sunday sewing.

As a little girl, and even as a woman, the image of my mother at her sewing machine is tattooed to my memory.  The little TV is on for white noise, the clatter of sewing scissors being picked up and then set down again, the hum of the machine itself like a rapid throaty clap - and her face - focussed on the task at hand, corners of her mouth slightly turned down.

On this particular rainy Sunday, I found myself spread out in the living room, the TV on, and the sewing machine fired up (dragged out from the back room because there's no TV in there).  When Big Red came home from lunch with his mother, he grabbed his laptop off the dining room table and as he left the room asked: Is everything okay? Are you mad or are you concentrating.  It was the face. Her face in mine. No, I'm not mad. I'm just thinking about what I need to do next and making sure I pin these two pieces together.

The task at hand: a slipcover for a boring desk.  Said desk is part of the office makeover. Since Big Red has the garage, I've decided to commandeer the office as mine own...or in the words of Miz Woolf, I'm making A Room of One's Own. I chose three pleasantly delightful fabrics and few yards of white ruffle:

The orange, pink, green paisley was used for the top, the mini green flower print was used for the sides, and the pink bandanna-like print was used for the sides.  I edged the front opening with the white ruffle. I started the project at 2 pm, and was done by 5 pm.  This even included sewing on one panel backwards. The finished product turned out really well.  I don't think it's perfect, but for my first go around with this type of project, I'm happy with the results:

In the picture just above, imagine a glass top that will over the table.  The glass top from IKEA fits perfectly because the desk is from the store as well and will provide both a smooth working surface and protection for the fabric. I imagine putting pictures and other odds and ends under the glass for a personalized effect.

I even opened up the ancient owners manual to the sewing machine and looked up a zig-zag seam for the hems:

I don't see clothing in my near future, but I'm enjoying the crafty side of myself and using the sewing machine. Stay tuned for more on the office turned craft/writing room makeover...