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I hope you had a good three-day weekend!  We ended up doing a lot of work in our yard when it wasn’t raining.  It was hard, muddy work, but we got so much accomplished!  We dug up a bunch of plants and bushes to replace with hydrangeas and hostas, we moved and raked out a big pile of gravel, we built up some areas that were eroding, and I transplanted some perennials to new locations.  I even took the time to sketch out a plan and make a list of the plants I need to transplant and purchase, so I won’t be overwhelmed when I go to the garden center.  I took a bunch of pictures of the before and our progress, so I’ll share those in another post.  Today, I’m sharing about decorating mistakes and the newly-toiled daybed.

In decorating, mistakes are sometimes made.  It’s not a mistake in the sense that it’s wrong or bad, but in the sense that it wasn’t the right choice for you.  Such was the case with this yellow fabric I bought almost three years ago for the sewing room.

Not only was it a mistake, but it was about 10 yards of mistake!  I still like the cheery yellow fabric and I tip my hat at myself for trying to step outside of my comfort zone, but this wasn’t a choice that was true to my design aesthetic.  I knew it as I was stapling it onto this antique French daybed.  And, then I did what I do when I know I went in the wrong direction…I neglect the project.  I never made the custom double-welting to cover the staples.  I just let the bed and the whole room sit unfinished for a couple of years.

Last year, I finally took a step in the right direction and ordered a massive amount of inexpensive blue and white toile to starch on the walls, make curtains, and recover the bed.  A couple of weeks ago, I finally hauled the compressor upstairs and reupholstered the bed to get the project rolling.

Since I did fairly neat work with the last upholstery job, I just left it in place.  I typically strip a piece before upholstering it, but that really wasn’t necessary in this case.  I was upholstering flat panels and had already painted the frame and made the necessary repairs.

You can see my post on painting the frame HERE.

As soon as I got the first two panels done, I knew this was the right direction.  Unlike the yellow fabric, I didn’t have to talk myself into liking it.  I just knew it was right…right for this bed, right for the room, right for me.

blue toile daybed miss mustard seed

The fabric is Festin in Bleu by STOF.   I applied it to the bed using 3/8″ staples and my porter cable upholstery staple gun.

I didn’t make a tutorial for it, because it’s basically like covering a big chair-back.  If you reference THIS TUTORIAL, it’ll show how to do that.  I had some navy braided gimp trim in my stash and there was enough to use it to trim out this bed.  I was so excited when I counted out the yardage and saw I had enough.  I love how the dark blue frames out the toile.

I attached the trim as I usually do – with a hot glue gun.  I’ve been using that method for years and it’s worked great.  There is specialty upholstery glue you can use, but I always have glue sticks on hand.  It’s easy and effective.

And it looks so good!!

blue toile daybed miss mustard seed

It has me motivated to get that peachy cream on the walls taken care of!

This room is also a bit of a catch-all, so I need to find homes for all of the things I’m storing in here.

In addition to being the sewing room (I have my machines in here, my fabric stash, and my sewing & upholstery supplies), this is also the “pet room.”  Sebastian likes to sleep on the daybed, so it usually has a blanket over it and his pillow.  (He actually likes to sleep with his head rested on a pillow!)  And we have the litterbox and the cat’s food in here.  We have to keep it up out of Sebastian’s reach or he will eat it!

The litter box is tucked in behind the daybed…

blue toile daybed miss mustard seed

I pulled the mat back for the pictures, but we usually have a litter-catching mat in front.  It’s not anything glamorous, but it’s out of the way and fairly hidden.  The funny thing is that you would think the cats might be spooked when I’m in there running the sewing machine, but I think the rhythmic sound is a cue for them to jump on the desk and eat to disrupt my project or drop a bomb in the litter box.  It happens every time.

blue toile daybed miss mustard seed

We are kicking around the idea of doing some built-ins around the bed, which might enclose the litter box, but we’re still not sure if we’re going to go that route.

Now that things are opening up a bit in Minnesota, we’ll go to Home Depot soon to get the materials to do the picture frame molding, and then I can start starching the fabric to the walls.  I also ordered some dark blue linen to make a bed crown.  The linen will be on the interior and the toile on the exterior.  I think it’ll look striking and make a real focal point of the bed.

As I said earlier this week…  progress is slow and steady!

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    49 Comments

    1. Angela

      I loved the yellow and was sad to see it go but that toile…..is so so pretty and really does look perfect on the bed.

    2. Diane

      That is going to be beautiful. I love blue and white. That dark blue trim is perfect.

    3. Kimberly Carnegie Bruhn

      I love the toile! I wanted to let you know we made a cabinet in our laundry/utility room under the sink and it has access on one end (between the washer and the cabinet) that I cut out a cat head shaped hole for our kitties to use to access the litter box. Two cabinet doors are across the front for easy cleaning. It’s a great way to tuck away the necessities!

      • Patsy King

        I, too, love blue and white toile. I have drapes of it in two bedrooms. One room the toile drape back
        ground is natural linen color.
        Your bed remake is soooo pretty and inspiring. Thx for sharing.

    4. Candis

      Beautiful, I love it!

    5. beverlee lyons

      Now, it’s you. And there is a soft, peaceful feeling when I look at it. I agree about the yellow. I have mad that same mistake, trying to like it….and just didn’t.
      This is perfect!

    6. Cathgrace

      Blue and white are my favorite too, I just can’t quit them. ? we have built a cat tower (that’s disguised as a grandfather clock) and the litter box is in there, and has been really perfect for hiding the cat storage. People genuinely can’t believe it’s not a real grandfather clock, until we point out the cat flap that leads into the underneath cabinet. ?

    7. Cyndi

      Perfection, Marian!

      • Bea

        Just lovely! Wanted to tell you that I have recently painted two old dressers and they sold quickly at the shop where I have three spaces. Now I’m working on a third dresser that was free because the veneer was coming off. I am wondering if you ever redid an old furniture piece that had the veneer removed.

        • Marian Parsons

          Yes, several! I would typically just make sure the veneer was stable (it wasn’t flapping or loose) and I would paint over it. I would distress around the chips to almost highlight them and allow them to be a part of the story of the piece.

    8. Babs

      So happy you went in this direction…although the yellow was quite lovely and cheerful. I am a sucker for toile. Thank you for the contact information on the fabric…never know when you need a good piece of toile fabric.

    9. Maureen B.

      The blue toile is GORGEOUS! It stopped me in my tracks. I’m thinking about slipcovering a loveseat. Do you think the fabric would hold up as a slipcover? I haven’t been able to commit to a fabric choice. This just looks right to me. Thank you!

    10. Betsy

      My goodness that yellow fabric was lovely. Do you remember where you found it?

    11. Deborah L Saaranen

      The yellow was very pretty, but the blue is outstanding…especially for the blue and green lady! Love it!

    12. Dodie

      WOW! Just WOW!

    13. Karen

      My daughter slept in that bed for years. It looks beautiful!

      • Marian Parsons

        Aw, I love that! It’s such a beautiful bed and I’m happy to have it in my house now. 🙂

    14. Vallie

      Looks fantastic. I’ll buy your cherry yellow fabric!

      • Marian Parsons

        I would sell it! Are you local to me? or I’d have to look into shipping.

    15. Kim

      Sebastian is going to love it ??

      • Marian Parsons

        Oh, he just loves toile.

    16. Diane Christy

      HAH! We had a new roof installed last summer and the exterior painted. While I’m usually the queen of color, I was distracted and did not reallllly look at the color our painter showed me for the doors and shutters. Forward six months and I’m still disappointed at the paint color. Since I have a flea market booth and paint furniture all the time, I just bought a gallon of paint and did the job myself! It took 4 hours for four exterior doors and eight large shutters. The other day I actually backed up in the street to admire how it looked.

    17. Sabina Chavarria

      Marian, your daybed is so lovely. Can’t wait to see how your sewing room progresses. Can you please share where you bought your gimp? I can’t find one as nice as yours near me.
      Thank you, Sabina

      • Marian Parsons

        I have no idea where I got it! It has been in my stash for years. I feel like I bought it on the bolt in a clearance section…maybe at Hobby Lobby, a few years ago.

    18. Mary Anne Saunders

      How ironic that the blue toile makes it look “Miss Mustardized” ?. The yellow was beautiful fabric, but I never liked it on that bed. Looks gorgeous now!

    19. Diane Orciuoli

      Marian, I love everything you do, and LOVED the yellow, but as usual, your blue choice is the right one.
      I just sent you an email about purchasing the yellow fabric, I am in California and would be willing to pay for shipping, yellow is my favorite color and I have the perfect project for it.
      If you want to sell it, I sent you an email. I will pay shipping and cost of fabric. I love it.
      Sincerely,
      Diane

      • Marian Parsons

        I sent you an e-mail…

    20. Julie Olmstead

      I liked the yellow, but I love the blue. Blue toile is timeless!!!

    21. Addie

      It is beautiful but ……my vote would be for the yellow!!! It just seemed to make the bed woodwork pop more. Blues and yellows also look great together. BUT…..if it doesn’t feel right to the owner…then that’s the way it is.
      Can’t wait to see the finished room…it will be gorgeous!!! Wish I had a place for that yellow, I would buy it from you!!!

    22. Deborah Raney

      Oh, shoot! I came to comment to see if I could buy the yellow fabric, which I’ve adored since you first posted about it. But I see TWO people beat me to it! Sad as I am to see the yellow go, I love the blue too, especially that pop of navy in the braiding. And it is all so you!

    23. Carol

      This is just gorgeous. I can’t wait to see more projects from this room.

    24. Jody K

      It’s eally coming along! Love it all, especially with that vintage quilt and bolster. Can’t wait to see the material on the walls.

    25. Pam

      It looks wonderful, and I know what you mean about avoiding finishing a project when what you thought would work didnt☹️I’m dealing with my bedroom window treatments. Although I do like the yellow, the blue seems perfect!!

    26. Botanic Bleu

      Marion,
      Yes! The blue toile wins over the yellow for the daybed. Looking forward to seeing the final reveal of the covered wall and bed canopy.

      Judith

    27. LindaRose

      We’re planning our flower garden and a small herb garden. I’m enjoying painting flowers now and want to fill my garden with happy flowers. I love the material on the bed. So cozy.

    28. Kate

      Does the sewing room double as a guest room? Is that why you have the daybed in there? Do you use it or is it there because it’s such a pretty piece of furniture and you can’t part with it?

      I almost didn’t get our cat because of the litter box issue. It’s often so hard to find a suitable place for it. Fortunately, in our new house I can put it in basement, If we leave the door to basement slightly open, the cat can squeeze in there. A litter box is definitely a decorating liability.

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, it doubles as a second guest room, although it has only been used that way once. It really is more my sewing room. It really is an extra room that we don’t need, so I try to make it useful!

    29. Marie

      I have a question about washing fabric before using it for upholstery. Do you wash it if you plan to use it for upholstery and if so, how do you wash a large amount such as 10-15 yards?

      • Marian Parsons

        If I’m using it for upholstery, I do not wash it. A lot of decorator fabric is pretreated and washing it would defeat that purpose. If I’m making a slipcover, I wash it, so it will be washable in the future (and won’t shrink AFTER I make the slipcover.)

    30. Mary S

      Oh, I love the change you made. While the yellow was pretty, I was a little confused why you chose that color. I do that too… sometimes ya just have to try it.. but you made the right decision to change it to the blue. Love that pattern. And absolutely love the gimp you used. Sure wish I could find some like that. That room is going to look fantastic. Have to say I’ve never starched fabric to a wall, so I’ll be watching that carefully. Well done! Again!! 🙂

    31. Kris

      I loved the yellow, but you need to go with your heart. I think yellow sets off blue really well–I know you have promised the material to a reader, but maybe you could trim off a little of it and make a cute pillow? It would be a fun accent piece in the room.

    32. Elena M.

      I was laughing so hard I cried, when I read about the “bomb drop” from the cats. I’ve had a really tough day today, and it’s so true that laughter is good medicine. You are so frightfully honest about everything, you even went there! I have two cats, so I know exactly what those little presents smell like.

    33. Jeannie

      Although I’m not crazy about yellow, that is pretty yellow fabric. Oh, but the blue toile….is beautiful. Glad you went with your heart.

      Happy summer…I think!

    34. Ramona

      Perfection! Blue is your color!

    35. MaryLisa

      Do you staple then trim? Looks so good.

    36. Loretta

      Colors are so personal and affect us more than we sometimes realized. We bought our home over 10 years ago. I thought I was fine with the grey and beige walls since they were neutral. Then we had to have 2 windows replaced. I stressed over paint colors. Finally, I picked a derp mossy green for below the chair rail and a light green for above. There is a lot of white trim. As I finished the first wall I felt my spirit lighten. My husband panicked at the dark” green but he said as I finished I feel like I stepped into the garden. Exactly! Ahhhh

    37. Jill

      It so beautiful, and so you! Love the navy blue trim, such a contrast against the white bed frames, it highlights the curves of the frame beautifully! I love your makeover projects, thanks for sharing them!

    38. Marvell Eagleson

      I love the direction this is going and actually have been planning a similar color scheme with toile for a spare room. Can you share where you got the slated bed frame, I don’t want to use a box spring as it makes the bed too high (yours looks like IKEA?)Thanks for sharing on going projects, it helps to realize these things take time and do not just materialize once we get the idea!

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        i actually got it from Amazon. It’s a slatted “boxspring” and works well in a situation like this.

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    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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