I've always messed up the bobbin when I've used one in the past. So I decided to drape the fabric and sew as little as possible. Anything would be better than the existing marker-stained, tattered fabric and plastic wheels. I hit the Calico Corners up the street again, the back discount section of course, and found this neutral remnant. Stripes are the only pattern I've avoided for some reason so I gave them a whirl.

Tucked corners with stitches from the inside

After figuring out which direction the stripes looked best, I tucked in the corners and made a few stitches on each. I am not sure if they will eventually rip through because there is nothing behind the fabric to reinforce them, but it seemed like a pretty decent gamble. If the stitches don't hold, I can redo them. If they tear through the fabric, I could probably tuck a little more and hide the damage.

Midway through attaching the bottom border

The corners had a lot of extra fabric that would have dragged on the floor. So I pulled it taut while trimming along the floor line with a pair of scissors. I tried to make the cuts in a smooth arc. Rather than trying to hem it the normal way, which I was afraid would be crooked or flimsy, I decided to sew a band of webbing around the bottom edge. It seemed like a good way to keep the slipcover in place, as there is some heft to it.

Finished project... the wrinkles eventually sorted themselves out

The most time-consuming - and tedious - part of this project was sewing the bottom edge. It probably took 2 hours; I spent the time on speaker phone, catching up with my Dad. I'm not a phone person so multi-tasking like this is perfect. Music is also a good distraction, and often when I look at a finished project I can flash back to the Pandora station I had on.

Finished project

Was this a success? I'm not sure. It's not awesome but it's not awful either. My daughter likes it, and it didn't cost too much, so I don't cringe when I look at it.

Time to complete: approx. 3 hours

Cost: approx. $15 for 2 yards of fabric, plus some leftover webbing (can't recall the cost)

Side table rehab with upholstery (spring 2013)

Poor neglected table

My idea was to upholster this table to cover the ruined wood veneer, and to make it more kid-friendly for my 5 year old's bedroom. So one day when my daughter and I were running errands, we stopped into the Calico Corners up the street. They have a discount section in the back that is suitable for my haphazard projects. I asked my daughter to pick out something and she grabbed some purple & gold fabric that was on clearance for $7/yard. There was less than 2 yards left but I figured we could work with that, so I bought it.

We then headed to a local sewing hub, G Street Fabrics, where we got a wad of batting. I also picked up some brass tacks. (I always loved when my Mom, an accomplished upholsterer, finished a piece of furniture with a neat line of brass tacks and hoped I could work them in).

When I got home I cleaned off this poor table. It had been outside for 2 years and kicked around quite a bit before that, following my husband to various apartments and storage centers. Its veneer was shot but it was still solid and an interesting shape. And I can't stand to throw things out. This particular piece was by Lane, the cedar chest folks.

I unrolled some batting and flipped the table over top of it. This gave me an idea where to cut the first piece of batting. I stapled as I went.

Getting started with the batting

I started with the top, thinking that I might run out of fabric so why waste the effort on the other areas. Then partway through, I figured why not do it all at once? I hate repetitive tasks, and if I ran out of fabric I could always get another piece with a color and pattern that worked with it - or just rip off the batting and stain the rest. The top was my primary concern, as it was going to be the most-seen part of this table.

Top and bottom batting stapled on

The legs were an issue. I wasn't sure what to do about them. I covered them at first, and thought it might work. With fabric, however, they looked like unflattering 80s legwarmers (anyone who remembers that weird turn Woody Woodpecker took during their childhood can get the right visual). So I tore off the batting and fabric and left the legs bare. I need to oil them up and stain them.

Covering the legs turned out to be a bad idea... too puffy & unflattering

Using a staple gun, this whole process went quickly. I figured there was no great need for precision with batting. The fabric was another story: I had so little to work with, I had to maximize it. Of course, I'm not a very precise person so I still winged it! Just more slowly.

On the bottom surface, I reversed the fabric. It was really nice from both sides so I thought it might make an interesting contrast. And the lower area was certain to get less light, so more of the gold could help brighten it.

The vision in my head starts to become a reality... quickly, thankfully

Finally I was ready to finish off the edges. I tucked and pulled and then quickly hammered some brass tacks around the edges. It's amazing how often a small touch becomes the part of something that I love the most. My husband hauled this inside and up to my daughter's room before it started raining... just in the nick of time. That night, she must have decided that this could be a "bunk bed" because we found her tucked into the bottom area, with her pillow and blanket, in the morning.

More or less a finished piece!

Time to complete: 3 hours
Supplies: approx. $40 - specifically:
              $14 for fabric
              $5 for brass tacks
              $20 for batting
              $0 pre-existing table, existing staple gun and staples

Kitchen chair reupholstering (autumn 2012)

Before, fabric is dingy and padding is wimpy

After, fresh fabric and a lot more padding

I've been bothered by our dining room chairs for years. At first, it was the sea foam fabric with grape leaves... but I have no experience recovering chairs so we lived with it. But now they are stained, after years with little goopy kids. And my Mom tightened up the joints on a recent visit, so it seemed like a good time to give them a face lift.

Marker, oatmeal, grape juice - you name it - plus there is a very hard edge 

I started by flipping over the chairs. Only 4 screws kept the seats in place; one on each corner. 

Screws were easy to find and remove

All of the seats have a hard piece of wood holding up the cushion, although the old strap supports are still visible underneath some.

Wooden support that someone used to replace the original straps

Next, I stripped all of the existing layers off of the seats. A pair of pliers was all I needed - I tugged onto the old fabric, not caring if it ripped, and the old staples gave way. Note: gloves would have been wise, as I got scratched by staples a few times.

All of the pieces are ready to go: fabric, foam, batting, seat

Next, I cut out 1" thick foam from a roll I bought at a local fabric store (www.gstreetfabrics.com). I used the seat as a guide and hoped the foam would soften the wooden ledge created by the supporting pieces. I traced a seat over and over with a sharpie pen. Then I used a pair of scissors to cut out the shapes.

Seat shape traced onto foam, exactly the size of the seat

Next I laid out the fabric. I had this leftover from last year, when I thought I could use it for curtains. It was way too heavy and ripped the curtain rods brackets out of the wall! I liked the pattern but the neutral colors and thick texture made it sort of blah for any large expanse. Recently, I started looking at chevrons and other geometric patterns for the kitchen chairs... and after burning several hours online, noticed how much color I already have in the kitchen. Anything more would be overkill. Thankfully I remembered this fabric before hunting down anything new. In small doses, within each chair's frame, it is perfect! Just enough pattern.

I added roughly 2" of buffer for the fabric, so I'd have enough to secure around the seat

I was not too careful with the sharpie pen or with my cutting. All edges would be hidden beneath the chair. That was a relief, as this is a tedious project. Not too hard, but lots of repetition. (My hands are sore!)

Batting is a critical step the last chair owners skipped

I then used the fabric pieces as a guide for the batting. I wanted about an inch less than the fabric, so I could staple just the fabric and not a big blob of material. Again, a quick preliminary trace and some quick cutting sufficed.

A seat cushion has many layers... I'm hoping this onion ends up more like a parfait

Next I started stacking the pieces and grabbed my staple gun. I had 3/8" staples, which worked fine. I had to hammer some down but they were long enough to hold the bigger folds of fabric on the seat corners.

Luckily I had experience stretching canvases for painting, when I was a broke art student. The concept is the same: staple the midpoint of one side of the fabric, then the opposite side, pulling so the fabric is reasonably taut. Repeat on the remaining 2 sides. Inspect your work - is anything askew? If so, rip out the staples and try again. If not, continue by adding another staple on opposing sides again. Doing this piecemeal ensures that you do not yank the fabric too far to one side, which could cause buckling or a cockeyed pattern - or worse yet, you might find you did not leave enough fabric to cover the last side.

Stapling alternating sides is key

The hardest part of the stapling was squeezing the staple gun's trigger. I'm not a tiny person and I am strong, but my hands took a beating and are currently throbbing a bit. If you have a helper, you can use both of your hands to squeeze - but the person holding the fabric needs to be very trusting when you come near!

Corners have way too much bulk and need to be trimmed

After the first chair or two, I got a sense for how much fabric I could remove on the corners so they would fold over neatly. Or neatly enough - corners are tough. The fabric needs to be pulled, tucked and stapled simultaneously. Of course, any failed attempts can be easily re-tried.

When all the stapling is done, the underside may not be perfect but it'll be hidden

It was so satisfying to see something that looked like real cushion emerge.

With new foam and batting, this cushion is much more robust than before

Next I put this cushion face down on the dining room table and flipped the chair over on top of it. I wanted to finish one chair completely before moving on to the others.

I suddenly wondered how to screw the cushion back on. Will the screws line up? Do I screw them right through the fabric? Not having a better idea, I tried to line up the cushion to the frame, then started with the first screw. It went right in, through the fabric and grabbed. This was actually the easiest step. Finding a replacement for a missing screw wasn't fun, but I found something workable.

Last step was to scotchgaurd the fabric, a must for people with kids or pets. I hauled all 6 chairs outside and sprayed them down, then left them for awhile.

Now that the chairs are back in I can finally see how they look in action, around the table.

Love the chairs... now I've got to do something about the worn finish on our table

Costs:
$50 for roll of foam
$15 for batting
Fabric might have been $8/yard on sale? (It's been a long time).

Time to complete: approximately 3 hours

Old ragged pavers to checkerboard yard (spring 2012)

After a mowing or two

Something strange went on in our yard during the 30+ years that the previous owners occupied this space. There's plenty of yard but they did some really strange things with bricks, pavers and concrete. Last weekend I decided to tackle one of them, an eyesore along the side of our house near a covered concrete patio. (The patio's no looker but can be concealed with an outdoor carpet during nicer weather).

Uneven, patchy paver area was a complete eyesor

This area is warped looking, with large faux brick squares. One of my biggest aesthetic pet peeves if faux anything. Maybe it's the influence of so many references to 'poseurs' by my high school friends in the late 80s. But I can't look at a chimney swathed in siding (really, why would anyone want a chimney to resemble wood??) or a formica countertop with a marbled design (like ours, unfortunately). Why can't we stand behind the materials we use and make the best of them? That's what I set out to do here.

In progress look at the checkerboard DIY fix for an awful group of pavers

Using a pitchfork, I pried up one paver at a time. That was pretty easy - as you can see there were enough gaps where crab grass and weeds had horned their way in. Once up, I slid the paver onto an abutting section of the lawn. I traced the outline of the square with my pitchfork, moved the paver to the side, and used a shovel to pry up that section of the turf. Then I slid the sod chunk over into the space left behind by the paver.

Gap left by a pried-up paver, before it was filled with grass

I learned during this process is that the grass roots probably don't need more clearance than what was left by the paver. At first I carved out a deeper hole, assuming the clods of mud on the grass roots would create a bump that might trip people. But when I tamped down the grass with my foot (my daughter also helped jump on them), they sunk too far down. So I ended up filling the gaps back in. By the fourth or so try, I just moved the grass over without doing anything special with the hole.

Paver on the left is flipped over to reveal a smooth surface that I prefer to the fake brick imprint

I took a gamble that the grass would last... I don't know much about its root system, what it needs in terms of sun, etc. This is a fairly shady area of the house, with only morning sun. But a week later and so far so good... it's still very green and healthy looking.

The pavers as they start to creep over into the yard...

Once I got going, each paver took about 10 minutes to replace - quite doable for the number that I was dealing with. It's not a professional job (level, sand under each paver, etc.) but it looks pretty good. I didn't really  know if it would look ridiculous but for the cost - an afternoon of my time - it was definitely worth the gamble. This section of our yard was such a shambles, there was very little risk that a mess-up would make it look worse. I'll have to take another shot from a distance this weekend.

Cost: $0
Time to complete: 2 hours for approx. 10 pavers, including some ramp-up time

Medicine cabinet decoupage (spring 2012)

Late-night transformation of a stock medicine cabinet into something more personal

For some reason, near midnight on a Thursday I thought it would be a good idea to try out an idea that had been rattling around my head for awhile. When the mood strikes, I guess... What I wanted to do was take a stock white medicine cabinet and paper the interior with something colorful and patterned.

In its original state

I wasn't sure if I should try wallpaper; I did not need a lot of material, and I don't know of any local shop where I could see the patterns in person. I saw mention of scrap booking paper for decoupage cut-outs. So when I had a free moment I ducked into a Michaels store. Turns out the scrap booking craze has left some detritus in its wake, in the form of a clearance section with heavy, almost card stock patterned paper. I found a few books of about 20 sheets for less than $3 each and figured that was an investment I could safely make - even if I completely screwed up this project.

Supplies (plus Mod Podge)

When I was a kid, my Mom always had a pot of Mod Podge nearby, which we used all the time. I was glad to see they still make it (and have not changed the label in 30 years, so it was easy to spot). This would serve as adhesive and water-proofing, so the paper would not absorb steam from the shower and buckle. Of course, this is a permanent solution - if I wallpapered, I believe the paste is more forgiving. But I figured that this could always be covered over again.

In progress (a single piece would not fit the entire back so I opted for a collage)

I started by choosing a few sheets that had the watery colors already in the bathroom. Then I cut up the sheets into more manageable chunks. Intact, they were not wide or long enough to span the back of the medicine cabinet, and I did not want a noticeable seam. I figured, why not go for a collage, as the patterned pieces I chose were already busy. By layering them willy-nilly, there would be little expectation that things would line up perfectly.

Finished product

It was fun to slop on the mod podge and stick the triangles of paper on the background. It went up fast - immediate gratification. I'm not sure it is as attractive as I'd hoped, but I like it much better than the blank white background.

Now the odds and ends that collect in here sort of merge with the background...

Cost: <$5
Time to complete: a few hours

Sea glass mosaic window frame (spring 2012)

Before

After

I had what I thought was a great idea: cover the wooden window frame in our shower with a mosaic of sea glass. I was always afraid to leave anything there lest I damage the wood, and it looked sort of dingy. And mosaics... how awesome would it be to have a Gaudi-esque area in my home?

So I stopped by our local hardware store, where they know everything - I can go in there with a list of odds & ends I've been needing for months, and within minutes a brusk sales clerk will have zig-zagged me through every aisle, collecting exactly what I hoped for, and I'm done. This time, I was trying to find some sort of adhesive for the glass, figuring that would suffice and then I could grout around it. I had seen some tiling videos and there seemed to be more supplies required than I wanted to hassle with (a notched trowel etc.). Turns out I can use an all-in-one product and use the tool I spread spackle with to smear this stuff on.

Next I found a stash of sea glass I had gathered last summer in Maine with my daughter and friend. I sifted out some flat pieces and got started. In retrospect: I should have laid out a pattern. Did I really think I could fit a puzzle of random colors and sizes together and actually stumble upon an interesting design? Ridiculous. In my attempt to to fit each puzzle piece of glass, rushing so the grout wouldn't dry up before I was done with a section, I made something really ho-hum.

When I was done with the ledge, I thought climbing up the sides of the frame might improve the design. Alas, it still did not look very good. When my husband came home he said it looked "dangerous", although each piece of glass is worn smooth. From a distance, it looked jagged. Also, it looks a little too similar to the shower floor, which is a pattern of muted stones. Similar, but not unified... maybe even a bit 'matchy-matchy'.

Shower floor has similar pattern, which is a problem

I was not sure what to do next. I didn't want to tear it down - there would be repair to the sill, I was sure, plus what a waste of glass! It really is beautiful stuff. So I charged ahead with another layer of grout. What a mess - I really should have stopped to read instructions. With all of the slight curves of the glass, this was not a smooth surface, so grout caught in so many nooks and crannies the glass was barely visible anymore. I tried scraping away some, and the grout looked pitted. What a mess. I found some rags and used them to smear away the excess, to again expose the glass. That worked decently but I ended up smoothing out the surface with my fingers.

In-process mess of grout

After wiping excess and smoothing grout

In the end, this was not a successful project. I put this off for months because tile work seemed daunting, but I fully expected to get swept up in the process. That did not happen. And you can tell; the end result is uninspired. There is nothing of the Gaudi or other organic, beautiful mosaics in this.

Ah well, perhaps this project will serve as a cautionary tale... I don't think it should have been difficult, but my impatience did me a disservice in this case.

Cost: <$10 for a bucket of grout and a cheap spreading tool
Time to complete: several hours over two nights