For a Few Dollars and a Trip to the Attic...

 I am not a stitcher:

no cross-stitching,

 Pinterest.com (by motleycrafter.tumblr.com)

quilting,

  Pinterest.com (from dianegaudynski.blogspot.com)

embroidery.

 Pinterest.com (created by kirstensfabricart.blogspot.com)

I tried

and failed.

It's one of those things that I just made such a complete mess of it,

I never got the motivation to try again.

Am I a failure?

I think it's painting's fault.

If you mess up with painting,

you take a slap of color on your brush,

splash it across,

and return the piece to a form you can work with.

Stitching requires tedious ripping out.

I am a huge admirer of stitchers

and stitchery.

Maybe this is because my sister cross-stitched

and I saw the long hours and precision

it took to create such grand masterpieces.

The beauty of stitchery awes me.

Pinterest.com

In a funny reversal to this mentality,

I love crocheting.

Pinterest.com (from ing-things.blogspot.com)

And I have had many crochet disasters that I have had to rip out.

But if you crochet,

you know ripping out is fast and easy,

for the most part.

No tedium involved.

Tears, sure, but no tedium.

Pinterest.com (from the Blog: Attic24)

I bought a new love seat cover with part of my craft sale money.

I decided to go cranberry red.

I love it.

Wanting something to dress it up a little,

I did a little dance when I found this embroidered pillow cover

at a second hand store for not much more than a dollar.

 I loved the colors and design

and instantly thought of my living room.

I set it aside till after Christmas.

I love winter projects.

Farm life takes up so much time during the summer.

 

 It was completely sewn up on three sides,

and the bottom was open with this writing on it.

 I'm not sure what any of it means,

being dumb that way;

but I knew what I wanted to do with it.
I laundered it on gentle cycle
and made sure it was sturdy enough to handle my hopes.

I ironed the printed bottom hem in,

and sewed a blanket stitch around the whole thing.

I then dug up some yarn from the attic.

People know I crochet and give me their old yarn.

I love old yarn.

I have a terrible addiction to it.

Any yarn is gold to me, really.

I found some last month for $.50 a skein and filled my cart with it;

well, slight exaggeration.

I spent about $15, $13, $11 on yarn.

(That was for my Farmer's sake;

he has plans to clean the attic in the near future,

and I didn't want to put him into a sweat if he actually reads this.

I think I'm okay with this blog post though;

as soon as he sees it is about crochet and the living room,

I think he'll give up and pass.

I hope his yawn doesn't scare anybody.)

Anyhow,

using yarn I had and that people have given to me,

I did a double crocheted edge,

making sure to do 3 double crochets in each of the corners.

I continued this pattern as long as I liked.

I also occasionally added a row of shells (3 double crochet in one,)

skip a space,

double crochet in next two,

skip a space

throughout a row all the way around.

(When I got to the end of a row near a corner,

I filled in any extra spaces that could not complete the pattern with double crochets).

Next row I did the same, except in the tops of the three double crochet shells,

I did a decrease double crochet shell.

Then I did some more rows of just double crochets.

For the ending,

I did the reverse single crochet edging.

 This fits just right on the love seat,

as long as I can keep the kids from pulling it off.

Why do they do that?

I'm so excited at how it's all coming together with the walls in the living room, too.

I wasn't sure about the green, but I love it with the cranberry.

So for a few dollars,

three or four movie's time in the evening,

I have exactly what I wanted for the back of the love seat.

Now the question is,

what material do I use for the curtains?

Linking up to some of these places:

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays 
Hip Homeschool Moms
Betweennapsontheporch 
Gnowfglins.com
wearethatfamily.com
No minimalist here: open-house-party
A Bowl Full of Lemons
The Trendy Treehouse.blogspot.com
Women Living Well
Frugally Sustainable
DIYbydesign.blogspot
We Are That Family
DIYshowoff.com:pinterest-pinfest 
The Thrifty Home
Wicked Awesome Wednesday
Someday Crafts
LiLLuna
Sew Much a Do
Ginger Snap Crafts 

Little Daisy May: What I'm Loving Wednesday

*Blue Cricket Design

*Be Inspired - Room to Inspire

*Power of Paint Party - Domestically Speaking

 *Tea Rose Home
Restore Interiors 

Sew Much Ado

Primitive & Proper

My Backyard Eden

A Beach Cottage

Raising Homemakers: Homemaking-link-up

Funky Junk Interiors

I Heart Naptime

Be Different Act Normal

Young An Crafty

*Weekend Wrap Up Party - Tatertots and Jello

Saturday Spotlight - Craft Envy