Thursday, April 16, 2009

Unproductive

I'm tired and dizzy. Not quite sure why. It appears to be "just one of those days" where I'm a bit off.

Trying to choose a color of paper for the walls in the Greenleaf is simply exhausting for some reason.

I did manage to listen to the swarm of gnats in my head and start experimenting with making realistic, modern mattresses last night. I need a bed for the Greenleaf, two for the BD, one for FH's hunting cabin, and probably others down the line so I decided to let the gnats win and started measuring.

These two pieces are the same width and length, but different thicknesses.

I only had one piece of foam that was 1/2" thick and when I went looking for more I could only find 1" thick pieces. So I thought I would play and see which I liked better.

Modern mattresses tend to be thicker these days, so 1" thick might not be a bad thing. I can always use a thinner piece for the base or box spring to make up for it.

I followed the directions for making a mattress in Dodge's Doll's House Needlecraft book and covered the 1/2" piece. I have to say I'm not happy with the way the sides turned out.

I think the cover is way too tight. I'm going to take it apart and try a wider piece of fabric for the side. That ought to do the trick nicely.

I haven't covered the thicker foam yet. I'm waiting to see how much wider the fabric needs to be for the 1/2" thickness and then I will adjust it for the 1" thickness.

I also think I will break out the sewing machine for these. I stitched the first attempt on the 1/2" by hand. The seams are alright and are holding well (huzzah for even backstitching) but it just took too bloody long. So I will be dragging the machine out at some point in the next few days and trying again.

For now I think I will drag myself over to the couch and maybe put in season 1 of the new Dr. Who. I may or may not do some stitching. I think it depends on how ambitious I feel once I leave this chair.

12 comments:

Alice said...

You are right, wider side pieces will probably do the trick. When I cover mattresses, I try to have the seams line up right on the edges where the planes meet. Easier said than done.

Dr. Who rocks! Old and new. (I have only seen season 1 and 2 of new Dr. Who.)

A. Wright said...

I agree, with Alice about trying to line up the seams with edges. Not an easy thing on small objects at times however.

As for unproductive...you've been posting like crazy here the last few days. Looks like you have been very productive to me. In any event you've really given me something to look forward to on my breaks!

Thanks bunches for sharing

MiniKat said...

Alice: A friend loaned me the first two seasons on DvD. She has seasons 3 and 4 too, but I want to get through these first.

A.Wright: I'm glad you're enjoying the scenery as it were. ;-)

I've been productive every day this week but today. Hoping tomorrow will be a better day.

JDayMinis said...

Wow, you are making real mattresses, that's great. Hand stitching can be so relaxing. I'm sorry you are dizzy and not feeling well. Hope you feel better soon. Dizzy is always difficult, sometimes it just goes away on its own.

MiniKat said...

The sad part is, Jean, that I'm getting used to having more of these types of days than regular days. *sigh*

Next Tuesday's appointment can't come any sooner for me.

julie campbell said...

Take care, hope that dizziness eases soon. it really is hard to be productive when you feel like that. The matress is looking pretty good so far ,I agree about the seams too,
julie xx

Caseymini said...

Are you going to tuft the matresses Kat? If you are, you might want to make them a bit looser. The tufting will draw up the fabric even more. Are the matresses going to be covered by sheets and blankets? Those hide a lot.G I love Doctor Who. Do you also watch Torchwood, the spinoff?

Tallulah Belle said...

Wow....more patience than me. I'd cover it n fabric and glue it on lol...that is is I ever made a bed. Far to fiddly for my liking.


Dr Who...hmmmm....not sure what I think of the 'new' version having grown up on the original series. I do like to see a glimpse of 'home' though.

And I can't bear Billy Piper...ack.

MiniKat said...

The mattresses will be covered in sheets and blankets now, but later I might want to have them show in a different project. That's why I'm fiddling with them now.

I was tufting this first one when I decided I couldn't stand the side seems the way they were. It will be tufted again once I fix the tightness issue.

Casey: Haven't seen Torchwood yet. Open to it though. Will see if I can find it on DvD. We don't have anything beyond broadcast television here.

Jayne Tom Baker will always be Dr. Who to me. His was the first portrayal I had ever seen. Was very confused about Peter Davison appearing. Of course I was only five or six at the time. I wanted "jelly baby man" back! ;-)

Alice said...

I have a t-shirt from thinkgeek.com that says "you will always remember your first doctor". It has a TARDIS on it. One of our PBS stations has been showing the new Doctor Who series. Peter Davison pulled me in, but I tend to think of Tom Baker when I think of Dr Who.

MiniKat said...

That rocks!

Tallulah Belle said...

Ooohhh for me it has to be Jon Pertwee...guess I'm older than you lol. Although Paul McGann isn't hard on the eyes.

One of my earliest memories was hiding behind the sofa when it came on....the music terrified me. Loved the show but not the intro music.