TV Camo; Covering That Big Black Hole

Now that the television has changed into a huge presence on the living room wall, it’s time to consider some ways to minimize its impact on home decor.  I looked at many alternatives: cabinets, hide-aways, artwork covers, and aquarium dvds.  The aquarium dvd  proved to be a beautiful solution but I was not happy about the necessity of leaving the TV running all day.  In the end, I purchased some very elegant tapestry fabric at a discount outlet on line.

I have a contemporary living room and this fabric coordinated well with the other upholstery in the room. The only drawback was that it was a bit too neutral for the other bright accents that I had on my walls. Yarn stash to the rescue!  Rooting through my Red Heart worsted yarn, I chose 4 colors that would provide just enough interest to perk up this beautiful tapestry fabric.  I experimented with attaching strands of yarn to the curvy outlines woven into the fabric.  Once I got the hang of keeping the strands running along the edges of the patterns on the fabric, I stitched them in place with a wide zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.  The colorful yarn provides just enough textural interest and artistic touch to make this plain fabric very unique.

The next step will be to cut my fabric to about a 44″ X 28″ rectangle and then to attach the strands. I’m sure that the width of the fabric will provide its own challenge as I attempt to work my way across the piece.  Once it is done, I’ll sew on a lining and hang the tapestry over the TV on a small rod.  The rod can just be lifted from the brackets and placed elsewere when you want to watch TV.  Stay tuned to see the completion of this project…

 

Trying to Get Back on Track

Girls at the Sewing Machine

What a summer it has been so far!  First I was sick for a month and then I had my grandchildren visiting for two weeks in a row!  The kids and I had a great time working on crafts and doing some sewing projects.  Even the little girl next door got involved.  There was lots of pool time, trips to the movies, and watching the parade that formed in front of our house for the 4th of July.  Not much crochet in the works over the summer months, though.

4th of July Float

I was looking around the net to find a charity where I could use my sewing skills.  In January I got a new Husqvarna machine and wanted to put it to some use.  I found Sew Much Comfort, an organization that adapts clothing for injured veterans.  Most of the adaptation involves opening existing seams, attaching bias tape extensions, and sewing velcro buttons on the bias tape.  Sew Much Comfort is very particular about their finished clothing so I had to submit a trial t-shirt as a test.  I passed the test and received my first “6-pack” of shirts to adapt.  They were due in 4 weeks.  Even with the flu and the grandkids, I managed to return two  6-packs this summer.

T-Shirt Adapted for Sew Much Comfort

This is such a worthwhile undertaking.  I do not know anyone who is serving overseas and I consider myself a dove when it comes to foreign policy but we all have to make our own decisions about the path we will take in life.  I don’t support either of our wars but the folks who are serving still need help to get their lives back to normal.  If you have sewing skills or new clothing to donate, please consider Sew Much Comfort.

My new pup, Frazier, is making himself very comfortable with us.  I have started him on a rewards training routine with Jenny at StarBright Dog Training.  He has learned to walk on a leash without straining and to wait at doorways before entering.  He still has issues with ignoring other moving objects when we take a walk.  Frazier has a very strong hunter instinct and I am finding it hard to control.  He is also on a much better diet thanks to Whole Dog Journal.  I hope that he will be with us for a long time.

Frazier Doing a Bit of Sunbathing