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Monday, January 24, 2011

Make do: The big cover-up

   I love antiques... They have so much more of a back story than new furniture, plus none of the off-gassing that we're hearing about these days.
   This old rocker was inherited from my Great Aunt M, who lived to be 96 and died over a decade ago. I can still picture my tiny little auntie sitting in it, with her pink nightgown draped across the back as she got her things ready for bed.
   As you can see, the rocker seat's frayed. I'd always meant to get it recovered...just never got around to it. When I was working, there never seemed to be enough time to go choose a material, even though I had the name of a good upholsterer.
   As the years have passed, recovering this old rocker still doesn't rank high on my list of priorities. Besides, this quilt cover-up suits me so well, I just may never get around to it.
   Somehow our home seems more homey with this less-than-perfect, creaky old rocker around. Know what I mean?
   Any big cover-ups over at your place?

9 comments:

Marie said...

I have many chipped plates from my family. They might be chipped but I love them and would never stop using them because of it. One of them was chipped by me when I was a young child: I was helping my grandma put away the dishes after a big family dinner and I chipped one of the very pretty (and I'm sure very expensive)flowered plates against the counter. I felt so bad but she gave me a big hug and told me to not worry about it for a minute. When she died, she left me the whole service with this note " I hope you chip many more of those because it would mean that you used it well."
Oh, how I cried that day.

Practical said...

I found a chair, refinished and reupholstered it--a horrendously horrid task in August. Then, I found a $3 wicker chair that was in perfect condition. I brought it home even though I hated the sort of brown color. I discovered the that the tapestry of the chair I upholstered had the same color in the background, so I decided to cover a piece of foam for the wicker chair, using the same fabric. The tow chairs were used in the same room and next to each other. Well, here it is 15 years later, and I still have a pillow form just wrapped in the upholstery material. Everyone compliments the combination or chairs and fabric. If they only knew! My whole house is a big coverup. LOL I have three antique lamps that have things draped over the shades.I get compliments. Who knew a shawl would work so well?

Anonymous said...

I Love the old rocker! If it aint broke don't fix it...the quilt looks lovely and homey.
~~HUGS~~

sheron said...

I like your Rocker chair one day I would like to have one so I could sit on it and reed books! compliments..

Dmarie said...

@Marie, what an incredibly beautiful story...unforgettable!

@Practical, funny how things grow on us, eh? love the look of shawls on lamps, so dreamy and romantic.

@Blessings and Sheron, thanks! looks like we're all on the same page!

Buttons Thoughts said...

I would leave it just as it is. I have things from my Grandmother that are less than perfect but I love them none the less.It is a nice chair.B

singlemama said...

I've got plenty of antiques. I think half of my furniture belonged to my grandparents or even to my great grandparents.

becoming claudine said...

What a wonderful story of the rocking chair...so good to embrace the "imperfections" as really part of their history instead!

Oh, we do have a couch with many imperfections...the stuffing has started to come out (with the help of some little hands...) so will need some good repair and a slipcover!

Anonymous said...

There is a Japanese word, wabi-sabi that means beautiful because of its imperfections. I think that things are much less interesting when they are shiny and perfect.

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