Upholstery ideas

Remember these? I was deciding whether or not to go with a bold graphic pattern and paint the woodwork a glossy black. Risky since these are antiques as well as family heirlooms, and yet I want them to be featured and preserved and treasured and USED-- I don't want them to be

"front room pieces" that are never really sat in, and never quite fit in with our style. So risky, yes, but also possibly fabulous.

I chose fabric from IKEA in the end because realistically, I'd have to wait for years to save up enough to buy any of the designer fabric that I've been looking at from, say, Amy Butler.

This is Inger from IKEA and is priced at 5.99/yard. I feel strongly that this option would require painting the wood glossy black. A fun mod option.

The other option is to stay with a fabric that flatters the wood, and just refinish the wood naturally (though probably still glossy.) You'll remember that the wood carving is pretty intricate, and I don't want to overwhelm that either. And so we have:

Stockholm Blad from IKEA 8.99/yard

A more delicate pattern, and I think I could leave the wood as is, maybe gloss it up a bit. I'm opting most toward the black, but an intriguing option is to pop up the big chair with a little something like....

This!! Wouldn't that be fun? And it's glorious pink-ness would assure that I and I alone would sit in it.

Something to do while we're waiting

I fully intended to do a post on the fabric choices for my living room set months ago, and here we are in November. November! leaves! pies! my birthday! I've been horribly distracted by many things:

1. My coat doesn't snap. I am rapidly expanding and my coat will not contain me. This is both distressing and exciting.

2. Due to a scheduling snafu we did not get an ultrasound last week and I was horribly

distressed to the point of making myself sick. I can no longer predict my reaction to things except to say that it will probably be more dramatic than anticipated.

3. This means that we get the ultrasound this Thursday, and that we will find out the sex of the baby just in time for my birthday knitting extravaganza. This is a very good thing. I have been earmarking some lovely patterns which are all dependent on this information-- not so much in terms of color choices but in terms of trim/notions etc... here's what I'm thinking about:

These are all patterns from Special Knits: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies and Toddlers by Debbie Bliss there are INFINITELY more patterns in here that I want to knit, such as the Eyelet Vest, the Organza-edged cardigan, the Hooded Kaftan (yes, a kaftan. it's lovely.) Right now it remains my favorite baby knit book.

Velvet edged jacket via Anny Purls flickr

Ribbon-edged cardigan via Anny Purls flickr

Ribbed jacket via lotusutol on flickr

O-HI-O!

On Tuesday I was invited by Dr. Sean Cooper to come and do a Mezzo-mania master class at Bowling Green State University, and was very happy to oblige-- had a wonderful time guiding some lovely young mezzos. I may or may not have invoked Cartman from South Park at one point. but I swear it was necessary. and pertinent.

AND I got to visit the whole family, Jen and Hudson-- who I met a few years ago when Sean and I were performing in Pirates of Penzance in North Carolina and their new family member Sam, who is adorable and as happy as I've ever seen a baby-- even at bedtime. So great to have friends so nearby and the double bonus is that together we form a full quartet! Concerts will certainly ensue...

SO I left a day early and headed out to Columbus to visit the Grandey's and especially Lila who has grown sooo much from our last visit a couple summers ago. and LOOK! she's wearing the sweater that I made for her :)

My heart is glad... this is the first time I've actually gotten a picture of someone wearing my knitting. glee!
We played alot and danced and Lila showed off her adorable Halloween costume and Ali took me to baby stores including Babies R Us so that I wouldn't be so scared to go there alone....

We decorated Lila's room with adorable woodland creature decals, and I just about died of cuteness overload when she walked in to see it and whispered over and over "Oh my gosh!" it was pretty much the sweetest thing ever.

Pumpkins!

pattern source

raveled
When I updated my status on facebook to alert all present that I would be "felting pumpkins" I was asked if I invented a new verb tense and was molesting a seasonal squash. Not so! I was doing this....

Reupholstery project.

Phase 1. The raw materials.

And by that I mean the actual pieces of furniture that I will be recovering. I have a three piece living room set inherited from my Great Grandmother. It was recovered by my Great Aunt Evelyn. I'm betting that this took place somewhere between 1940 and 1960.... the fabric is rough and not too comfortable to sit on, and it is also pink. So there's that. Without further ado....Pink chair
Pink couchGreen chair
and a detail shot to show the woodwork....
So the questions/options are this, and I need you!
1. Paint the wood a glossy black and recover with a graphic print?
2. Keep the wood (maybe gloss it up) and pick a print with natural colors that enhance the wood?
3. Keep it neutral.
It's tricky. They are striking pieces and I don't want to take away from that, but I think that glossy black with a graphic print could be very striking.

Next post... some fabric options. Please feel free to suggest some in the comments too!

First picture

We went and got the first Ultrasound today which was great fun. Again, I couldn't stop giggling, though I had to because between me giggling and the baby wiggling, the technician couldn't take the measurements that she needed. (we're conspirators already, the baby and I...)

They did a 3D ultrasound too, but those pictures kind of freaked me out-- it looked like cro-magnon baby and I prefer this cute *familiar* look. You can tell in the picture that it's either about to suck its thumb OR if you have a very fertile imagination.... you can picture it as a fist-in-air gesture for a high note! Like the old baritone claw. :)

Tiny Dantzler!

Yesterday Drake and I went to the Dr. and got to hear the heartbeat of our new baby! It was so much fun... about 160 bpm which, if you are to believe heartrate predictions, indicates that it may be a girl. We're holding out for the Ultrasound and the end of October, but are looking forward to finding out then!

We're getting ready for a concert tomorrow with the Rochester Symphony and were going through some of the music at the office while waiting, then once we heard the heartbeat it became the official tempo everything we sang on the way home! and 160 is pretty dern fast...

I found out the day that I picked up Drake from the airport in NYC--right before we drove back to Michigan, and flew to Dallas to pick up our stuff. So perhaps that helps explain why all I've been doing lately is watching Golden Girls and napping. untrue, I've been doing LOTS of photoshoots, but there are days that I feel abominably lazy! No morning sickness thank goodness! People ask if I've had any cravings, which makes me laugh because I think you'd only have to had dined with me once to know that I have cravings ALL THE TIME. Like since birth. But no, I have had no strange cravings that are out of the ordinary. I did lie down on the ground once totally inconsolable but for the thought of garlic bread pizza. But that's not the first time that has happened...