What Not To Do, To Do

This Momma is tired.

I have put dish soap in the sink and 'filled' it without putting the stopper in. Paid Roberts balance owing for his income tax to my SIN {still trying to fix that one up}. Absentmindedly forgot Moe's water dish on the floor countless times, only to find Finn covered in water from head to toe. Had the genius idea to pick up Moe poops during a wind storm and as the wind blew the pick up bag I grabbed poop after poop in my bare hand {Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, poop on me} And best of all, changed Finns bum and fully redressed before realizing he wasn't wearing a diaper. *I seem to be having a 'poopy' week.

One instance of the water bowl.
{Being photographed because after the 5th wardrobe change I found my sense of humour}

Poor guy is in desperate need of a friend when his role model is the family pet...
{And honestly, Moe is the messiest dog to ever take a drink} 

I cant begin to imagine why these things keep happening...

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have not had a full nights sleep in over a year {almost 10 month old babe + at least 3 months of regular nightly trips to the toilet = that not so glamorous truth}, am scatterbrained to begin with, and have been staying up late scurrying around the house with light pitter patter productive feet.

Please note that I am in no way complaining - just merely sharing my scary mental state. I thought it would be selfish {not sealfish spellcheck!} to keep my embarrassing moments a secret. Why not brighten your day?

So, at the expense of my mental clarity, allow me to introduce one of my late night ventures.

Impressed? *Make sure we are all looking at the same thing here. It is the {somewhat} successful slip covered cushion sitting on the vintage trunk that we are all ogling - NOT the trunk itself. I know I am impressive {not to mention humble} but give me a break - I cant remember to pick up a dog dish these days!

I am proud of myself...that I made it through to the end of this project without throwing it in the trash or lighting a fire in the yard just to burn it! And I am not being extreme in the least. Let me tell you...

I just had it in my mind that the trunk needed to morph from functional storage in a small space to all that AND welcoming bench. I didn't stop to think. {'How does one make a slip cover?' or 'Sewing is not your forte Allison!' would have been appropriate thoughts along the way. But no.} I just hauled my fam to the fabric store and forced common-law to have input when I was going to pick what I liked anyways {recall the sneak peak}. Came home determined to sew a slip cover - zipper and all. A first for both.

'Not the sharpest tool in the shed.' There - I said it for you.

I got set to work... {Warning: Do not use this as reliable instruction. I had to wing it by the end.}

Gathered all necessary supplies.

• Sewing Machine and Gear
• Foam
• Cutting Surface
• Fabric Cutter
• Pins
• Fabric And Zipper
• Measuring Tape
• Right Angle Tool {??}
• Sharp Knife

There is the 'Right Angle Tool' listed above.

Cut the foam to size. *If you cant purchase it pre cut to the size needed.

Then I cut all the fabric pieces I needed all at once {6 in total}. Because I was working with a stripe, I wanted to ensure no slip ups later on with directionality. Keeping in mind that I wanted the slip cover to fit nice and snug I cut a quarter of an inch less than the foam itself {plus the seam allowance}.

I then sewed three of the four 17' pieces together {top, front, and bottom}.

Now for the zipper. After a minor freakout {because I didn't have the first clue about sewing a zipper}, I pulled myself together and turned to google. I found this fantastic blog, Make it & Love it, and a step by step post she had done about installing zippers. Few. My sanity saved.

I followed her direction. Cut the fourth side in half, sewed the two pieces together, then ironed the seam down flat. {Check out the her blog post to get a detailed play by play}

I then taped the zipper face down on the ironed pleat.

 Placing a pin at the bottom of the zipper, I set to work sewing.

After a few tears, sips of coffee, and phone calls to Robert I had success!! Booya!

The zipper piece was then added to the other block to finish it off. 

Enter problem. I have four of the six pieces I had cut sewn together but have no way of adding the end pieces without creating a mother of all messes. Reason? Because when sewing a cushion cover you only need 4 fabric pieces: top, bottom, one middle band, and the zipper piece {For reliable direction I, after the fact, recommend this post from Honey Bear Lane.  

In my state of frenzy, and embarrassment, I stopped photographing until I managed to get one end on and not have it look like a demented monster. 

And Ta - Da! I made it through! Bazinga!

Though my ego has taken a beating I am proud of myself for pulling through and turning out a decent product - on the outside {no one will EVER see the inside of that slip cover. EVER.} I hope we have all learned from my mistake. Slow down. Take the time to actually figure out what the heck you are setting out to do. And in my case, remind myself that, 'Sewing is not your forte Allison!'

Needless to say, I don't foresee another sewing project in my immediate future.

But since we made it this far, lets at least look at the difference it makes.

The before and after are enough to justify the efforts. Do you agree? The cushion says, 'Welcome to our humble abode. Sit, rest, allow me to lighten your load.' Does it not? {And just wait until we get that wall decorated with some pretties. It will be screaming those words!} *Moe insisted on being a part of the shoot! He is frustrated that he isn't getting enough face time.

And finally, a peak inside the infamous trunk! Such a useful space to store seasonal and occasional footwear! I love that they are tucked out of site yet not so far away that it is a major effort to fetch them when needed.

Hoping your mind is in a better place than mine on this Wednesday afternoon and that you at least got a little giggle {or deep belly laugh} at my expense.

Chat soon!