Humane Society

This is the answer. To poaching woes. To bored rooms. Gorgeous animal prints in weighty upholstery fabric.

Mid-Century Tufted Couch

This beautiful girl is next up for a makover. She is shedding the green damask in favor of a rich timeless ink blue. The fabric was chosen by an Etsy customer and is perfectly suited for this project. It has a subtle herringbone tweed as well as a marvelous drape and feel. Tomorrow we begin the buttons! For now... some before and undressing pictures....

Where has summer gone?

Well it has been weeks since I have been able to sit down for more than 10 minutes to post to the blog... where has the time gone? All I know is the summer was far too short! Our last hurrah was a long weekend in San Diego with some very good friends, which turned out to be a real blessing for the future of thingswithsprings! The good friend we visited happens to be a whiz at all things bought, sold and processed. While visiting we had occasion to check out a very temptingly priced JUKI machine, which has been on my long wish list. Taze not only knew what to look for in general as to the inner mechanisms of the machine, but also happens to have an aunt who teaches sewing classes and travels nationally to do so who was able to answer many questions, such as how to determine if a used machine was cared for properly/has super high mileage etc. In short, he saved me a lot of heartache. This machine had some tell-tale signs of having been abused that I might have overlooked. These machines appear indestructible...but like anything else, can be run into the ground.
On our way home, I checked out another JUKI in Phoenix, one who had been well cared for by a very professional motorcycle mechanic. All told, I was able to purchase, for well below the stated price, the sewing machine, a new button-maker complete with a large selection of die sizes and buttons, extra staples, and spools of thread. Score! Truly a steal. Took the machine to Raichert's in Phoenix for a lookover and was told the machine would have cost me almost twice as much had I bought it from them and that it is in splendid condition! So thingswithsprings is in the swing!

Been working on a couple of things- not totally slacking! Have two chairs going at present... one of my own, which will be going on the back burner, and one in a gorgeous zebra print for a customer.

The Chair from the Graveyard

This chair has been seen in my dreams... I have been dying to restore it and waiting for a lull in the schedule to get to it. 90 degrees outside...bright blue skies...light breeze...perfect weather to finish stripping and putting the paint on this one.
She has a sketchy history... found her way into my garage by way of my friend Cassie, who had at one time access to a treasure trove of old furniture she referred to as "the graveyard." One look at this chair and I was smitten. She is getting the turquoise velvet...once I finish distressing her exposed wood.

Back In Town

Wow- what a whirlwind! Our great American road trip has sadly reached its end... and I am looking at my workshop and thinking- what next? A few additions to my fabric collection were purchased on this trip and are impatiently awaiting their transformation, including this luscious turqouise velvet.

There were many highlights to this trip...among them a lengthy visit with a third-generation upholsterer whose shop is located on the fabulous Union Street in San Francisco. Fascinating gentleman with lots of little tricks up his sleeve. Come to find out, we have worked with the same sewing machine for many years- the stalwart Singer 16-188. He recently replaced his with a newer model and was lamenting the fact that he had far fewer issues with the older one... this was good for me to hear! Although- thanks to the IRS I have a new sewing machine in my very near future!!!



Sometimes I find looking back to be highly motivating... here are a few pictures of previous jobs done.





These photos are pieces I did for a gorgeous little bed and breakfast here in Sedona- El Portal. They have a beautiful property and you can view their website at elportalsedona.com. All told, I upholstered several chairs, made many pillows and the suede drapes in the third photo for the owners. One unique challenge (for which I lack a good photo, but can be seen peeking behind the bed in the third photo) was a Juniper chair for which we fashioned a seat and pillow back.

Before photos of the sofa. Yes- I realize I really need to focus on photo quality.

Whew! One more for the books- the purple sofa is finished! And not a moment too soon- as my daughter and I are leaving on our great road trip adventure to San Francisco and then up to Oregon to meet up with the rest of the family.

We delivered the sofa last night and in my client's house she is a beauty! As mentioned previously the sofa is a sleeper- something new for me to work with. Definitely a piece worth redoing. The owner has had this piece for many years and it is a solid little thing. I have always loved the contours of the camelback sofas and the channel tufting sort of ups the ante. Particularly in such a deep bold color- who knew purple was a classic- right up there with navy? The rich purple is just gorgeous and alongside that fantastic chair it is a winning combination. I had no idea just how lovely a rich purple can be... particularly paired with an orange/terracotta. She intends to paint the wall behind the sofa a lighter shade of terracotta. Can't wait to see that finished and show you pictures!

Progress in Purple

It is nearly done...but a sofa generally takes me a bit longer to complete, so in lieu of showing you the completed project in all its glory, here are a few pictures of our work in progress. What would I do without my minions to help me feed channel back foam through my ancient trusty Singer?

This beauty is a sleeper...things started going much smoother once we got the bed taken out! Isn't this going to look amazing with the Ryan Seacrest chair? Should I stop calling it that? I hope to deliver this early next week so stay tuned for the finished piece!