irish nesting
Nov 5, 2009 As I’ve mentioned before, my husband and I are absurdly fortunate to spend time every year in a family cottage in Ireland that's been home to generations of Mike’s family.
Needless to say, it is a beloved place. One side of the cottage faces a rocky hill, and the other side faces down to the sea. There is no phone, let alone a television or Internet, so what do we do? We wake up, light the fire, go back to bed with a pot of tea and our books. And whenever we’ve had enough of that, we wander out into a landscape so green that your brain hums a little trying to absorb all the color.
Over the decade that I’ve been going there, and the lifetime that my husband has spent there, this teeny tiny cottage with three-foot thick stone walls has become another home for us. Especially when we’re there with full cupboards, smoke curling out of the chimney, and laundry hanging on the line.
And more and more, we want to add our own personality to this favorite place.
So this time around, I took the bright-orange couch and chair set that were hand-me-downs a few decades ago, and cut patterns for slipcovers.
This is just the before, I don't have the after yet. But this is my best souvenir. Returning home with my suitcase full of pinned-together muslin. Tangible proof of our long-term plan.
I’m not going to lie. I worry that sewing a slipcover set is above my skill level. But that’s sort of the narrative of our lives. Taking on projects that are a reach, and being proud of the results. Because even when those results are a little wobbly, they’re our own.
ireland, slipcovers in make
Reader Comments (10)
kelly-
I so enjoy your postings. The way you write and what you share makes me both in awe and proud of you...thanks for being so fabulous.
What a magical place to call your own.
I made my own covers for some hand-me-down furniture as a newlywed. It was challenging and fun... I firmly believe that doing things above our skill level just helps to push us and learn more, let alone become better at it. I'm looking forward to seeing the "after" shots! Have fun.
What a lovely place! Just beautiful! Slip covers are really not hard. I made
some several years ago for a pair of $5 chairs. They turned
out really charming and I am sure yours will too!
I covered a REALLY dodgy looking couch with covers that I made up myself. I'd never done anything like that before either. It really isn't too hard, and is really worth all the work. Good on you for giving it a go!
Kelly - good luck with this project. I'm sure it will be lovely. I can understand the trepidation tho' - when I recovered our sofa, it took me ages to actually do the covering - ages to get the courage up to just do it.
PS - love the new paint chip! Perfect for our rainy November days! And jumping in puddles in plaid boots (me) and shark or camoflauge boots (Thomas)!
I love Ireland! You are seriously lucky to have a spot like that to stay. And I like the way you described that indescribable green.
I've been in love with Ireland since I lived there - almost a decade ago now. Beautiful!
Kelly, What a delight to read your blog! Your creativity and your willingness to share it inspires me (although to much humbler heights). When I came across this post about slipcovers I found something I could relate to. I tried my first slipcover about 20 years ago, then started making them for friends. It's always been a rather fun endeavor: putting them on a piece of furniture makes such a dramatic change, "instant gratification" that took 20 hours to produce! Like your other commenters, I would also love to see the finished product!