Monday, May 10, 2010

Bouncy Chair Re-cover

Never have I worked on a project like this. It should have been a simple copy of this project that took a long time but turned out great and wasn't super difficult.  Read below for details on this beautiful disaster.




I had a baby shower to go to and wanted to give something really nice.  I thought back to what I liked the most when Catie was new and it was definitely the bouncy chair that we used all the time.  Since Michelle and I had re-covered ours and they turned out great I figured this was the perfect opportunity to make a really cute gift.

I found a cheap second hand bouncy chair to start and the fabric practically jumped off the shelf it was so perfect.  Armed with the necessary tools I got to work.  I very carefully unpicked the old chair so I could use the batting and backing fabric and then I cut out all my new pieces.  I pinned and started to sew and it wasn't very long before I ran into issues.

I have this sewing machine that I love.  I feel lucky to have it as my brother took his co-worker's old machine, he didn't even know I wanted one and at the time I didn't know I wanted one either.  It sat mostly unused for almost two years but lately it gets used just about daily.  I'm aware of how important this machine is to me so I try to oil it regularly and take good care of it.  For some reason this project proved too much for my trusty Hobby 303.  I spent hours fiddling with issues and called my Mom multiple times and when that failed I called my sister-in-law just as many times.  It seemed like as one problem was fixed another crept up.  I finally called it night at 1:00 am when my last needle broke.

I got up early and headed to Walmart for new needles with some new resolve to make this work.  My resolve was not enough and eventually I had to call a friend and beg the use of her machine.  So on the one hand my project is finished and adorable and on the other hand my sewing machine seems to be out of commission.  Now comes the question of, to try to fix or to buy a new (to me) machine.  Decisions.

But let's celebrate the beautiful new project and admire how lovely the chair is.



Thanks so much for featuring my bouncy chair!
monogram

6 comments:

Jolayne said...

I love the fabric! Sorry to hear about your machine. I dread the day when I have to make that same decision.

Carla said...

Ah Laura I am loving reading your blog! lol, I had no idea this broke your sewing machine! if it is any consolation, i use it almost everday, and absolutely love it!

Randi~Dukes and Duchesses said...

That looks so great ... I love the fabric!

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

This looks great. I adore that fabric. Nice job.

Tasha said...

Beautiful. Really love the fabric choices. It really isn't that hard to recover them? I always think I want to try, but then get a little too nervous about it. You are giving me a little nudge to try it out. Not fun about your sewing machine though. Big big sad face to that one. Ugg. When my machine starts going down I just want to cry. Good luck deciding what you are going to do. Thank you thank you for linking this up. You really are inspiring me!

Carla said...

Hey Laura, I want to be entered into your give-a-way of sorts...but you haven't done a high chair yet. So I thought I would comment on this one again....I am not sure if we can even find a good material that will wash easily, but I though it might be fun.