from clothing to comfort

I have been frustrated with our living room decor for a while.  I like most of it, but the colors are… so… blah.  Navy, seagreen, and maroon.  Alright for the winter, but we have definitely needed a lift of color now that it is warming up outside.

I read somewhere (I really don’t remember at all) that you should raid your closet for inspiration and things you can upcycle into new interior decor.  After all, you usually like what you wear, so I decided to give it a try.  I found that most of what I wear is pretty neutral, so that was disheartening… until I stumbled upon this shirt.

I. Love. This. Top.  It, however, does not love my post-baby body.  Clings in all the wrong places.  No one wants to see the baby flab that has stuck with me since Jack was born.  So, I thought, why not use it to make something new.

The colors are perfect to bring together to two main colors in the room – the navy and the seagreen.  It brings a pop and brightness to the space, and makes me think of summer.  So, what to make?  The shirt was the perfect size for a…

Pillow!  On first thought, I was going to be lazy and just sew the sleeves closed and stuff the pillow inside… until I realized that it would pucker strangely where the shaping in the shirt was.

So, me and my non-existent sewing skills pulled the sewing machine out and began to horribly massacre cut the shirt into completely trapezoidal rectangles.  Sorry there are no pics of the actual sewing, but I thought I’d save you the horror.

Once finished, I decided to do something with the drawstrings that were on the original shirt… so I crocheted a quick little crocheted circle to go into the middle of the looped around drawstrings – to make a funky flower to pin to the final product.

And there you have it… a pretty spring pillow to brighten our living room, and to make Sunday afternoon naps on the couch that much cozier.

Ain’t it purty?  I thought Nick would absolutely hate it because it was all flowery and girly, but he doesn’t seem to mind it… in fact he said, “it’s very… you”.  That’s a good thing, yeah?  I’m beginning to like this upcycle thing – $5 for a pillow insert, a shopping trip to my closet, the chance to have some crafty time during Jack’s nap, and WALA!  a new pillow.

Now what to do with the rest of the space?  What other things can I deconstruct and make something new from?  Any ideas of how else to brighten the room?

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