June 20, 2009

Mini Mudroom Improvement

In our mudroom we have a traditional bench and hook shelf set up. Which makes perfect place to stash our keys and drop off any items we're carrying. Not only does having that drop off point so close to the door help keep house clutter down, it also helps me quickly find my keys. If I don't stick my keys on the hook right away I'm sure to loose them and that means frantic moments of tearing the house apart during my search to find them.

The bench was a great Ikea purchase that does double duty because of the storage space inside. Which is where we place the pet food, one quick peak in lets us know if anything is running low before heading out.

It seems that we've placed a few things on the bench that have left their mark(s) on the cushion.
I felt like the stains took away from the clean feeling in the room, and might be distracting to buyers during showings. Also its really just gross to have such a grody stain on your furniture.

Buying a new cushion would be impossible, being as the bench is long since discontinued. I almost purchased a bit of fabric last night to make a cover, but then I remember that I have a few remnants of fabric laying around that would like really nice in the mudroom. They are leftovers from our Ikea curtains in the office.

Up into the attic I went to grab the fabric and my trusty sewing machine!

I put down the cushion in the middle of the fabric and played around with how I wanted wrap it up. I had to make a simple cover, leaving the bottom mostly open because of velcro attachments. Eventually I decided on a very simple folded over design. A little measuring, folding, refolding, pining with the only four pins I could find and then I'm ready to start sewing.
My trusty sewing machine was an awesome birthday present from mom during my teenage years. What teenager wants a sewing machine? Apparently I did! Although my sewing skills have not much improved over the years I'm so happy I have a machine in the house, it has proven itself invaluable over the years.

The whole project took a little less than an hour from start to finish and cost zero dollars and zero cents. Well worth the time and price in my opinion. Everything looks so much cleaner now!

2 comments:

  1. I got a sewing machine for Christmas and still havent learned how to use it so your sewing skills are quite impressive to me!

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  2. Lisa- I think fabric stores offer lessons if you can find the time to sign up for a few!Just a few beginner lessons will help with household stuff. My "skills" are all courtesy of a High School Soph year sewing class. I made a lot of scrunchies.

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