With weather as murky as a muddy puddle, it's been the perfect week to stay indoors and get on with a bit of sewing. Regular readers might recall that last year I made slipcovers for the dining room chairs [this post here]. A year or so down the line, after everyday use and much washing , they were looking a little bit tired. I wanted to do something cheap and cheerful to refresh them, while still being able to see the floral patterns too. I also wanted new covers to be looser, and slightly longer than the ones I made before.
On the internet I've seen lots of plain white slipcovers, finished off with a ruffle. I really liked them. I decided to make something similar. The finished covers turned out quite nicely, and I thought I'd share them with you. I am no seamstress, and I am actually pretty rubbish at sewing (I hate it when people look too closely at my handiwork and move them along swiftly). I never expect things to turn out perfectly, 'good enough' is good enough for me.
So. First thing I did was buy two plain white cotton flat sheets. King size to give me as much fabric to play with as possible.
I don't measure anything because I am too lazy (perhaps that's something I should start doing!), instead I measure by eye, cut fabric, pin, and then tack things together.
I make slipcovers in two sections, the top section first, then once that's been machined together, I turn it inside out again and work on the seat section, then sew them together. I find it the simplest way of doing it. They only take a couple of hours from start to finish, which means I can work as and when I can around Gorgeous Girl. 
The fabric isn't going to last forever, I know that, but it suited me so well to use it. It's cheap and cheerful, will wash up brilliantly once paint and felt tips have been splattered all over, and it's thin enough to show the floral fabric underneath. 
On Tuesday I had to stop working on slipcovers to make a frilly pillowcase for Gorgeous Girl. She's been asking me to make one since we bought the ruffly pillowcases the other week. I've photographed it on top of one of the large pillows. 
I've plodded through the sewing all week. I have such respect for anyone who sews for a living, even more so if they have to sew with ruffles and frills. It's easy to get in a mess.By Friday, all six covers had been made. They suit my 'white month' mood perfectly.
If anyone out there ever wonders if they can make something themselves, I would always say 'give it a try'. See what you can do. You will never know what you are capable of if you don't try, and you might surprise youself. Have a bit of courage and go for it. So what if things aren't perfect? I have NEVER made anything that could be considered 'perfect', and don't even strive for perfection. As long as I like it and it looks ok, then that'll do for me.You can't see from the photos that I have left a lot of bright orange tacking stitches in each cover! I will pick them out as and when, but it's a boring task so I'm not too bothered about it.
What I'm most happy with is the cost. I always do my projects on a budget, and this is no exception. I bought my flat sheets from Asda, who were selling them for £8 each or two for £9 (yes, you did read that correctly!). This means I've made six slipcovers and a pillowcase for just £9. And that is why I won't be crying when juice, glue, glitter and paint are spilt all over them.