Sewing, Quilting, Gardening and Painting Fun

I love early spring. Everything is fresh and new and bright colors are everywhere in the blooms and blossoms. In between the inconsistent weather patterns here, we have had some really nice spring weather days. Everyone around here are out in their yards, getting their gardens started, sprucing up their yards, getting their patio furniture out and prepping the barbecue grills.

Below I have photos of my tulips, echinacea, trip to the dog beach etc. everything I chatted about in this episode.

Comment below with your favorite spring activities, and if you have brought your crafty, projects outdoors with you to enjoy.

Choosing the right upholstery for you

Choosing a sofa or lounge chair that meets all of your comfort, quality and aesthetics can be overwhelming because you don’t want to make a mistake on such a hefty investment. So, where do you start if you are shopping for new upholstery?

1. Determine what you want in a sofa (we will use a sofa as our example): comfort? Support? Tailored? Slouchy? High maintenance or low maintenance?

2. Measure the space where the new sofa will go. If you are replacing an existing sofa, will it be the same size, or longer or shorter? If it is going to be longer and deeper, make sure it will be able to fit through doorways, and tight turns into a room from a narrow hallway.

3. If you want a low maintenance sofa, then down cushions are not going to work. Down sofas require daily maintenance with fluffing the back cushions and seat cushions back into shape after it has been sat or lain on.

4. If you want a low maintenance sofa but still want to feel the soft cushiness of down cushions, you may like a down wrapped foam seat cushion, and soft poly filled back cushions. They will keep their shape easier and still feel plush and comfy.

5. If you prefer a more tailored, firm sitting sofa, choose a narrow sitting depth, like 36” inside depth with a medium or firm seat cushion, and either an attached back sofa (no loose back cushions) or a semi-attached back (stationary back cushions sewn onto the back of the sofa).

6. If you want a deep, sink into it soft and plush sofa, and don’t mind the casual slouch look of a down sofa - that is the one for you.

7. Make sure you choose an appropriate upholstery weight fabric. I talk about this extensively in this episode.

8. The inside seat depth is one of the most important decisions to make due to your personal comfort preferences. 36” seat depth is a standard sitting sofa depth, but not deep enough for a lounging comfy experience. 38” is a nice in between depth that is comfortable without being too deep. 40 - 42” is a deep seat depth and geared for either super tall people or a super lounge-y comfort level.

Overall, the above items can greatly help you find the perfect sofa or chair for you, and even better if you can actually try it out on a floor sample in the store.

Links to things mentioned in the podcast

Brumby Zipper Pouch Pattern by Sew Sweetness: https://sewsweetness.com/products/minikins-season-three-12-pattern-video-

Free pattern - newborn baby flat knit booties https://gina-michele.com/2017/09/flat-knit-booties-free-knitting-pattern.html