CINDY'S NEW SOFA

So this week I started something silly that turned out to be rather great. Silly since I adventurously embarked on the task without prior experience, but great because, with luck and help, it all worked out (phewwww!).

2 days ago, I reupholstered a sofa. LOL.

To be honest, I picked out my Ikea purchase with the intention of swapping its plain skin for a more interesting one, but I didn’t realise it would be succccch a palaver… pattern-cutting, pinning, hemming, stitching, sewing - and gluing, too, actually. And let’s not forget the stapling involved. (Don’t worry, the couch is safe to sit on - I’m typing this post in the comfort of its seat.)

So here’s what the couch looked like at its most boring… a little before and after action for ya.

The most lengthly task, I believe, was the first - me making a decision on the material I’d use to cover the thing.

Ikea has a great selection of all-over patterns, arty textiles and bright colours, but being that I’m absolutely rubbish at decision-making, I actually made 3 trips to Ikea’s textile department on 3 separate days… much to the disgruntlement of le boyf, whose street-cred, he claimed, crashed and burned the moment he took a pair of scissors to floral cotton in public…

I knew I wanted to go down the black, white, grey and/or patterned route, but there were soooo many options! Here’s a few that made the cut.

Next up was the taking apart of the sofa – what I like to call ‘the easy bit’. (Easy because I didn’t do it – yep, boyfriends come in very handy for building and bolting as well as cutting material…)

Then there was my Blue Peter moment and the laborious task of amateur measuring and pinning I did, before seeking some help with the sewing - much thanks to my stepmum for being magic with a sewing machine!

After making lots of little sleeves for my then jigsaw-ed sofa, I dressed each piece and then staple-gunned the material to its wooden undersides…

B-bang! Very loud, fun and somehow empowering. The staple-gun also doubled as a ‘keep your man in check’ weapon for when my boyfriend became bored of helping me. (LOL… those things really can fire across quite a range!)

Along each edge of material I could find (and around the holes I made for the bolts of the sofa, needed to hold the thing together) I drew over some clear glue, of the PVA variety. This apparently helps stop future fraying of material and its gradual falling apart…

Finally, I finished my black and white, big-patterned concoction of a couch; my room’s new statement piece.

Being a lover of clash, thrash and slapdash décor, I intend to add one or more of these soft leather cushions I picked up in Turkey a few years ago, which I’ve been dying to place somewhere other than inside my cupboard…

Joyous that the sofa adds life to my blank-canvas-white room (which I intend to splash with pattern and colour over the next few weeks) I’m pleased with my choice of fabric – it will work with everything since it’s simple colour-wise, but not too boring pattern-wise.

With my feeling of accomplishment in hand and other imaginations waiting to come alive and made real about the abode, all I can say is watch out rest of the house! I have big ideas, a pair of scissors and a staple gun - and I’m not afraid to use them!

Ciao for now FABlings.