Sneak Peek: Reupholstered Dining Set

Totally slacking on posting photos of the new space. I have this unrealistic hope that it'll all come together at once (and quickly). So far it isn't happening that way!

Here's a little sneak peek of a close-to-finished nook. I love Jackie's growing collection of botanical illustrations mounted on newsprint. Also, take note of the crown molding! We're growing up!



The dining set was a labor of love. We polished the wood, saved the original labels, and recovered the retro orange seats. I'm not sure if the original seats got itchier with time or if these things were always itchy, but lets just say that they weren't the most comfortable. Not to mention the vintage smell and mysterious stains. It was a huge pain to remove all of the staples (apparently the Swedes love their staples!) and we had to work with a weird latex foam seat that was glued to the wood base. Once we got that out of the way, we covered the seats in a new fabric that was found in the Fashion District in downtown LA. I've been hoarding this amazing cut of Indonesian textile for almost a year and a half and I'm so pleased to see it go somewhere in plain view all the time! I love the vibrant colors and the tribal pattern. Best of all, it's super soft and durable.



On to the next project!

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MORE DETAILS:

Table: Craigslisted off of a really sweet couple in Westchester. The husband found this beauty in a Goodwill and he restored it with Howard's Feed & Wax. We lucked out when it ended up being too large for their new apartment!

Chairs: Found at the legendary Pasadena Rosebowl Flea Market after scouring through dozens of over-priced mid-century dining sets! We got a deal when I noticed that some of the caning was damaged...doesn't bother us, but got us a nice fat discount. We can always restore the caning when we are feeling rich. Or not!

DIY - I AM. Zippered Yoga Mat Bag

Goal: sew a yoga  mat bag with zippers so that I can cart around my fancy new Jade yoga mat without getting it covered in dust, dirt and cat hair. The Jade yoga mats are made of a heavy-duty rubber that grips so it isn't suited for your typical mag bag with the synch on top.

Inspiration: These amazing "I AM." Yoga mat Bags


Since I am cheap and refuse to spend $80 on a bag for my yoga mat, I decided to figure it out on my own (with some guidance from mom, of course)!


This was the first time I had ever attempted a zippered inside pocket and if you are ever going to tackle this on your own, this tutorial was extremely helpful. It's not hard at all if you go step by step but the end result is so rewarding!


Sewing 2 linings with zippers inside one large tube was another hard concept to wrap my mind around but once I was putting the whole thing together, it made sense. This tutorial on making a zippered pouch made my life much easier. Honestly, I don't know what people did before the internet! I'm guessing a lot of ripping seams, sewing stuff backwards, and starting from scratch.


My end result is super functional as I can fit my mat, my mat towel, a hand towel AND an outfit in there...and check out the grommets! Pretty excited about those. I also looooooove the lining fabric that Jackie found in clearance! The blend of cool and warm colors make me happy and I can't wait to turn it into something else since I have so much leftover!