Antique Sofa Grief & A Touch Of Spring
30March 21, 2016 by Terry
Remember this sofa?
I worked like a little maniac on it for two straight days! I deconstructed it, painted it, sanded it and waxed it.
Putting it back together was pretty easy and hassle free…
UNTIL it was time to sew the cushion covers that is!!! I thought I’d add detail to the sofa by sewing pleated cushion covers for the seat. It would have been very pretty had I not sewn it a smidge crooked and a hare too small! Arrrrrr!
Then I decided that maybe the cushion looked a little too flat and that I should try one that was thicker and with tufting on it …. still not right!
After hours of sewing and not getting it right, I decided it was time to walk away!
That was over a week ago!
I have yet to go back to it as I still need to purchase new foam for the seat but I will share with you what I have accomplished so far.
You will see that I am temporarily using the two different styles of cushions until I get the new foam.
I really like the pleated cushion but it takes so long to make the pleats. I pleated a seat cushion on a barrel back chair as well as made a slipcover with pleats and it makes for a unique piece. I am also getting waaaay better at piecing the pleats together. I know in the end it will be worth the time and the results will be beautiful.
I’m loving the chippy milk painted frame of this sofa. I finished it with white wax as well. I rarely use the white wax but everytime I do I wonder why I don’t use it more.
So this is as far as I will show you … save something for when the cushions are completed.
My Hyacinths rooted in moist moss are blooming like crazy and smelling beautiful! They have bloomed out even more than when these photos were taken a few short days ago.
These ones are planted in a broken drink dispenser. The spout no longer functions but I couldn’t throw it out as it is quite pretty. It makes the perfect terrarium for my Hyacinths.
These ones have brilliant purple and white flowers on them now.
The sun shining brighter these days and the fresh smell of blooming bulbs inspire and make my heart sing!
This sofa (when completed) will be available to purchase. If anyone is interested you can e-mail me for more info. I will be taking it to the All Things Pretty Market at the end of April as well. I’m so excited to be a part of this talent filled market!
Have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
If you missed Making Broken Beautiful last week you can click here to view all the inspiration!
Sharing this sofa at:
Elizabeth & Co.
The Curators Collection 
Terry, so far, despite all the grief, it looks amazing. The pleated details really give it texture and uniqueness. I have some flowering hyacinths blooming in my home and I agree, the fragrance is just so amazing.
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Thank you Mary! Seeing the hyacinth blooms means there is a light at the end of a long dreary winter! ;) I hope you have a great week!
Smiles!
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Oh my gosh it is beautiful. You did a fabulous job. And you aren’t even done yet?
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Thank you Debra! I am taking a break from sewing the seat covers … small frustrations there for some reason! lol I’m sure it will come along better once I get the proper thickness of foam to work with. Thank you for your compliments! Have a great day!
Smiles!
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I love your drink dispenser turned terrarium! What a great idea!
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Thank you Quandie! I have been hanging onto it for so long, not knowing what to do with it until now. Who knew ;) ! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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That sofa is going to be killer awesome girl ! I love it!
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Thank you so much! I hope someone loves it as much as I do and takes it home from the market … or not… because I love it :) ! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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Hi Terry! I am so glad that you showed this post. I bought a 1800 Italian sofa and chair last fall, I stripped it down to the bare bones because of the smell and then repainted it, then I started to upholster it then found out I needed more $ than I planned and 4 more hands. So this will be my summer project. I have thought about it all winter and how beautiful it will look in my little nest. Thank you for inspiring me to move forward. Have you ever used painter cloths to reupholster with? That’s what I plan on using.
You have done an amazing job on the pleated cushions. Your so brave! Love it! Jo
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Oh Jo! It sounds like your sofa will be absolutely beautiful! It is so hard not to lose heart after the deconstruction phase of upholstering an antique piece! It is such hard work and it is super messy and dirty work that it can easily extinguish the creative fire! I don’t think people realise how much goes into upholstery. I will be here cheering you on to get yours done! I hope that once you do you will share it here … I’m excited for you! Yes I have used drop cloth before and I love it! It is durable and perfect for upholstery. I always wash mine a few times before using it to soften it up. If I didn’t tell that it was drop cloth, no one would be the wiser. Thank you for the visit! I hope you have a great week!
Smiles!
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I love what you’ve done so far. Can’t wait to see it ready. The entire room is beautiful.
Patricia.
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Thank you Patricia! You make me blush! I hope you have a great week!
Smiles!
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Oh Terry! This is going to be the detail that sets this apart! Okay, so I love pleats too, (oh man they are so time consuming) but so gorgeous!!! I cannot wait to see the finished product! Such a brilliant idea!!
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Thank you Cheryl! I am not known for my patience and this is certainly going to be a test of it :) I hope you have a great week!
Smiles!
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Terry, it looks great so far!! Can’t wait to see it all when you’re finished!!
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Thank you so much! I hope you have a great Easter weekend with all your little peeps!
Smiles!
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I Love what you’ve done so far. That sofa is going to be killer. The entire room is beautiful. Such a brilliant idea!!
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Thank you Merryjo! ( I love your name spelling!!! ) I can’t wait until I’m able to call it done! Have a great Easter weekend!
Smiles!
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Wow, what a huge undertaking! It is going to look amazing :)
Patti
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Thank you Patti! I’m falling more in love with it everytime I see it! I hope you have a great Easter weekend with family!
Smiles!
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Looks pretty nice parked in your LR, sure you want to part with it?
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Well…. ;) If it doesn’t sell at the market then I think it’s probably going to be a keeper! Ha! Have a great day!
Smiles!
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-round 2- it zoomed to publish on its own!
I was also going to say how much I really love the pleats! They are very worth the trouble Terry, you go girl-
Catherine
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They really are worth it to have that sort of detail! I hope you have a great weekend! Happy Easter!
Smiles!
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The pleating is GORGEOUS!!! But I would have had to walk away, too. In my mind, any project that I start should be completed and perfect in about an hour ;) I imagine that working on the pleating would take a lot of patience. It is a beautiful piece of furniture.
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Thank you so much Jamie! I’m sort of an instant gratification type too and it’s hard to take my time and ensure a quality job on something like this ;) hence the “walking away” part. lol. I hope you have a great Easter weekend! Thank you for the visit!
Smiles!
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Oh my Terry, the pleating is really pretty on the cushion front, despite it being a heck of a lot of work. I don’t blame you for walking away to clear your head. Looking forward to seeing this when you’re finished. I just might make a trip to Red Deer to check out that sofa in the flesh, finally meet you, and scope out that market.
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Thank you so much Marie! I would be soooooo excited to meet you! I hope you are able to make it!! I hope you had a beautiful weekend with family! Have a great week!
Smiles!
Terry
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You. Are. Amazebombs.
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awe! you are sweet! Thank you!
Smiles!
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