Marilyn Fenn Decor

Covering a Foam Cushion

Published January 15, 2015

My fourth cushion project involves wrapping foam with batting, which I have never done before. I wasn’t sure whether the far edges should be wrapped; I’ve seen it done both ways, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what to do…

Posted in Sewing | Tagged batting, box cushion, circles, Dr. Seuss fabric, foam, invisible zippers, piping, stripes | Leave a comment

Favorite Sewing Tools

Published January 14, 2015

I resumed sewing last month, after a 5 or 6 year hiatus. I discovered that during my time away from sewing, some new tools have come along that make sewing even easier and more enjoyable. Here are some of the…

Posted in Sewing, Tools | Tagged cutting mats, Olipfa rulers, pin cushions, presser feet, rotary cutting tools, sewing furniture, sewing tools, Wonder clips | Leave a comment

Recovering an Old Sleeve Board

Published January 13, 2015

My ancient sleeve board’s covers have seen better days — I mean, really, what ratty covers! So in gearing up for a new round of sewing projects, I decided to buy new covers for the two parts of the…

Posted in Sewing, Tools | Tagged Betty's Best sleeveboard, cover for sleeve board, Insul-Bright, Iron Quick Fabric, ironing board cover, sleeve board | Leave a comment

Improvising a Cushion from Scraps and a Fat Quarter

Published January 10, 2015

I got a new Ikea Skruvsta chair this year, and discovered the seat is practically as hard as a rock (my other Skruvsta chair from 2013 is better padded…and rolls better, too). I had this beautiful fat quarter, which…

Posted in Sewing | Tagged cushions, fat quarter, scraps, sewing | Leave a comment

Sewing a Pillow with Both Piping and Invisible Zipper

Published January 2, 2015

I’ve got great instructions for sewing piping onto pillows, and also for installing invisible zippers, but now that I want to make a set of pillows with both piping and invisible zippers, I’ve discovered the instructions for…

Posted in Sewing | Tagged invisible zippers, pillows, piping, sewing | Leave a comment

Sewing Machines!!!

Published December 30, 2014

1939 Singer

“Sewing Machine.” It’s a funny term, isn’t it? We used to have “flying machines,” but they later became known as airplanes. There’s a term for a “time machine,” but so far, those don’t actually exist.…

Posted in Sewing, Tools | Tagged comparing sewing machines, Janome, Janome 49360 review, sewing, sewing machines, Singer | 2 Comments

Finally Finished the Daybed!

Published December 11, 2014

I finally found the time to add the trim to the daybed and to add the baseboard to this section of wall, cabinet and daybed. Whew! It’s been quite a while since my husband finished building these, and…

Posted in Attic, Building Furniture, Furniture, Remodeling | Tagged attic, baseboard, cabinets, daybed, painting, Remodeling | Leave a comment

Building a Small Wood Storage Cart

Published August 1, 2014

I wanted to build a small wood storage cart on wheels to safely store small cut sheets of plywood and masonite, and with a second side to contain cut dimensional lumber. I took my design from the…

Posted in Building Furniture, Garage, Storage | Tagged wood storage cart, woodworking | 2 Comments

Creating a Slat Shelf Storage System for the Garage

Published August 1, 2014

Continuing with our garage organization project, we were very taken with a slat shelf storage system found on American Woodworker via Pinterest, and decided we wanted to build something similar. My husband got started on this in June,…

Posted in Garage, Storage, Woodwork | Tagged shelving, slat shelves, storage | Leave a comment

Learning to Create Dadoes for a Wood Storage Cart

Published July 29, 2014

I learned to use a dado stack today. Woo-hoo! How cool is that? Got all my pieces cut now for the below wood storage cart. I love my new table saw!

Posted in Illustrations and Sketches, Tools | Tagged dado stacks, dadoes, designs, wood storage cart | Leave a comment

Upgraded to a Much Better Table Saw

Published July 1, 2014

Let me just say, the difference between a mid-priced table saw and a budget table saw is astonishing. So, now I know how they’re supposed to work!

After much research online, especially in woodworking forums, I decided on a…

Posted in Tools | Tagged table saw, tools | Leave a comment

Bedroom – Before and After Painting

Published June 30, 2014

There are still several unfinished projects in this room, but until I get all those done, here are some before and after photos of the unpainted/painted walls.

Bedroom before painting Bedroom after painting

Above the bed, we plan to build…

Posted in Bedroom, Decorating, Painting | Tagged colors, painting | Leave a comment