Just a quick couch update

So, if you've seen any of my last few posts, you know good and well that I've been SERIOUSLY procrastinating about finishing the refurb work on our couch. Well, it's still not 100% finished (there are a couple of touch up things needed on back and bottom) I'm just about there. I put together the three bottom cushion covers last night, so the big cushions are all finished now. And let me tell you, wrangling those suckers was no easy feat. I was thoroughly worn out by the time I got them all on. They are made of some dense, and very heavy foam! Sorry for the blurry laptop photo, but I didn't feel like hauling out the big camera and taking pictures.

There are also two small cushions that sit at either arm of the couch. One of those is finished, and I was working on the other last night, but accidentally let the zipper pull slide off and have had a devil of a time getting it back on since the cotton tape is beginning to fray. I will most likely end up going to get a new zipper, which means that final cushion will have to wait a bit, but at this point the couch is finally a uniform fabric and is totally usable. I didn't take a before photo, because the couch really was just too horrendous to inflict on the public. We brought it from Mr. S's apartment, and suffice it to say, it was a hand me down couch that had been owned and destroyed "loved" by a bachelor and his various roommates for the last 12 years. It also looked like a dog had maybe tried digging for a few too many chew toys at some point. Anyway, it was filthy and faded and completely torn up, and his roommates were shocked that I let him keep it. This couch is, however, a really great piece of furniture, despite the terrible abuses it appeared to have suffered over the last decade or so. First and foremost, it's giant! When you remove the back cushions it's almost the size of a twin bed (a fact for which my uncomfortable, pregnant insomniac self has been very grateful lately). On top of that, in spite of all the headache and backache that recovering this couch has been, I only spent about $260 to refurb it, compared to the much higher costs of having someone professionally reupholster it or buying a new couch. Plus now that I'm just about finished with this I don't have to feel guilty for working on fun projects for myself, and that is always nice.

On a side note, I just got a copy of A Stitch in Time Volume 2 and Vintage Gifts to Knit in the mail a couple of days ago. I'm very impressed with the first one in particular. It has both the original and that updated versions of the patterns, as well as lots of information about vintage fit and popular techniques used in the patterns, something I find really interesting. I'm very excited about several of the sweaters and things in these two books and once I work through the two sweaters and the baby outfit I have in my knitting docket I hope to set to work on some of these.

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And finally, on a completely unrelated note, while searching through my pattern stash yesterday afternoon, I discovered to my own disappointment and shame that I do not have a single (30s-40s specifically) housedress/housecoat pattern! I really want to make myself a 1940s housedress to throw on while I'm sitting at home, or to run to the grocery, etc, and I'm going to have to improvise it seems. It also needs to be something that's relatively nursing friendly. I have a couple of dress patterns and Butterick 5152 that I think I'm going to play around with to make something workable.

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I think I'm going to use this as a base (short sleeved version), shorten it to knee length, omit the sash in favor of a double button closure at the waist, and add a pocket on the right hip. We'll see what ends up actually happening. 

Have a good weekend, all!