Home Improvement Sewing

Summer is SO BUSY! I have a performance just about every day for my ArtyPantz Productions business, 100% Interactive Theatrical Storytelling Events, so been traveling a lot from place to place doing what I love. This year in addition to working with children, have started to work with seniors. I AM a senior, but most of these seniors are in their 80's. Everyone just loves to play!

Also been consumed with sewing for the outdoor spaces of our home. We have been living here for a little over a year now and working on the breezeway and back deck. When I introduced my then boyfriend now husband for 36 years to my family, my uncle sized up the relationship when he said "Pat will build the house and Victoria will bring the colored lights." This was a spot on prediction that comes true over and over again.

The breezeway was first. Pat painted the cement floor and put up the lattice entrance and planted morning glories that should eventually completely cover it. It did last year, not sure what the hold up is this year. Maybe August?

I reupholstered all the cushions on our outdoor furniture including a wicker set plus a Shaker rocker and a Mission style rocker. I love how they match the beautiful outdoor rug we have from Mariachi Imports. (Pat's ex wife's sister Amy's company!) We had this rug for decades, and lost it during all the moves we've had in the past couple of years, and just recently replaced it, so happy they are still making this design. I think they have it in a few colors.

We had a party at the beginning of July and some friends brought over the wooden masks that look like they came from Australia. The mirror is from our local Goodwill, and the butterfly mosaic on the left came from Resellers Consignment in Frazer, one of my favorite places to shop!

A few weeks ago I found a complete set of vintage white wicker furniture at Resellers Consignment, really heavy duty, so well made, sturdy and each piece gigantic! It took a couple of truck loads to get it all home. Pieces include two rocking chairs, one regular chair and an ottoman.

There were some before photos of the collection, but lost them when my phone fell in the creek after filming the Phoenixville Kiwanis Duck Race.....but suffice to say that the cushions on it were hideous and completely threadbare in spots. Taking all the tacks out, and pulling all the old cushions off was quite a chore and everything smelled rotten. My husband made new seat bottoms for the ottoman and one of the chairs with plywood left over from some other project.

Birds are a favorite theme, and found some awesome  birdie fabrics on Ebay from one of my new favorite sellers, HomeDesigns and a place online to buy all brand new foam, cut to size for each piece.

Just finished sewing the last piece, the huge cushion for the ottoman, and made a matching pillow. All the pieces come off easily to be washed.

The set was $150, custom cut cushions $135, fabric $55, 300 decorative upholstery tacks $16, special hammer $5, regular tacks $3. 19 yard of braided trim $20.  So total cost was $384.00. Labor, have no idea, a couple of weeks here and there.

TA DA!

This deck on the back of our house is only 8 ft wide, such a weird length. My husband and our son in law are adding four more feet to it and putting a roof over top with some kind of sun shade and it will be a whole other room when finished.

For now, home sewing is finished. Now I go back to making wearable art aprons and other things for the September events coming up. See calendar in sidebar for more info.