60 Yards of White Demin for Shabby Chic Room

Hello!

Years ago, maybe 6 years ago, I bought 4 bolts of white cotton denim. I love that white shabby chic style. My goal was to make some slipcovers for a sofa, a chair and an ottoman. I have finally broken down all barriers and began with the easiest piece, of course. Ugh, I have never make slipcovers before! I do think I can do this though. I have even dreamed about how to make it easier.

I want to share this new challenge with you as I go along, but my real purpose of tonight's post is to share something, after sewing all my life, that I discovered just last night. It is yet, another thing I used to see my mother do as she sewed for our family. I posted earlier that she was an expert seamstress. I started thinking about what it was that made her results so great! I mean, I know how to do the things she did but my results have not always been quite as excellent as hers. Then, it dawned on me. She HAND BASTED everything first!

You may think that is ridiculous. I have certainly thought it was a waste of time. I saw her do it when she made complex things but I have always thought I could get away with using straight pins. I also just have not wanted to take that time to hand baste. It is just so boring! It takes so long! I have just wanted to get on with it!

I have used welting many times for pillows and have always just pinned it all together. The sewing part was always a little tricky and I would struggle a bit, especially around the corners, but I would get through it and be glad that step was over.

I started on the ottoman last night as it is the easiest of all I am going to do. I started with the pins and pinned the welting I made (with the zipper foot) and took my time to get it even all the way around.

THEN, I HAND BASTED THE WHOLE THING - Yes, all the way around!

Oh, my gosh!! I cannot believe how well this first part has come out! Stitching the welting to the top of the ottoman cover was so easy and the finished product was better than I had hoped for! The corners were a breeze!

Well, I tell you. I may be the last to realize the importance of this step, but I am the happiest of persons to have taken the time to do it.

Hand basting. Who would have thought?

So glad you came by!

Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Homer Laughlin Plates

I love plates. I love pretty pink, green, blue, yellow and all pastels. Did I mention Roses?


This is one of my Homer Laughlin square plates. I don't hide them in a cabinet either. I hang them on the walls. :-) More pictures next time!

Thanks for coming by,

Peggy

So Shabby Pink Pretty Pink Rose Pin Cushion

I shared with you in an earlier post that I really do love to sew. I have some sewing notions that were actually my mother's, so they are rather old and not necessarily pretty.

My mother was an excellent seamstress and her talents were not wasted as she put them to use for me and my sister. I believe she would have been a fantastic fashion designer as well. Even as a young girl of 10 or 11 years, I would sit for hours and watch her sew.

She made a lot of little notions for me. The most unusual was half of a large walnut shell stuffed with cotton and pink fabric made into a pin cushion! It had a tiny pipe cleaner handle and a bow tied to the handle.

Well, this is much larger than a walnut shell and prettier than the little pipe cleaner handle. I have this one for sale on our website So Shabby Pink. I'll be making more during this spring and summer.


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Pink paper rose with wired ribbon .

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Large rhinestone adorns the center of the rose.

Glad you came by,

Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Almost Free Lunch

This coupon is now outdated. It was good while it lasted!

Hi there!

My husband comes home everyday for lunch and today I just didn't have anything fixed! I was painting and emailing and just failed to get it done. Soooo, I ran up to Arby's and used a coupon I found recently.

Click here for printable coupon for free sandwich with purchase of a drink.

Make sure you print one coupon for each person. They required that we make separate orders but that was okay.

Have a nice lunch!

Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Make Two Pillows out of One

Hi, everyone!

It's been such a pretty day today in south central Texas. It was in the 70's - you know, the temp where you don't seem to even be able to feel the air on you skin.

In my last post, I said I would show you how to make 2 pillows out of one.
Take a look at these pillows below~~~~

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What you see are 3 creamy neutral pillows...... right?

However, pillows #1, #2, and #3 below are the SAME PILLOWS as shown above. I made the fronts and backs different on each pillow. I also love silks so I used silk on one side or part of one side only and saved lots of money.

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#1
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#2
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#3

These three pillows above are the same 3 neutral pillows shown on the bed above.

Here is another example:

Here are two more very neutral pillows in the living room.

Oops! Here is the other side of the larger pillow!

Making one side of your pillows in a neutral will help you be able to use them anywhere, no matter how many times you change your decor. The colors I am using now are much softer than the prints you see above. However, since I made one side in an off white color, I don't have to spend money again for pillows. They are just on the other side.

Hope you enjoyed reading about my pillows. I think they add such a soft and cozy touch to a shabby chic style or cottage decorated room.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peggy

So Shabby Pink

So Shabby Pink - I love to Sew

I really love to sew but don't seem to find the time as much as I used to. I don't know, I've made clothes in the past and have always made pillows and curtains for my home....there's just something about it. Maybe it's taking a piece of beautiful colors and making them form something that never was before! Okay, sewing really isn't philosophical but it is almost instant gratification for me.

If you just want to change things around a bit, a few new simple pillows can convert a wintry look to a spring garden in just a short time. I like to make pillow covers so I don't have to store the entire pillow. I just remove the cover, fold it flat and apply the new one. You can store OODLES of pillow covers in a tiny space instead of having to store all those pillows!

I made this soft blue pillow awhile back and was going to put it on our website. I kept putting it where I could see it because I just loved looking at the colors. It has ended up blending with a new duvet cover so it's mine now.

Vintage doiley and fabric rose. This is a full pillow, not a cover.



Next time, I will show you how to get two pillows out of one.

Glad you stopped by,

Peggy
So Shabby Pink

So Shabby Pink - National Anthem

These are 6, 7 and an 8-year old young ladies. I read that the entire arena remained completely silent throughout the song. You could hear a pin drop.

Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Some New Products and Beach Pictures

We have some new and pretty things on our website, www.soshabbypink.com


We are using vintage jewelry to adorn some of our pretty framed roses.


Of course, there is always something available with our signature roses.



Pretty Metal tray all dressed up with roses.



When we took our weekend retreat a few weeks ago, this beautiful scene was right outside the large glass windows and doors.

Oh, my goodness. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Snoopy's, and this little seagull decided he just wasn't going to leave. He kept screaming and throwing his head back demanding food! However, feeding the seagulls is a BIG NO NO so we

were amused and delighted to just have his company.

The pelicans in this area are very tame and get hand fed frequently by local fishermen. This fellow had just landed and I caught him before he folded his wings.

This is all for tonight. Hope you all are doing well.

Thank you for visiting,

Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Perfect Beach Road Trip

As the sun was setting Friday evening, my husband and I settled in for a nice weekend at our favorite beach get away in Texas.

It was a nice 60 degrees most of the weekend and perfect for beach walking and patio sitting. I'll post more pictures soon. I hope you enjoy this one.





Thanks for coming by,


Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Are you a Square or a Diagonal?

When you rearranged furniture or accessories in a room, have you ever thought about how or what is it that lets you "know" when it's just right for you? Something happens in your head that says, "That's it."

Then, if another person came in the same room, have you ever wondered why they might not see it like you do and want to change it until THEY get the "that's it" signal?

Well, when a designer friend of mine came over one day, we were discussing my furniture arrangement.

She wanted to do something like this:



I felt more comfortable with an arrangement like this:

She admitted that she prefers to have furniture arranged on a DIAGONAL. I like my furniture arranged at right angles! I think it is rather amusing.

Which one are you?? Leave a comment and share your preference!

Thanks for stopping by,

Peggy

So Shabby Pink Road Trip

Sometimes at Christmas, I don't know if I am coming or going. I often get so busy that I forget what the whole season is all about for me. My husband and I sing in the choir at church so there are always many nights of practice and time practicing at home too. It was all worth it though. What a great program it was this year.

Thankfully, there was time to get away and relax.

I LOVE old houses. I had an opportunity many years ago to purchase a precivil war house in the rural area of Moyock, NC. Circumstances prevented it but that sure would have been wonderful to restore an old home like that.

I always find myself taking pictures of old homes when we go out riding. This is an interesting selection of houses we saw. I imagine what it must have been like to have lived there when these homes were new and the land was not as inhabited as today.






I know to many this old house looks like an old broken down shack. However, someone used to live here, probably a family. They cooked, slept, worked and died.

The orginal part of the house was probably the front area. Sometimes, a give away is the position of the chimneys on each end of the house. The kitchen was usually in the back of the home and this old home has had lots of remodeling. Beautiful.

I dont' know if anyone still lives here but just imagine the history this place has. Wish I could go back in time and watch the family who built this. I would love to see what a typical day might have been. Again, you can see the chimneys on each end of the home to give "even" heating. I wonder what year this was built?

I can't tell about this one. Not sure but it sure is a great looking old home.


NOW, look at this one. I cannot tell if this is a new home or an old one that has been renovated. I was standing across the road in the front yard of a church to get these pictures. We were in a really small rural town and a pink house was the last thing I expected to see.

IT"S PINK! I love it!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you will visit again soon.

Peggy

So Shabby Pink - Amy from Four Sisters in a Cottage

Who says you cannot make real friends with people on the internet? I used to think it was not possible too but I am not so sure anymore. I know on the internet, we can be who WE want to be and present ourselves as we want other to see us. We can hide behind our monitors.

Well....................there is one fine lady I have met that doesn't hide who she is. In fact, that seems to be the last thing she does. She is honest and courageous. Her name is Amy of Four Sisters in a Cottage. I started buying things for my home from her last year and have gotten to know her as time passed. Her daughter is stationed in our home town and will probably get to know her better too. I hope so.

Amy sent me some pictures of her newly decorated home all dressed up in Christmas decor. In a rush to finish up things before we closed for Christmas, I failed to get her pictures on our website, So Shabby Pink, where we posted pictures our customers and readers sent us.

Amy, this post is for you.............

Amy is a breast cancer survivor and is still fighting some complications from the reconstruction stage. My prayers, respect and well wishes are with her. I hope you will visit her website and blog and give her your support too.

Amy, you are awesome babe!

Thanks for visiting us today,

Peggy