August Blues Slipcover Studio

29 years ❤️ here's to 29 more!

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Last project just picked up, and now my workroom is officially closed for the month of June 🙌

We're updating a number of pieces for this client. In this case, this lovely Cisco chair needed a new slipcover. And my client went with a natural-colored cotton linen blend instead of the original white linen. Even though it's not 100% linen, it has just a bit of a rumpled texture once it's been washed. I left it just a bit oversized to allow the slipcover to go off/on without a zipper. And, of course, the cutest little slits at the bottom corners and simple topstitching finish it off just right 😍

Fresh update for a well-loved swivel rocker 😍

This ivory Crypton chenille fabric is both light and easy to live with /care for, perfect for life with grandchildren and furry friends.

Enough about me - how about a slipcover?

I posted a detail shot awhile back, so here's the whole thing. I love this fabric on this antique chair - it complements it perfectly. So we kept it simple with a short ruffle (didn't want to.hide too many of the pretty chair details), a bit of piping, and covered buttons and loops for closures. It will be the perfect companion for my client's antique secretary 😍
(and swipe all the way through to see a similar one I did for this client a few years ago).

Sneak peek 😍

🙌

My client decided to use leftover slipcover fabric for new pillows covers - it's always fun to play with a Fritz stripe 😍

I went through the August Blues archives to see if I had a good project, and I think this is the one!

A thrifted Lee Industries chair with a great, classic silhouette slipcovered in scraps from other slipcover projects. It currently sits in our bedroom and is the best morning-reading-drinking-coffee chair 💙

How about a ?

Not my usual content 😉 But, our son is starting a car photography business so I wanted to share his work.

He has always liked cars, but having his first car (2003 Subaru WRX - a "bugeye" for those who know) has really amplified his interest. It's been fun to watch him research what equipment/software he needs, experiment to find his style (he designed his logo and business cards from scratch), scout locations, problem solve when a shot doesn't quite work the way he wants, and think through how he wants to run his business. There is always lots more to learn but he is well on his way!

In the spirit of learning and developing his portfolio, he is offering free basic shoots for a limited time. So, if you are in the broader Denton/Argyle area and have a cool car, DM him for info!

Winning the estimation game today 👊

It's National Handmade Day!

It's a day "dedicated to honoring, celebrating, and recognizing the skill and dedication of people who create handmade goods. The day also serves as a reminder of the importance of small businesses and their contributions to the economy."

How can you celebrate? Interact with small handmade businesses online (we can't outwit the algorithms by ourselves!), share about handmade businesses that you love, and, of course, you can choose to purchase handmade items over mass-produced ones.

Let's make it a handmade celebration every day!

The first to share the Good News, a woman.
He is Risen!
Could it be that all things are being made new?
He is risen indeed!

The Mary apron got an update!
This cafe+style apron went from having two pockets to three. And I added some dimension to a couple of the pockets so they can more easily hold more things.
Now available at Mosaic Makers Collective 💙

It's that weekend! 🍀🍀🍀

And I'm having a little sale over at my Goimagine shop - 30% off anything with green in it! 💚
I'll put the link in my profile, and then just search "green" when you get there (there's also a shop opening discount through the end of the month - 15% off $75 or more). So load up your carts!

Braving the selfie on this 😝

And thought I'd take the opportunity to do a ...
1. In case you haven't noticed, sewing is my thing 😊 But I also dabble in other crafty things, including knitting and I recently picked up crocheting.
2. I'm married to a geography professor, which means...
3. We are regular family road trippers - why fly when you can experience all the things between here and there?
4. We also road trip because we travel with our dogs, who also make appearances in these squares.
5. Also in these spaces? Coffee and my forays into baked delights 😋
6. Oh yes, we're Canadian, and as such, we are anxiously awaiting the opening of a Tim Hortons not very far from us 🙌 (coffee and baked delights ☕🍩)

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy Leap Day!

Seemed like a good day to take an actual leap...
I have opened an August Blues shop at Goimagine!

What is Goimagine? It's an online handmade marketplace, unique in that it only allows actual made-in-the-US handmade items and Goimagine donates ALL its profits to kids charities around the country. So when you shop August Blues on Goimagine, you can do double the good since I will still be donating a portion of my own sales to charities focused on supporting women.

What will you find in my shop? Just pillow covers for now (and I'll be adding more to the initial collection), but I'm hoping to add more items in time. Please be patient as I work out the kinks 😊

How can you help with the launch? Go check it out! Just search for August Blues on Goimagine.com and I'll also have a link at the Pillows For Good tab on my website. More traffic will boost my visibility on Goimagine. And spread the word!

Oh, and there's a shop opening discount for a limited time😉

Happy Leap Day, indeed!

I'm kind of loving how this one is coming together ❤️
It's a long distance project, making new slipcovers for a Quatrine couch, chair, and ottoman, using the original slipcovers as the pattern. And the couch is using one of my favorite fabrics, Fritz by Richloom (this is the Persimmon colorway), a soft but sturdy cotton/linen blend.

Happy Friday!

Another Airstream ready for spring travels 💐

The previous cushion covers were worn and dated. My client picked this great, easy care vinyl that shows off the new custom wood tabletop. Now she's ready for the road!

(It all looks so simple when it's done, but out of these 10 cushions, only two were the same - kept me on my toes!)

Looks like a 🙌🙌🙌

It's been a minute, but this beauty got dropped off at today. I'm loving the freshness of the jade, royal, chartreuse, white combo, especially as our weather has been feeling a bit spring-like. Amaya is certain to brighten any room!

(DM for purchase info if you can't get to Mosaic)

Well, I've been picking away at this project for way longer than I intended (in between work projects - those pics to come).

But, it's finally done - new blinds for my office windows 🙌
If you don't know the story, we got new windows and, in the process, had to remove all our existing window coverings. It was a great opportunity to try some new things. These cordless Roman blinds were based on a tutorial I found on Pinterest - I'd rate it a 3.5 stars out of 5. I've made Roman blinds before and, while I'll definitely use the cordless part again, next time I'll construct them my way.

The blinds are made from Lenda curtain panels from IKEA (I think this is the third use of this particular pair?) and I added the navy grosgrain ribbon. I do love the way they softly filter the light.

We'll see how they function over time!

It's Friday, and it's been an eventful start to the year. One of the events was getting new windows throughout the house. I've never thought that we had a lot of windows, but having to remove window treatments and clear the space in front of 14 windows (and then put everything back) has made me reconsider!
We are so happy with the new views (and the energy savings!), but now I'm reconsidering how to cover some windows. There was no question about putting the ticking curtains back in the family room and I upgraded our blinds to cordless bamboo shades. But my west-facing office windows need a new look. I could make new Roman blinds, or do curtains with blinds (would move the shelves over to allow more room for curtains), or...
What would you do?
(Without solar screens, our window treatments are now very visible from outside 😬)

Good-bye 2023, hello 2024!

Here's to all the things we carry forward with us and all the new things the new year brings 🥂

#2023 #2024

Merry God-With-Us Day 🎄

A few favorite views around the house; it was the year of the velvet ribbon 🎀

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." -- William Morris

Took a bit of a risk and added some peel-and-stick wallpaper in this lovely William Morris print to the back of this bookshelf (wallpaper from Amazon). No regrets. Now it's not only useful, but beautiful 😍

It turned out to be a pretty homey Christmas tree this year 😍 The new lights are working pretty great, then I added years-old berry garland, dried orange slices, found pinecones, and a crocheted bubble garland (pattern from ). Bonus: the dogs don't seem to be tempted to eat the oranges 🙌

A story about a tree...

We purchased this tree several years ago, pre-covid (does anyone else divide time this way?). I really liked it - it was pretty full, had a nice mix of needles, and was a great size for our space. Starting in 2020 (go figure 🙄), sections of lights started to not work. Every year we put it up, fewer lights worked and so we started to add extra strings of lights - ugh. 🎄

I had decided that this was the year for a new tree, but this time it would be unlit, since we were putting up lights anyway. I started looking... And I started to wonder if I could just take the lights off the tree I already loved... Turns out, if you're patient enough, you can! And then you can add super easy lights that have a ring at the top and strings of lights that hang down vertically - just tuck them in all the way down and you're set! 🎄

Decorating will be slow and simple this year. How about you?

It's !

I'm so grateful for all of you who have supported my little business in this year of so many Big Things for our family. While I haven't been as productive as other years, I am loving these new colors/prints of the Olga Apron (a little floral anyone?). And these kitchen towels would make such great gifts - there's a theme for everyone!

Because of juggling the Big Things I haven't prepared a particular sale today, So the best way to shop these new goods is via and they ARE having sales and bonuses - check out their post today for details. And if shopping with them isn't an option, DM me directly and I can accommodate orders that way.

Happy shopping! 🛍️

A story about a chair...

This vintage cane-backed barrel chair caught my eye on FB Marketplace. I thought it might make a nice guest chair by my desk. It had some visible flaws, but was priced appropriately and I had some ideas...

I did a quick porch pickup one evening and brought it home, but didn't actually sit on it for a few days. When I did, it was apparent that there were unseen flaws (see pic). But, I still had a vision, so I gathered some reupholstery tools and some YouTube videos and got to work. New webbing and repurposed foam from another project + new fabric (leftover from a different project), and it now had a perfectly supported and comfortable seat.

Next came the experiment. I didn't want to replace the caning - I wanted to tap into the spirit of and to give this chair new life. So, I found some heavy gold and silver thread and played with it. It's not perfect and it won't last forever, but for all the ways that we strive for perfection, it's a daily reminder that broken things are beautiful, too.

Time for more bags 🛍️

My husband had fairly significant surgery a week ago, so the theme of this week has been recovery (hence the quiet in this space). But, since I last sent bags into you guys have been buying them up almost as fast as I can send them in! So, in between rest and recovery (and chauffeur duties), it's been time for a restock, this time in a holiday theme. I dug through my scraps for velvets and other cozy fabrics, and refashioned some pillows that hadn't found a home into bags. And now this gorgeous collection is heading to Dallas for your shopping pleasure!
Stay tuned for additional holiday lovelies to come...