The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter
Back when I had first started re-covering my deck furniture, I told the sad tale about how I went through all that work (mostly the mental work of committing to doing it!), only to find that directly afterwards, some animal chewed two holes in my new covers!
So not fair!!
You couldn't chew old ugly coverings, you bad varmint!?! You had to chew the new ones?! UGH.
Of course I had quickly tossed the scraps from the project, because “you shouldn't keep stuff around ‘just in case it comes in handy'” and other lies we tell ourselves.
For five years I made sure the sides with the holes didn't show, which is a pain! Because you need to flip cushions! Double UGH.
Well, flash (and I use the word flash in the sense of “slowly drag yourself”) forward to 2016 and — ta da! — I fixed it! Because, in getting that last settee done (you can see the befores and afters by clicking that link), I once again had scraps! (This fixing of the holes, by the way, was a huge incentive to get the same fabric rather than making do with something that merely coordinated.)
I thought you might like to see how to make the least obtrusive patch you can.
The trick is to sew the patch underneath the hole, not on top. Just roll the edges of the hole under and, using the smallest, most hidden stitching you are capable of, sew the edges onto the piece of fabric you have cut to be just slightly larger than the hole (leaving, say, 1/4 inch all the way around for allowance).
I think I did an even better job on this one, as I took care not to let the design rotate as I was sewing it:
The fact that the pattern here is not solid really helps fool the eye, I think. I'm not ashamed to flip the cushions now.
Onto our links:
- Here is a rather overwrought article about two fascinating (but hardly epistemologically uncertain) burglaries.
- I myself have a beautiful, gossamer silk blouse that was made from a parachute from World War II — it was my aunt's. I don't fit into it anymore, but maybe one of the girls should make me dig it out. This article is about a dress made of silk that was used as the substrate for printing maps of enemy territory.
- All of us, as parents, have to be concerned with the state of education. We have a sneaking suspicion that the university is not a wholesome place, but we are not exactly sure why. This important sketch of “The Most Dangerous Socialist in History” will help clear things up. We were right not to trust our institutions, which have been the object of a “long march”.
- If you are friends with me on Facebook, you probably already saw this post on Your Rights During a Miscarriage, but I think it's important enough to post here as well. It's so hard to know what to do — and what you can do — when you are experiencing a miscarriage. Good to have read some information beforehand. I wonder if there is something similar for ectopic pregnancy? Let me know in the comments.
- I do really enjoy reading David Warren, although he's not super cheerful. This time, Why Our Problems are Insoluble.
- A friend mentioned this little series (I'm linking to the archive because he doesn't link the posts up to each other) on Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language. That led me to this little post of John Cuddeback's on the Secret of the Marriage Bed. Really, it's only two paragraphs, other than the quote from Homer. The second of the two is gold. Pure gold: the secret of the marriage bed.
- This secret is why my post giving you a list of books on marriage prep has only five or six books on it. Guard the secret, teach your children to guard the secret, for it is the secret of life.
- I thought this long article gives deep insight into “the daily work of a hospice nurse, who treats the physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of people at the most vulnerable point of their lives.” I never expected to read the Catholic prayer for the dying in the New Yorker.
Today is the feast of St. Peter Chrysologus (“the man of golden speech”).
From the archives:
- In the middle of the season, the reminder to make your menus can help stave off food prep paralysis.
- A really good grilled eggplant recipe: Eggplant Obsession.
- One of those times where I talk about censorship and dish towels, in all violation of the known rules of keeping to one topic per post.
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Katie says
Eggplant obsession! I just searched the archives for the recipe this week, recalling it when we brought in our first three eggplants (ever) from the garden. Fixed it for dinner Wednesday, cubed and roasted, with a little cumin and cayenne, and rice and a kofta-style meatloaf (feeling adventurous, and it seemed to go with eggplant). Easy and delicious, and while I socked away some meatloaf for the freezer, there were no eggplant leftovers. =) Thanks for the recipe!
Leila says
You’re welcome, Katie!
Melissa D says
1. “Indeed, the very fact that these accounts diverge suggests something of an epistemological uncertainty at the heart of such crimes: that a burglar can misuse a piece of architecture so radically it becomes almost impossible to narrate what actually took place there.”
2. I would love that kofta meatloaf recipe! (An approximation is fine…)
Melissa D says
Ugh… my stupid comment on what I felt about that quote was this: :: cocks knee waayyyy back, kicks author’s rear-end ::
Yes, it’s worse as a reply to my own comment, but that’s how that kind of precious writing makes me feel. I went to grad school for Comparative Literature, and that was EVERYWHERE.
Leila says
Haha, agreed! And it was a sort of interesting topic…
Claire says
Cuddeback’s whole current series on homes is just great. We’ll need to rethink our housing soon, and his thoughts give so much to ponder and (hopefully) incorporate. Also have “A Pattern Language” on my Amazon wish list!
So, along those lines: you leave your cushions out during rain?! Just leave them out all summer?!? (Like, not during a hurricane, got that.) I didn’t know you could do that, and I’ve always avoided cushioned furniture for that reason. This could be a whole new deck-y/patio-y world!!
Leila says
Claire, if it’s going to do more than just sprinkle, we put the cushions away in the little niche or nook on our deck. There is that big wooden trunk there to store the cushions (although many of them have to go on top). It just takes a minute.
The fabric (the sunbrella) is fine in the rain. It’s incredibly durable. There is no difference between the fabric from a few years ago and this year!
However, the cushions will get soggy (the interior) and take a while to dry, and if we want to use the deck as soon as the rain stops, it’s nicer if they don’t have to dry out first.
If the cushions and pillows get dirty, I can just hose them down, scrub them if necessary, and let them dry.
That said, many times we forget or get caught, and the cushions just dry out. It takes longer but it’s fine.
Claire says
So really, the key is to have a designated place to put the cushions when it rains; don’t laugh, but I never thought of that! I would have heaved them “somewhere” inside the door or garage, where they’d be underfoot. Aha!! Also, Sunbrella fabric. Got it! Thank you, Leila : )
Leila says
Claire, I guess that not every deck will have a place to put the cushions, and my little nook is an oddity, I admit! The big chest is something I got for $5 at a yard sale, and it’s SO BIG — but not all the cushions fit. So we put some in and pile some on and yes, heave some in the general direction of the nook.
It has to be somewhere handy, or you won’t do it. You can just set the cushions sort of on end and they will dry when the sun comes out. The Sunbrella is the key 🙂
Claire says
P.S. HOW clever are you?! Could not love your deck/furniture any more, it looks both stylish and inviting. How much better summer is when you are outside in it!
Leila says
Thanks! We love it all too. It’s practical and I do like how it looks — as usual, needing to be thrifty narrowed things down enough so that I can just enjoy how it all turned out!
BridgetAnn says
Thank you, ladies, for all the research for your b&p’s… I do enjoy them!
And, maybe I should comment on the original archived post, BUT I’ll let enthusiasm steer. My husband whitewashed our fireplace today! And I’m sitting here watching it dry- and get brighter by the minute! Thank you for your post about whitewashing yours. I had wanted an update to the fireplace and my “paint it” was flatly refused. But — aided by the fact that we realized the previous owners HAD already painted it “brick”… what?– my husband readily agreed to whitewash, a coating that he loves. Great update, while maintaining the feel of the old!
Leila says
Ha, BridgetAnn! Good for you! So glad that you brightened things up. SOME real brick is nice — but not all. And I love how the whitewash is bright but also soft.
Good work!
Lynelle says
Loved reading through Cuddeback’s series and finally ordered the book after you told me about it almost two years ago on your trip to Denver.
These are things that speak deeply to my soul (is that too strong a phrase?) and if I wasn’t mothering so many littles I would go back to school to learn more. To make a warm and welcoming home is so important for our families and others.
I need to keep reminding myself though that having a beautiful (i.e. virtuous) soul is infinitely more important than the right decor – and to be diligent in that too.
Leila says
Good to hear from you, Lynelle!
I’m not sure that going back to school would teach you any more than reading the book, to tell you the truth!
And the main point of the book is that the beautiful environments were made by NON-professionals. Alexander calls it “the timeless way of building” and contrasts it with today’s hyper-professionalized yet ugly and all-too-conditioned way of doing things — building and decor and ways of doing that seem dated even before the paint is dry.
I think that it’s precisely ordinary people, living family life, “making do”, who implement that “humble beauty” that the world needs so much now. Stick to that, which is the living out of your vocation, and, after the passage of many years, you will suddenly realize that you achieved more than you ever dreamed. Virtue and beauty grow together and form a lovely whole.
CT Bridget says
Thank you for the link to the miscarriage article. It is one of the loneliest experiences of my life and I wish I had known several of the points in that article. Ironically, consolation came in the the persons of 2 beautiful parish priests. One walked us through giving our baby a Catholic burial and one dug the grave himself. They both supported us through the funeral with generosity and humility. I am forever grateful to those holy men and our Faith that holds each life as sacred.
I shared the article on FB in the hopes that it could help someone who was in need.
Leila says
Bridget, how consoling for you to have those priests. What a blessing in the midst of sorrow.
I’m glad you shared the article.
Anamaria says
The Cuddeback series is fantastic- thank you! I think I will order that book in the next few months- I am certainly still settling into making our home a beautiful place (especially since we have PLASTER BOARD as walls, so it is all but impossible to hang things in those places. My husband bought a new drill, then heavy duty drill bits, just to put up curtains!).
Along these lines, if any of your girls have storage tips for toys that encourage actually playing with the toys, I would appreciate them. The Montessori principles for toy storage seem like they would do this (one toy in each bin, clear labels) but I need pictures. I think I will google for some Montessori blogs now, for all those women who teach their three- year-olds letters on purpose 🙂
I am off Facebook, probably forever, so I am more grateful for your weekly links, as I don’t find them through my friends (or “friends”) any more.
Gillian says
Leila, just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog posts. I am a homeschooling momma to 7 children and I just love learning from you -as you have “been there, done it”. Please keep writing and posting on everything! I love all your topics. 🙂 Blessings to you!
charla says
THANK YOU for introducing me to John Cuddeback!
Donna L. says
Rats! No new posts….and I was all excited to get up, because it is *Thursday* and I thought there would be a p, h, f, r to see…how is the writing going?
God bless you all~
Leila says
Sorry, Donna — I think we are going to just let phfr go… at least for now. We are too much in flux at the moment! But I will try to check in tomorrow! xoxo