home decor

  • The Magic of Sleep

    ByHeather Bailey

    CreativeBug_HeatherBailey

    I made it through the Creative Bug
    shoot last week for creativebug.com. It was a close call, with only a few days to complete
    the prep—fabric was late to arrive. Ashley was out sick and Karen had
    other obligations, so I was short-staffed to boot. Mom to the rescue.
    She came over and cut out pillow pieces for hours. (Extra amazing, as my
    dad's in the hospital with a broken hip right now—yikes!) And I called
    in some freelance help as well for yet more cutting—there were lots of
    step-outs to prepare.

    We made it. I even got three hours of sleep. Let's just hope the recording doesn't pick up my puffy, bloodshot eyes.

    HeatherBailey_CourtneyCerruti

    What a delightful film crew Creative Bug has: two camera operators, a
    sound technician, and an artist's coach—to help me stay organized and
    coherrent. If only we could keep her around, right?  I wish I'd had the chance to get to know them all better. I
    did all of the talking for hours straight.

    CameraCrewCollage

    Perhaps we will collaborate on future online classes. Next time, with
    more sleep. You'll watch those ones and say, "Wow, Heather just got 5
    years younger in this new video."

    The magic of sleep.

  • Good as Old

    ByHeather Bailey

    Chair_Before_Pixel470T

    I was digging through some old pictures today and came across these 'before' pictures for a chair I upholstered last spring. If Shredded Chic worked in a family environment, I might have kept the chair as it was—it had its own appeal, all shredded and torn.

    ChairSpring470wtOnce I had the chair fully dismantled I learned it was much older than I expected —and really well made. The frame was solid. The whole thing was upholstered with tacks and the arms were padded with horse hair. I had incorrectly assumed that its larger size meant it was much newer.

    This thing was old. Perhaps big-bummed-bustle gowns explain its size.

    Tacks are more of a pain to remove than staples—but more gratifying. Once you get a good purchase on one, it prys out like butter. They aren't so friendly on bare feet though.

    I only had one day to finish the job before photographing the chair for a tradeshow. I was 5 months pregnant so this was quite a task. Upholstering is like wrestling a dusty, groggy bear. Afterward, you're covered with claw marks and you're sore all over.

    Isaac was very attentive that day, fussing over my swollen self, bringing me tools and water, untangling the air hose as needed. He was fascinated with the process and envious of the loud racket I was making. Though I learned upholstery back in college, Isaac had never witnessed me do the work.

    UnsprungCrop470T

    He got involved here and there. He had his first adventure with a webbing stretcher; he tied the springs back into place for me too and made sure the frame was square again—he did an excellent job.

    I'm planning to have him do ALL of the prep work next time. That should save me a few pulled muscles.

    ChairLegBefore470wI have a stack of collected chairs waiting to be upholstered with Heather Bailey home dec prints. More chairs than I have room for really. So, birthday presents for friends? Reception seating for the office?

    I'll post 'before' photos of my next project and get your take on color/fabric combos.

    Truth is, such physical work is a nice change of pace. With gear laid out and a queue of chairs ready to go, the blazing heat of the garage is nothing a freezy Jamba Juice and a run through the sprinklers can't remedy.