Time For A Face Lift

Not our actual chairs, this was a borrowed Internet find.
I have no idea why I didn't think to take "before" photos!

It was time to give these chairs a face lift; actually, it was way past time. These were beautiful chairs, in their day; they are extremely well made, we found out how well when we started disassembling them! We had chosen the fabrics for recovering these a few years ago; (three to be exact, but who's counting? I had posted about this project here) we had the best of intentions going in to the project. So, all this time later (after completing chair number one and growing weary of looking at the "old" chair stuck in a corner piled high with all of the components for its face lift), we got to the task last week of moving on and getting this project pushed over the finish line.

There were SO. Many. Steps. There were, also, thousands of copper staples!

We worked together on this one chair for four days! Finally... they are done. 

They're not perfect, but-- they are done. We are happy and moving on. Never, ever will we ask the question "how hard could upholstery be?"; no, because now we know. Next time we'll hire a pro.

Life is Good!

 

And Suddenly...

...just like that, it's NOVEMBER! Wha-a-a-a-at? I know, right? Today I am busily trying to catch up on my Bible Study blocks, this one (the buggy block, left) is representative of my efforts to get myself back on track. The sewing machine has been gathering dust as the cookie adventure has accelerated. Stay tuned to see what's new in that arena for this week coming up , my plans are exciting!  In the meantime, I'm humming along in the sewing room... making up for lost time. Looking back, I did accomplish a lot this past month, but was woefully negligent about blog posting; sorry about that! A few weeks ago I had several items to machine embroider for the grandchildren only to learn that the security key which allows access to the software program (on my laptop) had become corrupt!?! Thank goodness, my LQS was super helpful in contacting Bernina for me and getting that key replaced, for a moderate fee, without my having to upgrade to the new version which would have been a considerable chunk of change! I'm perfectly happy with the older version (it takes one to know one!), since it was still available, and was able to complete the task to the happy delight of both Nana and the little ones. Whew, crisis averted!

October saw personalized aprons for Lucy Ann's art party...

... four special Halloween pillowcases for four precious grandchildren...

...four pumpkin placemats for our own dining table... (Framed Seasons pattern by QP Quilts & Co)

...Snowbird and I teamed up to quilt this black and white beauty for a friend...

...and last, but certainly not least, the ongoing upholstery project that Mr. Goodneedle and I are working on together. When we started this we asked ourselves "how hard could upholstery be?"; now we know, it's hard. But, we're nothing if we're not determined and tenacious. This project will be  completed!

 On Friday this past week we took the youngest grandchildren and visited a friend whose daughter's horse had welcomed a new little one only six days earlier!

It was a beautiful day to create a totem pole!

And, one last parting picture to bid adieu to October. Lynnleigh (with her minion jack o'lantern) last evening dressed as Milli from Team UmiZoomi. Have you ever seen anything cuter? I know I'm prejudiced, but really... have you? I didn't think so. Now, it's time to finish adjusting the clocks back an hour. Yes, suddenly it's November! Bring it on...

Life is Good!

Life Interrupted

So, a week ago, Mr. Goodneedle and I decided that we'd try our hand at upholstery, we're learning as we go. We have two wing chairs in our bedroom that were begging for facelifts and we'd finally succumbed to their incessant whining. He began the time consuming task of removing staples and slowly peeling the 1980's era crewel-work front and coordinating mauve velveteen back from the framework, salvaging each section to serve as a pattern piece. I disassembled the seat cushion covers; it, too, was a tedious task. This photo represents where we left off, on Wednesday of this past week... right now we're at a standstill. My dear mother-in-law somehow twisted her right knee and succeeded in doing severe damage, rendering her completely non-weight bearing. It took a few days and a few Dr.'s visits for her as well as an ultrasound (to rule out a blood clot) and an ambulance ride to the Emergency Department for an MRI before the final diagnosis was delivered. What began for her as a painful annoyance quickly escalated to a condition where she could not walk. She's now residing in a local hospital, resting the leg, and will soon be turned over to an orthopedist for further treatment/rehab. It's frustrating for her, she has no idea how it happened. When you're frail, and elderly, it doesn't take much to find yourself sidelined indefinitely, and with that comes a moderate level of confusion too. We're doing all that we can to help but it's going to take time, patience and a cooperative spirit on her part before any progress happens as far as getting her back up on her own two feet, and, ultimately, back home if at all possible.

In the meantime we have chosen new fabric for reupholstering the chairs, but that's as far as we've gone. I have a quilt ready to load on Snowbird that will cover our bed; out go the pastels and in come some deeper, richer tones for our all new bedroom decor. As far as the newbie upholsterers go it's going to take time and patience before we see progress in the redecorating department... but it will happen! We know that to be true. Life interrupted for us is easy enough to start back up. Sadly, the truth of a life interrupted for someone who's 92 years of age and fragile of body is a traumatic occurrence; it's likely to be a long time to get back to where she was.

Join me in prayer, if you will, for healing of body and spirit and a return to normal life, 

whatever God wills that to be, for my dear mother-in-law;

 she, and we, would deeply appreciate that today.

Life is Good! 

Facelift!

Gone is yesterday's plaid,

here today is a soft and creamy beige.

All the better to show off the quilts,

no visual competition.

I love it, Hannes approves too.

Life is Good!