Reorganized Cupboard

So, here's the thing. I love neatness, I love organized spaces, I love being able to find things when I'm crafting. But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm neat, organized, or able to find things when I'm crafting. I've pretty much perfected the throw-everything-in-the-cupboard move when our dining room table needs to be clean.

A couple weeks ago however, the situation became really severe. We're talking DEFCON 2 in the cupboard. When I opened up the door, piles of fabric and a jar of supplies fell out onto the floor. I couldn't even shove it all back in, I don't know how it was in there in the first place.

So, I embarked on a mission of epic proportions: Get all my shiznit to fit into the cupboard. In a neat and organized fashion. And have it stay in when I open the door.

It took a while, this mission of epic proportions. A couple hours and a piece of chocolate later, my cupboard reached the neatest state it had ever been:

Seriously, LOOK at that! Isn't that so incredible?

I sorted the fabrics by kind and LABELED them. Now even my family has no excuse to put supplies in the wrong spot.

I even sorted our patterns, too, so next time I go to make something, I can actually find it.

It's pretty exciting. Unfortunately, we all know it's not lasting long. You'll get a new post about my cupboard in a couple months when I have a new organization system cause this one didn't work.

See you next week!

Taft WK

Reupholstered Chair

This one has been in the works for a looooong time, my friends.

We saw this chair while driving home one day (just sitting on the sidewalk next to some other free stuff) and my friend and I walked back to it and walked it home on a couple skateboards.

I loved the shape of it and, after getting rid of my desk, really wanted a chair in my room. However, this thing was pretty gross; the fabric was ripping and stuffing was falling out.

My mom and I got to work (I don't think you realized how long "in the works for a looooong time" means: we started in January 2013. Yeah.) and used upholstery fabric samples to recover the (chair.

I really don't know why we have (well, had because it's mostly on the chair now) so much upholstery fabric samples. They just seem to appear in our closet at all the best times :)

My mom did the back and seat (isn't she just magical? It fits like a glove.) and I took care of the skirt (LUUUURRRRVE the polka dots!).

Unfortunately, the staple gun we used the first time around was not quite strong enough and the skirt started to come off last winter. During Ski Week, I finally got around to getting the heavy-duty staple gun from downstairs (nothing like a heavy-duty staple gun to make you feel like a badass) and reattaching the skirt.

The leopard fabric on the seat is one of my favorites. As long as I can remember, we've always had a little of it left in the closet. We used it when we decorated my bedskirt and made my curtain (also from upholstery fabric samples....where is it all coming from?!) and now there's just a little left in the scrap boxes (Yes, that was plural. We have multiple scrap boxes and Sheldon tried to start another last weekend.). I'll make sure to do something extra special with it.

I'll keep you posted on the status of our scrap buckets :)

-Taft WK

Yellow and Blue Party Dress

Remember that pattern I sewed for Winter Formal?

This dress is the first time I sewed the pattern (Formal dress was second).

The yellow teardrop fabric was picked up at Britex last summer (yay for discounts!) and the blue floral fabric is a Pottery Barn bedsheet. I'm really appreciating the clash going on here :)

The pattern is from this book, with a few alterations to make it fit properly.

Much of what I said for the Formal dress goes for this one: comfortable, flattering, not too difficult to sew, and totally on my list of things to make again.

Keep up the crafting, y'all's.

Taft W-K