A Simple Pleated Slipcover And LOVE

 Happy Tuesday!
It was so nice to have a LONG weekend
&
 hibernate a little.
Saturday, I stayed in pretty much the entire day,
I cleaned and sewed
while catching up on some sappy love stories on
The Hallmark Channel.
Yes, I am that girl:).
I admit it,
I am hooked on those feel good, happy ending movies.
I would sum up the day as quite perfect:).
How about you?
Are you that kind of person that could be completely
happy & content being home ALL day???
 
Even though I  enjoyed every minute of being home
it was nice to
get out of the house on Sunday for some much needed fun
&
alone time with my guy.
 
Here are some details from my project on Saturday.

These ottomans below are from Calico Corners
and they were very happy in my last home in Colorado,
where I had the rustic/lodgey thing going on.
After moving into this house,
it was always the plan to change out the fabric.
So on a whim on Saturday morning I decided 
to slipcover them myself.
The wonderful thing about fabric is you
 can create a beautiful & custom look in your home
without paying the custom $,
especially if you can either sew or do the work yourself.
Sometimes you can also find local workrooms that
are pretty reasonable.
What I like to do is, use it on smaller projects,
such as pillows, cushions, ottomans,
stools, curtains, small chairs
or upholstered pieces,
that way you can keep the cost down,
because you are not needing a large quantity.
 
 Don’t be afraid to use what you have and change things up a little.
First, I measured the top and sides 
&
then cut a 30″ square(x2), pinched the corners
and made a vertical line to follow with my pins.
Make sure you’re sides are all even and match up along the horizontal edge,
otherwise you will find your skirt will be uneven.
Then, sew your corners.

My favorite part the pleat:).
Isn’t everything cuter with pleats?
For each ottoman I used a formula to find out how
much pleated fabric I would need.
I took the total width around the entire square
which was 68″ then I multiplied it by 1.5,
to get the fullness.
Which = 102″ give or take.
That meant I needed 2 widths(of 54″ fabric)
to make the skirt.
Are you still with me???
I cut 2 strips of 12″ going width wise.
I sewed them together, that gave me 108″.
Then folded the 108″(leave room for error) in half to give
the skirt more body, which left me with 6″.
I then pleated & pinned every 4″
and sewed the skirt onto the top piece,
making sure they were both flipped inside out.
Once you have sewn the slipcover,
flip back over to the right side & iron the skirt, 
pleats and corners.
The total amount of fabric used was 2.25 for both ottomans.
I have to say I am really happy with the way it came out.
They just fit the room MUCH better:).
And we now have more seating
 &
who couldn’t use more seating?

 As you can see I also painted the legs.
Change is a good thing:).
 
 
 
 Ok, so onto the LOVE part.
One of my resolutions for this year was to make more time for
my husband & I.
 I have been so blessed and lucky to have found
this amazing guy.
That is why I knew it was important to start carving out more time for US.
Don’t get me wrong we spent lots of time together but as a family:),
it was that alone time that needed a little boost.
We have been together for 13 years, married for almost 10
and I have to say I still LOVE this man,
just as much and even more.
Your love changes and grows through the years
as you have children, buy homes,
move across country 2,3, or 4 times:),
get new jobs, go through hardship and find joy
 and as you both grow into different versions of yourself.
But when you can say you still have that LOVE 
after 13 years then its worth
giving it MORE time to grow.
So on Sunday, we packed a picnic and headed to the country.
We hit a few vineyards and ended up at one of our favorites.
It was simple & fun.
Just how it was when we first met.
It reminded us both
 of how simple LOVE really can be sometimes.
 

 I guess you can say I am feeling the LOVE lately,
maybe it is all those movies:)!
Make sure you sign up to follow by email,
facebook or google, that way you won’t miss a post:).
I hope you ALL have a great week
 &
thank you for stopping by my
little blog.
 
Sharing at
 
pleated-project-link-party
-Jen

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45 Comments

  2. It looks so good! I have a chair in my living room that I’ve been wanting to try out as my first slipcovering project but it never seems like a good time to get started. I need to just dive in because you make it sound so doable!

  7. Everything DOES look better with pleats!
    I enjoyed the part about you and your husband – we have also been together for 13 years and will be married for 12 now and sometimes I look at him and out of the blue am overwhelmed by how much I love him. Life convolutes alot in a marriage – glad you got to have some time to yourselves. 🙂

  11. Your slipcovers are just beautiful, Jen! I love the fabric! I really wish I could sew, it sounds like such a relaxing pastime. I was in most of the weekend, too, and I do love the Hallmark channel as well as TCM. I missed so many of those happy Christmas movies over the bustle of the holidays, I’m craving them now!

    It’s so nice that you are devoting yourself to finding alone time with your hubby. We have such a big family, sometimes I feel like I have to wave across the room to get his attention, so one on one time is wonderful! I hope you get away more often! 🙂

    XO,
    Jane

  15. I am THAT girl too :). Your ottomans turned out so pretty! I have been eyeing that fabric for a while. I am so glad you got to spend some great time with your hubbs. What a wonderful and inspiring goal.

  16. Jen, that is a fantastic tutorial. I could easily follow it. I just liked you on FB. I am that girl, too. My daughter and I can’t agree on movies, because I only want “girl has boy, girl loses boy, girl and boy get back together forever”….movies. or vice versa with the roles.

  17. This is so cute and you make it look SO easy! I have a love/hate relationship with my sewing machine and would love to make something like this, but have a feeling that I would end up getting angry with my sewing machine in the process. You give me hope! 🙂

  18. FAbulous ottoman makeover! I love them. I love those Hallmark movies, too, however predictable and sappy they are- they suck me right in.
    xo Nancy
    Powellbrowerhome.com

  22. I love the ottoman…the fabric is fantastic….and love the new painted legs…So wonderful that you keep the love light burning….My hubby and I decided that we need to adhere to “date night”…gotten away from it during the hectic pace of the holidays!…Your weekends sounded wonderful!

  23. Your so right about pleats, they always make everything nicer. your slipcovers look amazing and I love that you painted the legs white. Makes the whole piece look look like a whole new one.

  25. I am so envious of you talented sewers! Love the slipcovers!!

    Glad you are making time for the two of you…we have date night once a week since my husband had a bad accident years ago…best thing we ever did!

  27. Hi Jen,

    This is such a sweet post and perfect sentiment for the upcoming Valentines Day. Your picnic was a great idea and I’m glad you are carving out time for each other.

    The pleated ottoman is darling. I admire anyone the is a DIY-er 🙂 Although I don’t sew, I do many of my own house projects and am in the midst of finishing a kitchen and family room re-do.

    Enjoy your weekend ahead.

    Leslie

  30. These turned out perfect! I love that fabric. I’ve used it once before. I like that you did the pleats and showed the legs. You have such great taste! Your photography is fantastic too. Do you have anything on your blog about photography tips? Camera, lenses?

  33. How blessed you are to know love. To share it and savor it. It truly is a wonderful mystery and gift. It is all at once spiritual, earthy and a holy gift.
    Oh yeah, the ottomams are great too. May the Lord continue to bless you.

  41. Hi Jen. I’m a new follower. I’ve come over from French Country Cottage. Your blog is so beautiful and I see from your sidebar that there is a lot I will be interested in. I’d like to extend an invitation for you to visit the Cottage. I would welcome it..Happy Thursday..Judy

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  44. I know this is an “older” post, but it just caught my eye because it would be perfect in my “new” master bedroom! I shared it over on my FB page…with a link back to you, of course! 🙂

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