Why?
Because there is nothing~ nearly nothing~ that can feel so satisfying as teaching yourself a new skill and applying it to the creation of something new, something that wasn't in existence before you came along and nurtured it into being...something that makes a difference in the life of another...sigh...so so good, that feeling!
Two opportunities came floating my way last week to expand my ever-growing upholstery/sewing skills.
One came to me in the form of a woman named Ann, who had purchased 8 pieces of foam at the store from which I also get my foam. Lisa, the proprietor, recommended she come to me to get the cushion covers made. She dropped off the stack along with the fabric, and I proceeded to log into you tube to learn exactly what I was to do next...!
Seriously...what did we do before YouTube and design blogs! I spent a few hours online studying as many different methods as I could find, and when I felt ready, I dove in.
The second opportunity came to me through GUFF, the awesome furniture store I do upholstery for on Queen St. E in Leslieville. Joe, a lovely man who owns a beautiful mid-century modern shop called ZigZag, and a regular shopper at GUFF, requested that I do some cushions for him. Sure!!! Why not add 3 more to the pile?!
I forgot, as usual, to take progress shots as I made them, but I can certainly provide links (and pay homage) to the sites I found to be the most useful.
Here are some pics of the finished cushions:
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| nope you can't see that zipper! |
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| cushions in action at ZigZag |
I came up with a fun idea, as a way to make my business extra special and to set Uplift apart from other options...
Since my biz is not only about upholstery, but also about upcycling materials used in the process, that may otherwise end up in the garbage, my "new thing" is to make an Uplift Gift for the client, using pieces of scrap material from the project they have commissioned me to do for them. In this case, I made Ann a pillow out of small pieces of plaid fabric. I think she will be very surprised and happy to receive it!
Here are the links that helped me BIG TIME!:
