I don’t know about you, but I always start projects with great optimism and enthusiasm.  And most of the time things go smoothly. This is not one of those times. Stripping the upholstery was pretty easy, because three of us worked on it in turns… And painting the frame?  No problem. I added a layer of batting to the back, so it would soften the foam a bit…   And I used the pieces of fabric that were removed from the sofa as templates for the new fabric pieces. That back piece was huge!  I happened to have an antique hemp mattress cover (that would’ve been stuffed with hay or feathers, depending on how affluent the owners were) that was long enough once opened up. We pinned all of the pieces in place and cut them out.  I cut the back piece much larger than the fabric template, because of the tufting,

I have a lot of “business-y” things on my to-do list for the month, so it’s important that I balance it out with creative work…projects that are fun for me to work on, take pictures of, and share here on the blog.  I’m trying to resist the urge to buy new things and, instead, work on pieces that have been hanging out in the studio for a while, waiting for a makeover. So, Kriste, Katie (I’ll tell you about her in a minute) and I have been picking away at the sofa for a couple of days, stripping off the circa 1980’s blue and mauve fabric that is reminiscent of fabric you’d find on dentist office chairs. It looked okay at a quick glance, but it was stained and the cushion fabric is worn in several places.  It’s a fantastic Belgian-made sofa with a sturdy frame and good guts, so