I can’t remember where I last left off.
My dad is still in the ICU. He is finally working towards getting the tracheostomy removed and just yesterday regained the ability to speak! He can move a little more and is getting stronger day by day. He still has a long way to go, but has made so many steps forward. A few days ago he apparently told his nurse he’s ready to go home and be a full-time grandpa. And I would like that very much.
I’ve been finding it pretty hard to focus. I try to get into the hospital every day, or at least every other day. It’s tough because I can’t bring Isabel in with me for the time being so I have to find someone to watch her so I can go for a visit. I find that once I get home from the hospital I just feel exhausted. The emotional toll seeing a loved one so sick takes on you is really had to explain.
I’ve been trying to focus my energy on positive things, like preparing for the baby. We found out we are having a GIRL! I am super excited and have already started sorting through Isabel’s old clothes. This last weekend we got the nursery put together which was fun to do. We still need some finishing touches but all the necessities are in place. The room itself is really small and doesn’t have a closet, but we’ve made it work nicely I think! Plus, what does a baby really need in a room anyway? She’ll be in our room for the most part to begin with… I just enjoy an excuse to decorate a room.
One fun project I took on was recovering our old ikea Poang rocking chair cushion as well as my grandma’s old footstool, which I recovered in pink Minky! I have to admit, I suck at home decor sewing, so I did this as simply and quickly as I could. I had a few people asking if I could share a tutorial on how I did the Poang, so I will do that below!
Fair warning, there are no real measurements. I recommend taking your actual Poang chair cushion in the cover and using it as a template.
For my cover, I made a simple envelope style covering. This meant I didn’t need to bother with zippers or buttonholes, but you could just as easily add some buttons or ties to keep it closed. I also did not add any velcro to the back, like you will see on your original Ikea cover. Again, this is simple to add. I was just lazy.
How to make a super simple envelope cover for an Ikea Poang chair
Begin by cutting a piece of fabric that extends beyond the bottom of the cushion by about 8″. This piece gets folded up and hemmed. The rest of the sides should be about 3″ larger than the cushion itself.
Turn the raw edge of the 8″ extension under by about 1″ and stitch in place.
Cut a second piece of fabric out so that it extends beyond the hemmed edge by about 4″. This overlap creates the envelope opening. Turn the raw edge under as you did in the previous step to create a hemmed edge.
Next, with the wrong sides of the fabric facing out, pin the fabric snugly around the cushion, making sure you have an overlap at your envelope opening. Remove the cushion carefully and stitch in place using your pins as a guide.
I wanted my corners to look a little neater, so I did a quick box corner. I took the corners of the cover, and folded them so that the seam lines run at a 45 degree angle to the folded edge. Then I stitched a straight line at a 90 degree angle to the seam, approximately 1″ in from the corner.
Flip it right side out and wiggle the original cushion inside. I have to admit, I didn’t measure a single thing when I made this. I just laid out my fabric, threw the cushion on top and winged it! It can be a little finicky to get the cushion in, but I managed on my own.
We also repainted our upstairs hallway a few weeks ago kind of on a whim. I mean, it’s been on our house to-do list for ages, but we finally sprung into action. It had previously been painted a dark sage green which wasn’t terrible, but for a hallway with no windows, it was very, very dark, and the paint was in rough shape. So, like the rest of our house we painted it white. I finally got Dan to hang up some art for me. I purchased a few prints by artists Jessica Roux and Amy Rose that happen to coordinate just perfectly with a large winter-forest painting my mother in law made. I feel happy every morning when I wake up and walk down the hall.
This house has been a real challenge, between leaks and floods and the other unexpected things that come with owning an old house, but I do love it’s character. I feel really lucky to live here and decorating this old beauty has been a dream come true. It’s a great distraction right now.
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