Laume's Studio

Several weeks ago I found an old spring based rocking chair. It was painted cherry red. How could I resist. At the time I thought I was buying it with the accompanying cushions, which were overstuffed and covered in an lovely, old-fashioned floral print. Alas, it wasn't meant to be - as I was taking things apart to fit into the back of the Subaru, I realized the pillows were priced separately. I didn't want to get the saleswoman, an elderly woman who was clearly just "helping out the owner", in trouble, so I did the right thing and brought the cushions back inside. I was annoyed when a few days later I pulled the receipt out of my jean pocket and discovered that despite being a good samaritan, I'd accidentally been overcharged twenty dollars for the chair. I don't get up there much, so I haven't had a chance to try to get a credit back on that and I don't even know if there will be any record to prove how much the chair was supposed to cost. Sigh.

But moving on, I love the chair. I few days ago I made it to a textile warehouse and bought some big pillow forms and upholstery fabric to make new cushions. Originally I was looking for something as similar as possible to the old-fashioned floral of the original cushions, but I ended up coming home with the prints below instead.


My absolute favorite is the big fruit print. I wanted something that would match what was already in my livingroom, but not be predictable or too ordinary. I also liked the subdued leaf print with the matching stripe. And last but not least, the dark paisley. Originally I thought I'd make simple covers with a slit up the back so they'd be easy to remove and wash, using different prints for different seasons of the year. But then I realized it would be more practical to put zippers on the side so that they would be reversible and last longer. I have enough fabric to make both sides in the fruit print. I'm gonna use the leave and strip print as opposite sides in the same set of cushions. And the dark print I'll match up with a dark solid of some sort I already have stashed away. Of course, none of the actual sewing will take place until I can finish up all my other projects and travel plans in the couple of months.