What are you sewing in and for your home ? .

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Dani said:
That is wonderful @Sentry18 ! Those girls and your momma will cherish them always. Can't blame your wife one bit for wanting to convert that bedroom. I was chomping at the bit wondering which son was leaving the house first so I could do some converting myself ;).
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We were pretty happy with 5 kids and she started making plans to create a craft room out of the nursery. Then child #6 came a long and the nursery had to stay a nursery. When child #6 moved in with child #5 she started planning on turning the nursery into a craft room again, then child #7 came along. Now every child has their own room and we are locked in until child #2 moves out. He keeps saying he may go to college local to save money, but I am pretty sure he is just saying that to get her goat. I keep offering to send a couple kids to military boarding school but apparently she doesn't want a craft room THAT badly. :)
 
@Sentry18 that is wonderful that your wife is getting into quilting and I am sure she will enjoy it and lots of others will benefit from her lovely quilts :D . Be warned it becomes quite addictive any type of sewing or crafting and it is easy to take up an entire room with craft items so no doubt soon your lovely wife will have a whole room dedicated to it as I do. Now we are empty nesters I can do that and not feel the least bit guilty :D, and it brings extra income into our home regularly too.
 
I don't do crafty stuff but I do sew if I need to. Last couple of "house" projects were thermal curtains, those started off as simple canvas blinds to keep the sun out, then i decided to make them triple thick for winter. I have a vintage (1970's) Bernina sewing machine that can do most things.

Another project that worked out well was dog bed covers. I have 6 dogs most of whom weigh 60 to 120 lbs so they are hard on beds. Decided to order heavy weight denier fabric (waterproof, for backpacks and such) from rockywoods.com. That had to be about 6 years ago and the dog bed covers still look just like new. Three of them are baby mattresses bought at used stores and they have a "pillowcase" style cover that completely seals the mattress (repels pee, vomit, pretty much indestructible). If people have big dogs baby mattresses make awesome beds, I have napped on them myself and they are really comfortable!

Though in the winter the beds get fleece pads or a blanket on top to make them warmer.

dog%20bed.jpg
 
Sewingcreations15 said:
@Sonya_6 you have done a wonderful job of the dogs bed covers and the thicker the fabric the more durable it is and for dog beds that is indeed what you want especially when they are big ones like yours.

It is amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it :) .
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Thanks, and yes getting the right material makes all the difference for a project like that. Rockywoods.com is *the* site for getting outdoor fabric, they specialize in that and have everything imaginable from super lightweight water/fire resistant fabrics to very heavy weight, they don't carry the common fabrics found in stores. I am a thrifty shopper and will even by material on ebay, but for something that will get a lot of heavy use it is worth it to spend a little more.

These covers were version 2.0, the first covers I made were fleece and they literally soaked up dirt like a sponge while only lasting a year or two. The denier covers don't even need to be washed as nothing penetrates the fabric, just wiping them with a sponge or hosing them off gets them clean.
 
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Sonya, that is a GREAT idea about using denier fabric - it is pretty much indestructible!!! I have 2 big dogs that size so I know how sturdy a bed SHOULD be but most that you buy around town AREN'T and don't hold up very long at all!!! I am wanting to make some outside cushions for my deck this summer and think I will buy some of the denier for it. What size needle and thread do you use on your machine for it???
 
Sewingcreations15 said:
@Sentry18 that is wonderful that your wife is getting into quilting and I am sure she will enjoy it and lots of others will benefit from her lovely quilts :D . Be warned it becomes quite addictive any type of sewing or crafting and it is easy to take up an entire room with craft items so no doubt soon your lovely wife will have a whole room dedicated to it as I do. Now we are empty nesters I can do that and not feel the least bit guilty :D, and it brings extra income into our home regularly too.
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That many kids and she made need to take basket weaving. JK of course. Seems like she handles em all very well with help from very involved father.
 
Sonya_6 said:
I don't do crafty stuff but I do sew if I need to. Last couple of "house" projects were thermal curtains, those started off as simple canvas blinds to keep the sun out, then i decided to make them triple thick for winter. I have a vintage (1970's) Bernina sewing machine that can do most things.

Another project that worked out well was dog bed covers. I have 6 dogs most of whom weigh 60 to 120 lbs so they are hard on beds. Decided to order heavy weight denier fabric (waterproof, for backpacks and such) from rockywoods.com. That had to be about 6 years ago and the dog bed covers still look just like new. Three of them are baby mattresses bought at used stores and they have a "pillowcase" style cover that completely seals the mattress (repels pee, vomit, pretty much indestructible). If people have big dogs baby mattresses make awesome beds, I have napped on them myself and they are really comfortable!

Though in the winter the beds get fleece pads or a blanket on top to make them warmer.

dog%20bed.jpg
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Great job! I have been thinking of covering our huge dog beds with canvas or something, this may be better idea. Whatever doesn't hold cold or heat too much. Is this matereal you use ok for that?
 
Meerkat said:
Great job! I have been thinking of covering our huge dog beds with canvas or something, this may be better idea. Whatever doesn't hold cold or heat too much. Is this matereal you use ok for that?
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Well it is like canvas just completely waterproof. As far as heat, it feels cool to the touch which is why I add blankets or fleece crate pads to it in the winter else they won't want to use it and will pace/silently complain (plus they all end up on my bed at night and there isn't room). The filling probably has a lot to do with how hot/cold it is, in the winter I sometimes put a mylar blanket under the cover to reflect heat though it does make a crinkly sound.

You won't be sorry if you go with that type of fabric. I bought it in 2012 (just looked up the email receipt) and got the 600 Deniere fabric in Backwoods Camo (does a great job hiding dirt and doesn't really look like camo at a glance, just a dark patterned fabric). Here is the fabric: http://www.rockywoods.com/600-Denier-urethane-coated-Polyester-Camouflage-Fabric-Backwoods-Camo

They have it in a few colors: http://www.rockywoods.com/search?keywords=600 Denier urethane coated Polyester

They also have a bunch of similar fabrics though I would try to get a similar weight and make sure it is waterproof. A light color is going to show dirt even if it doesn't absorb much. Just look for one that they list as good for dog vests/beds/backpacks. The fabric is very heavy, like 1.3 lbs per yard or something.
 
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COSunflower said:
Sonya, that is a GREAT idea about using denier fabric - it is pretty much indestructible!!! I have 2 big dogs that size so I know how sturdy a bed SHOULD be but most that you buy around town AREN'T and don't hold up very long at all!!! I am wanting to make some outside cushions for my deck this summer and think I will buy some of the denier for it. What size needle and thread do you use on your machine for it???
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Yeah it really is pretty much indestructible, I am sure it could be chewed but I don't think it is even all that tempting. Plus cost wise I paid $20 for a second hand baby mattress (or $60 new), and another $20 or so for the cover, a durable x-large bed easily costs $150-200 and the covers/filling wouldn't last nearly as long.

As far as needle and thread, I used just a regular medium weight needle, nothing special. Also used all-purpose cotton thread. The first cover I made was like a fitted sheet with elastic to cover the top of the bed, that was a lot more work and not nearly as good as just doing a simple pillow case design and adding velcro to one end.

The velcro works great on the baby mattresses because they are firm and the opening is off to the side where it doesn't have any wear, but for softer pillow type beds I would probably go with a zipper or maybe snaps if the opening gets pawed or can get dog hair in it over time. I put the opening on the side instead of the bottom so the cover can be used on both sides.

For outdoor cushions a lighter weight denier would probably be sufficient as they won't take the same level of abuse.
 
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Sonya_6 said:
Well it is like canvas just completely waterproof. As far as heat, it feels cool to the touch which is why I add blankets or fleece crate pads to it in the winter else they won't want to use it and will pace/silently complain (plus they all end up on my bed at night and there isn't room). The filling probably has a lot to do with how hot/cold it is, in the winter I sometimes put a mylar blanket under the cover to reflect heat though it does make a crinkly sound.

You won't be sorry if you go with that type of fabric. I bought it in 2012 (just looked up the email receipt) and got the 600 Deniere fabric in Backwoods Camo (does a great job hiding dirt and doesn't really look like camo at a glance, just a dark patterned fabric). Here is the fabric: http://www.rockywoods.com/600-Denier-urethane-coated-Polyester-Camouflage-Fabric-Backwoods-Camo

They have it in a few colors: http://www.rockywoods.com/search?keywords=600 Denier urethane coated Polyester

They also have a bunch of similar fabrics though I would try to get a similar weight and make sure it is waterproof. A light color is going to show dirt even if it doesn't absorb much. Just look for one that they list as good for dog vests/beds/backpacks. The fabric is very heavy, like 1.3 lbs per yard or something.
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Sonya thanks for links and I will look it up for sure. We sure need somethign for them so we don't have to keep buying beds then replacign them every year. :thumbs up:
 
Sewingcreations15 said:
Don't feel bad about the safety pins @Meerkat as my father used to staple the bottom of his pants hems and sometimes tape them with duct tape too if they came undone if Mum wasn't around to sew them. It did the job though :) .
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He sounds like a smart man.:thumbs up: I can sew but I don't want to ,I have too much up and down time to around here.:lil guy:
 
@Meerkat it is all about priorities around here too and sad to say that sewing comes last of all on my list at the moment because we are preparing garden beds for planting new season crops and also have a rental inspection at the end of the month too that we have to tidy for. I do get the rare moments when I do have some spare time though and that is when I sew.
 
Sewingcreations15 said:
@MoBookworm1957 just catching up on this thread congratulations on the new baby grandson :D .

It is truly amazing how much fabric everyone can get out of old sheets, curtains doona covers and old clothing from op shops or given away on the internet to do lots of sewing projects with little expenditure. I have never been a quilter but must try when I get in our own home as the cottage is really too small to do large projects in.
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I have only one grandchild and that's a girl.
Baby boy is Great Nephew though.
All other babies to be born this year are also greats.
Sorry for the confusion.
 
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