My Old New Couch

OK, so it’s not really new, but the cushion covers are. I also made floor pillows (shown on the couch here) throw pillows for the couch and leather chairs, and covers for a couple of bed pillows (the pillows slip in a slit in the back) that are  good for lounging.  I heard someone say that being “green” does not mean that you throw away your belongings and buy new things made with organic materials; it means you find a way to reuse what you already have. That’s what I did.  One less couch in a land fill.

These are called “hamburger cushions.    My mother-in-law had them on her sofa and I always admired them.  My mother taught me how to make box cushions and piping,  but I had no idea how to make hamburger cushions and could not find a pattern.  I don’t sew enough to be able to figure it out.  Then, one day, someone on my block threw out a sofa with hamburger cushions.  I swiped  one of the covers and figured out how to make my own.  Saved by my not-so-inner dumpster diver.

I tacked the striped material to the front of the couch.

Throw pillow on leather chair.  Brown fabric on reverse

This is the back of the bed pillow cover.

I had to make miles of piping for this project.  I learned a wonderful new way to cut and sew the fabric fast and neatly.  Here are the YouTube videos.

I hereby nominate Karen Erickson for a Nobel Prize in sewing!

One last thing.  Most home decor junkies are lamenting the passage of Domino Magazine. The good news is  the former editor of Domino started  Lonny Magazine which you can only read on line. Check it out!