A Posh Place : Doing It Myself

Monday, October 29, 2012

Doing It Myself

When it comes to my design projects, I very rarely actually "do" anything myself. Understand, I do design the spaces. I develop the ideas and concepts but as far as the labor, I usually leave that to the professionals. On a couple of occasions, I've been asked to paint or re-upholster. I usually decline as I'm not as skilled as a professional painter or upholsterer but on the rare instance that a close friend or family member asks, I have been known to say, "yes". The most recent instance of this resulted in me hauling out the Bernina and sewing.

Before you get any ideas, I am far from a professional seamstress. Growing up my mom would show me a few things here and there, and in my later years, I've taken a few lessons but that's as far as my ability and knowledge extends. The fact that I even have a sewing machine results from a random stroke of luck when I expressed to a former coworker that I wanted to take lessons and she volunteered to not only give me lessons but also give me her mom's old Bernina Sport 801. Since those lessons, the Bernina has been sitting in my closet inactive until Tuesday of last week.

Tea and the Bernina Sport 801.
Photo my own.

I'm sure you're wondering how 4 years passed between obtaining a machine and actually pulling it out the closet last Tuesday, and if you're not wondering, then just amuse me and continue reading. Back around the first of the year, I designed a small condo project. The client (also my dear friend) bought some fabric for throw pillows and I committed to making the throw pillows myself, saying that I needed to throw my proverbial hat back in the sewing ring. Fast forward 10 months later, the fabric was still sitting at the end of my bed staring at me and daring my unprofessional sewing hand to make throw pillows for the very professional interior I designed. Now do you understand my reluctance? I finally decided to bite the bullet and get on with my impending sewing failure.

Fabric
Photo my own.

Giving you my best "I know what I'm doing" pose.
Photo my own.

My sewing adventure took 2 days (about 4 hours of intermittent work) from start to completion, I've posted pics of the final product below. I've also posted a few pics of me doing other labor intensive stuff, you know, just for your amusement.