Our next door neighbours must've been doing a clean out, because a couple of days ago there was a pile of stuff sitting out back.
There are some advantages to walking the dog early in the morning, I had first crack at the pile.
Score! There were two of these little bistro chairs, which I nabbed. When I first saw them, I thought they were made of cane, but they turned out to be Ikea's finest plastic. Whatever - I thought they'd work anyway.
So I spray painted them turquoise. What a surprise, eh?
Then I bought some fabric to make a couple of cushions. Yes, you read that right. I was going to attempt to sew cushions. With piping!
How hard could that be?
A very helpful tutorial on You Tube suggested using a zipper foot. Unfortunately, it assumed that I would know what that is. I've been sewing off & on for 45 years, and in that time, I have sewn exactly one zipper, and that was way back in high school home-ec class. I had that zipper in & out so many times that I completely shredded the beautiful wool fabric that was going to be a skirt. I've avoided them ever since.
So, what the Hell does a zipper foot look like, anyway? I studied my choices...
...and decided on this one.
Sue, you're rolling your eyes, aren't you?
Luckily, I couldn't figure out how to attach it, so I had to google the manual for my 25 year old machine. (Surprise! It was actually available!)
And another surprise, turns out the doohickey that I had chosen is a darning foot. A what? Is that a thing? Who knew?!
So anyway, I finally got the right thingamajig attached, and after a minor panic attack, I proceeded.
And you won't believe this, but I whipped up two cushions without once using my seam ripper! Hello, Ripley's?
I was feeling a little cocky, so I decided to add buttons. Another first. I've never made covered buttons before.
Ta daaa!
The plan is to take them to Mexico. We only have 4 dining chairs there, but they're big, with arms, so there isn't much room for additional seating. These skinny little chairs will be just perfect for when we have more than 2 guests.
See why they had to be turquoise?
I'm going to print a picture and pop it into Brenda's mailbox with a thank you note. I think she'll be pleased that her chairs are going to have a new life.
I know I am.
