Waylaid By Fate

Hi Guys! You know how you plan your life and are fairly certain you know what you'll be doing for the week ahead? And then something totally unexpected moves you from one direction to another? Well, that pretty much sums up my week. I thought I'd be finishing Roz's kitchen and sharing it with you this week, but fate had other plans. I can't share the story just yet, and Roz's kitchen still has a few major tasks to finish up, so this week I'll only be able to share a tutorial.

One of the things that needed finishing touches for Roz's kitchen were her breakfast nook chairs. As a person who really appreciates a comfy tooshie, especially when sitting for long stretches visiting, making cushions for Roz's chairs was a must. And while I was at it, it seemed smart to do Goldie and Alice's chairs at the same time. And while I was doing that I might as well take photos and share the process. What follows is how I made cushions for them. They aren't what I'd call perfect, but they are really cute! All of them are Chrysnbon chairs, but there are two different models. Roz has the Cane Seat style and the girls have the Ladderback style. I adapted the process for both. I hope you'll find the process helpful for your own chair cushion projects someday! 

Chrysnbon Ladderback and Cane Seat Chair Cushions 

Supplies You'll Need:

Chrysnbon Chair Kits

Chipboard or heavy cardboard about 1/16" thick

Thermolam or similar quilt batting (2" x 8" for 4 chairs)

Cotton Quilting Fabric (1 fat quarter will be plenty for 4 chairs)

1.5mm Flat Back Pearls (16 for 4 chairs)

1/8" Satin Ribbon (1 yard will do for 4 chairs)

Glue Stick

Tacky Glue

Thread (I like to use strong upholstery thread because I am a terrible seamstress)

Cardstock

Sandpaper

Chair Pattern

Tools You'll Need:

Xacto knife

Scissors

Pilot Hole Punch or similar piercing tool

Ruler

Tweezers

Sewing Needle

Toothpicks

Pencil

Chrysnbon Cane Seat and Ladderback Chairs assembled and painted.

Let's Begin!

Create your pattern using the pattern template. Trace as many as you need onto your chipboard. Cut them out with your Xacto knife, going inside the traced line about 1/16" inch.

Check the fit on your chair and make any adjustments. You can sand the chipboard to make slight adjustments. Mark a "B" on the bottom of your chipboard patterns. This represents the bottom.

You want a little room around the edges.

Now trace the pattern onto cardstock. Cut out with your Xacto, again going about 1/16" inside your trace line. Make one for each chair. Check to make sure the cardstock fits inside the chipboard pattern leaving about 1/8" to 3/16" boarder. Mark a "T" on the top of your cardstock pattern. This represents the top of your pattern.

You should now have one chipboard and one cardstock pattern for each of your chairs. 

If you want your chair cushions tufted, you will need to find the center of your chipboard both horizontally and vertically. Draw the center lines using your ruler. Then measure 1/4" from each center line in each quadrant and put a mark for your hole. Using your pilot hole punch or other piercing tool, create a hole all the way through the chipboard.

Using the punched piece as the pattern, line up the next piece of chipboard so that all sides are flush with the first. Use the pilot hole punch to press through each hole marking the pattern on the under piece. Do this for all the chipboard cushions then finish piercing the holes all the way through.

Now lets cut out the batting. Lay your chair pads out on the batting and cut each piece so that there is at least 1/4" edge all the way around. Once the batting is cut, apply glue stick to the top side of each chipboard cushion piece (not the side marked "B"). Let set up for about 5 minutes.

Apply tacky glue all the way around the edge of the chipboard. Smooth and press the batting into the glue until it has set. You want to make sure every edge is sealed and smooth. Fast Grab Tacky Glue makes this process go much faster than regular Tacky Glue. Expect this process to take several minutes. Only start one cushion at a time for best results. Once you have all of the cushions finished, let them set aside to dry for at least 15 minutes.

Once the edges are dry and secure, trim away the excess batting. Then trim neatly and closely all around the edges.

Do a test fit again. This is encouraging!

Cane Seat Chairs

Ladderback Chairs

Now it's time to cut out the fabric! Cut out fabric for both the batting covered chipboard pieces and the cardstock pieces. At this stage, leave plenty of room around the edges.

This is your last chance to adjust the cardstock pieces, so check to make sure you like the fit again. You only want about 1/8" to 3/16" reveal.

Apply glue stick to the bottom of the cardstock (not the side that you marked "T"). Press onto the center of the wrong side of the fabric. Let set up for a few moments.

Now trim the fabric closely (about 3/16" to 1/4") around cardstock, keeping in mind how the fabric will fold and bend. It is best to avoid lumps, if possible. Notches work great wherever possible.

Glue the flaps using Tacky Glue. Press down and smooth as you work your way around. If your cardstock begins to curl, you can weigh it down while it dries. I recommend using a piece of waxed paper between the cardstock and any surface it may touch while drying.

Now it's time to upholster the batting pieces! Apply tacky glue to the bottom of one side of your chipboard being careful not to go all the way to the edges. Then center on the wrong side of your fabric. Fold up the fabric and smooth. Make sure not to cover the holes you made earlier - you'll need to see them later. Let the glue set for a few moments.

Repeat for the opposite side.

Snip fabric at corners but not past the edge.

Glue last two sides leaving corners loose.

Snip away excess fabric from the corners being sure not to cut into the sides of the cushion.

The goal for this next step is to get glue onto the fabric corners and onto the corners of the cushions. This is so that when the fabric is pressed to conform to the corner's shape, every bit of it catches to create a smooth surface. This can be best accomplished by applying the glue with a toothpick.

Now press the fabric flat and hold until it catches. Smooth around all contours with your finger. Press down and edges to make them as flat as possible.

For the Ladderback Chair cushion, because it has a curved recess to allow for the chair legs, use a toothpick to help you shape the glued fabric into the recess.

Finish all the corners and then trim away any excess fabric. 

And now it is time for tufting! Going through the back of the cushion, poke the sewing needle through the chipboard and into the fabric. Bring the needle back down through the fabric. Repeat these steps, but leave a loop the second time to tie the thread through. Move to the next hole and repeat until all four holes have been tufted.

Cut two four inch silk ribbons for each cushion. Fold them in half and then glue to the bottom back side of your fabric covered cardstock pieces. Hold in place until dry.

Glue the cardstock piece, centered, onto the cushion.

Flip over and add the flatback pearls. I like to use a toothpick to apply a dot of glue onto each tuft. Then I moisten the end of the toothpick with my tongue to pick up the top of the pearl. It sticks to the toothpick but only until you stick the bottom into the glue.

Finally it is time to tie the cushions onto the chairs. You can simply tie them if you are good with fiddly things, or you can sew your ribbon into a special bow. Here is a great video demonstration courtesy of My Mini Front Porch which can be adapted for smaller ribbon. As for my chairs, I am going to save them for Roz's kitchen's big reveal. Hope you get a chance to try this tutorial for your own special project!

Hope to be back soon with a big announcement!

xo xo,

Jodi

Details, Details, Details...

Adding the trunkhouse to the Fairytale Treehouse project is like literally adding a whole additional household to the project! Roz needed lots of stuff. What I vaguely thought I had in my supply stash or that I could "borrow" from waiting projects (like the Storybook Cottage or Pound Cake) was vastly different from what I found there. You see, I stopped impulse buying in 2018 as a policy and only shop now for the things I REALLY want or REALLY need or DEFINITELY can't make. This discipline supports my goal for a worry free retirement.😜 And it forces me to excercise my creativity muscles. But it's not so good for the mini stash.  Luckily for me I had made an extra set of 3D printed kitchen stuff last fall. Those pieces provided almost everything Roz needed. What was also fortunate was that she was thrilled with the style and variety, and was totally excited that each piece could be custom painted in colors to suit her preferences. Hooray!

Some of last fall's unfinished 3D printed kitchen collection.

It wasn't long before I had things painted and she had an organization plan. Then we got busy loading the shelves. It turns out Roz and I make a pretty good team! What follows is a bit of a preview of our progress so far.

The three wall shelves below will live between the sink and the stove. They are perfect for food storage and daily essentials like dry good canisters, stacking mixing bowls and honey.

This floor shelf also lives between the stove and sink (under the wall shelves) and is perfect for storing everything Roz needs for baking up her delicious desserts. There is also a handy utensil crock and a pear shaped cookie jar which will always be filled with Rozario's favorite charcoal chip cookies. That's not a type-o! I did say charcoal chip. Like most dragons, he loves his cookies burnt! Here's another fun fact: According to Roz, only the most magically gifted cooks in this forest have stand mixers! Electricity magic is MIT Masters level magic, apparently. 😜 

Between the stove and the breakfast nook will be the wall shelf that holds pots, pans and casserole dishes. In spite of being a height challenged bear living in a tall person's world, Roz's special anatomy gives her an advantage. She simply flutters her wings, hovers in the air and grabs what she needs. Unfortunately, this often frightens new company. So, to keep everyone calm, she keeps a stool handy. When visitors come by she pretends to need it to reach high places like everybody else. 😜

Magically inclined or not, there's nothing more irritating when you're cooking than losing or dripping something in a hard to access crack. Having straight backed furniture in a round room would certainly increase those odds and could drive anybeary nuts!  So, for the back of the sink, I added a contoured Sonotube scrap so that it would seat right against the wall. Then I added a matching top so Roz would have a handy place to grow all her herbs and spices. Hopefully, eliminating the crack will prevent any "magic" words escaping from Roz's kitchen!

And while we're talking about the sink, I've been making and gathering a few essential items Roz needed there, too. An assortment of cleaning supplies will be handy underneath the sink. Something Roz always likes to have on hand are steel wool scrubbing pads. If your mini folks happen to need S.O.S. pads, too, I made a box printie and tutorial to share.

Above the sink and next to the window will be a small shelf for holding paper towels, a plant and a coffee grinder. Though there won't be much wall space left, Roz still wanted to hang a couple framed art pieces. She's become a big fan of the beautiful watercolors done by talented local gnomes.

Opposite the sink, across the viewer's opening, will be two more wall shelves. They will be installed one over the other. The lower shelf will store some of Roz's favorite cookbooks as well as her current collection of aprons on the pegs below. The upper shelf will store a vase of flowers, a coffee pot and a large beverage pitcher. These only come down for entertaining company. Her handy step stool will be stored right underneath for quick access. 😜

In a corner of the breakfast nook will live the open hutch. Here, Roz has places for all her dinnerware. She keeps her favorite Pothos plant next to her favorite photo (which was taken with Birgit's gorgeous purple and white pansies). Roz takes cuttings from the Pothos all the time, roots them in water and then gives them to all of her friends. You can see by how short the branches are now that she's made a lot of friends since moving here! Not to worry - both the Pothos and her friendships will grow wonderfully strong with time and attention.

This single shelf will live between the arched windows in the breakfast nook. It is home to her new sparkly purple tea set which she will use only for special occasions. Below it will be the photo of her, Rosey, Fluby and Rozario. Just look at how amazing these lovable characters are! Their creator must be a person who is wildly imaginative, brilliantly gifted and incredibly generous!

Roz also asked if I could provide her with a hanging system for drying her herbs and flowers. I was happy to accommodate that request! She makes all sorts of things with them from her own special tea blends to spice blends and medicine. She's a very knowledgeable Fairy Beary Godmother and we are all so lucky to have her with us!

Once dried and crushed, Roz will store her herbs in the tins of her new spice rack. She wants to keep it close to her cooking pot because she tastes and adjusts a lot when she's cooking. She loves to have a salt pig filled with her favorite sea salt and a garlic pot with roasted garlic handy, as well.

Believe it or not there is still so much more on our list to add! Rugs, kitchen towels, cleaning supplies, gadgets and more food! And when all that is done Roz will need to bake special treats for the kitchen's christening party! Details, details, details! And that is why, my friends, the big kitchen reveal will have to wait until next time. Hope to see you then!

xo xo,

Jodi

Snack Size Update...

Hello fellow creatives! There's not much to share in terms of mini progress this week, but Goldie and Roz asked to pop onto the blog today to share the photo of their apron fitting. They are both so excited to have so many aprons to choose from and can't wait to get cooking!

Our backyard project went great last weekend! Though we still have much more to do, we made amazing progress! We moved and compacted 20 cubic feet of gravel, mixed and poured 46 bags of concrete, got metal posts anchored and had a great time with the kids! By next spring we hope to have a level yard, nice new grass, a gravel easement all the way around the fence (for weed and blackberry bush control) and will never again worry about the fence panels blowing away in the winter wind storms. Thanks so much Tasha, Brent, Ande and Lex! We could not have done this without your hard work!

Now that the schedule is returning to "normal", big progress is also being made for Roz's kitchen! I hope to be able to share it all next week!

Stay cool my Northern Hemisphere friends! We've almost survived the hottest summer in recorded history and will soon feel the relief of fall! 

xo xo,

Jodi