I learned something new! What about you?

**frugalbabe** · 01-06-2009, 11:35 AM

This is kind of with Madhens homesteading challenge. I am just so proud of myself so I had to share! I have a couch and loveseat that I love but they are 5+ years old and in that time of having endless children and pets jump on and off them well, they are looking bad. The cushion covers were snagged and torn horribly. Dh suggested new furniture but that would just not be in keeping with our saving's resolutions so I called an upholsterer to get an estimate on their work $100 - $200 per cushion (GASP!) so I decided to bite the bullet and purchased the fabric myself and did my own uphostering and it looks fabulous! I love my furniture again, and the great thing is it only cost me $59 total and I had enough to recover the pillows on the back as well.
So what about you? Anbody else challenging themself to learn a new skill? How is it going? I love proving to myself that I can learn and succeed at things that I was intimidated by before, and I would love to hear more stories for inspiration!

**LastDragonfly** · 01-06-2009, 11:43 AM

That is awesome. Show us a photo please. You are brave! Is there a bravery badge? Gabe should get us one. I would vote that you get a bravery badge.

Wow you saved TONS of money.

**imagine** · 01-06-2009, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by frugalbabe

This is kind of with Madhens homesteading challenge. I am just so proud of myself so I had to share! I have a couch and loveseat that I love but they are 5+ years old and in that time of having endless children and pets jump on and off them well, they are looking bad. The cushion covers were snagged and torn horribly. Dh suggested new furniture but that would just not be in keeping with our saving's resolutions so I called an upholsterer to get an estimate on their work $100 - $200 per cushion (GASP!) so I decided to bite the bullet and purchased the fabric myself and did my own uphostering and it looks fabulous! I love my furniture again, and the great thing is it only cost me $59 total and I had enough to recover the pillows on the back as well.
So what about you? Anbody else challenging themself to learn a new skill? How is it going? I love proving to myself that I can learn and succeed at things that I was intimidated by before, and I would love to hear more stories for inspiration!

That is so cool that you could do that.

And here I was proud of myself for figuring out that a fitted twin sheet could cover the cushions of the couch.

Dog ate the couch nuff said.

**peanut** · 01-06-2009, 11:49 AM

<chuckle> I had a good time remembering when I decided to recover some cushions on my furniture. We bought an IKEA pine frame sofa, love seat and chair when we were first married 28 years ago. The sofa was too big for our place and so was cut down into a chair (DH is handy that way when he wants to be) and painted with enamels for an outdoor chair for SIL (a big man).

The love seat needed new cushions and I hit Fabricland's Bargain Wall. It was a steal of a deal! I ended up with coordinating fabric for curtains too...for 6 windows. Plus fabric for throw cushions and a big cushion. Well under $100 for everything. Now I need to re-cover the chair, which is in our bedroom.

I'm not on the homesteading challenge anymore, but I am learning new things all the time. That's what makes life worth living! Growing in knowledge and skill.

This week I learned to sew my own handkerchiefs. I made a new vegetarian curry recipe last night. I love learning to cook new recipes. I am preparing to learn to sew leather on my sewing machine. Never done that. Hope it will be a breeze. I am learning how to use OneNote (LOL...not quite what you had in mind!) to track goals and my challenges on this board. Also learning to cook with sourdough (this is ongoing).

Mostly at this stage of my life it's a case of recombining what I do know to make new and unique things, or to create a better quality of life for us.

Jean

**forHISglory** · 01-06-2009, 11:57 AM

I always figured that when I quit learning thing, I would be dead. So I am excited about your excitement!

I am trying/making new recipes this year, and worked out a quiche recipe in phyllo cups that was great. I also want to paint the gold-toned metal on several of our light fixtures, so that they match the oiled bronze finish on our new lights. So I'm trying to learn how to paint metal and make it look authentic.

**nancycg56** · 01-06-2009, 12:12 PM

WOW! That's great! I'd be too chicken to try, LOL!

**mommyoffive** · 01-06-2009, 01:36 PM

Wow, good for you!

The skill I am working on is baking my own bread. I am finally figuring out how much/how little flour I need to add to make a really nice dough. Before I was drying it out with too much. There is nothing more gratifying than a nicely risen dough and then the smell of it baking in the oven.

**outnumbered** · 01-06-2009, 01:48 PM

I am getting back into sewing, which I have not done since middle school! I made a set of very basic curtains for our bedroom last week out of 2 flat twin sheets. They look awesome and now i'm on the hunt for some CHEAP coordinating ribbon or something to jazz them up a bit. Next, I will tackle the living room curtains!

**homesteadmamma** · 01-06-2009, 02:28 PM

WOW that's a big challenge and you did it. WTG!!

I learnt how to make a fitted sheet out of a flat sheet. It wasn't near as hard as I thought it would be. I love learning new things and I'm really challenging myself this year.

**writtenonmybody** · 01-06-2009, 03:34 PM

WTG That's awecome. Want to come over and do mine now? Laugh.

**starsapphire** · 01-06-2009, 03:39 PM

Did you have some sort of instructions like from a book or google? If so, can you tell us where to get these instructions? Or did you just wing it and find out you are very crafty on your own?

**frugalbabe** · 01-06-2009, 07:12 PM

Thanks everybody! I am acting like I'm a rocket scientist or something but the cushions are just big rectangular box cushions no complicated corners or anything so they were pretty easy and I do sew so I had the basic equipment needed. I actually am planning on re-doing the first cushion I made because I learned as I went and that one is less than stellar looking so I could maybe do a tut. for it if anyone is interested (of course than I would have to admit I am computer illiterate and would need help getting my pictures and instructions on here!) but I know there are lots of techy smart people around here.

Actually, I belong to a sewing forum board that members can post tutorials that they make themselves do we have anything like that on here? I would love to see some, especially you industrious folks that make your own detergants/cleaners I haven't ventured into that yet....

**MommyBliss** · 01-06-2009, 07:30 PM

That is just awesome what you are doing! Good for you. I'll be making pancakes from scratch tomorrow. I am SO excited about that.

**prftstrngr** · 01-06-2009, 08:28 PM

I have a couch and chair that was my mother in laws and Im sure its more than 20 years old. And most likely came from k-mart when it was bought. I have often thought I would like to tackle covering it. Not really anything wrong with it....just doesnt look the best! Good Job....you may just have inspired me!!