Not Square

But done!

If you are concerned with squareness and matching prints, do not work with hand-printed African fabric.  But, if you embrace the spirit of making with more imagination and ingenuity than tools, then you can sleep under something like this.

Who can tell if this is perfectly square once a puffy comforter slips inside?

I got tired of the mound of UFOs that engulfed the couch.  This was finished.  Others found better homes while they awaited their turn.

This simple envelope of fabric took 2-3 months because it is so difficult to lay out and cut ~90"x90" in my tiny apartment and without a helper.  (See the fabric planning step in Slow Sewing.)

I had to move the furniture out of the living room, clean the floor, tape down one piece, then smooth the next layer down....  I avoided it until I really wanted to see my couch again.  Then, miraculously, the trimming and machine sewing only took one (long) evening.  I finished the hand sewing the next evening.

Creating and furnishing a second household has been terrible for my stuff diet (and finances).  I had to purchase duplicates of everything (including a home) we really need and use.  If you think about it, you need 2-3 sets of bedding--one on the bed, one in the wash, and one spare.  In Colorado, you need light cotton bedding in the summer and flannel sheets in the winter.  When Mark and Iris visit, Iris also needs a set for the sofa-bed.

I divided up our LA bedding, but we didn't have enough to fully stock the CO home.  In the summer, I caved and purchased a cotton duvet set.  For winter, I used a red flannel sheet set that I already owned and some coordinating fabrics from my collection.  I didn't have enough of the African red/black print and auditioned many fabric pairings before selecting this black/white stripe.

The duvet-top fabrics and buttons came from SAS Fabrics.  The other notions came from Joann's.  The flat sheet from the set became the other side of the duvet.  Cozy!

The bed may look familiar, but it's actually a duplicate.  I often have difficulty falling asleep in hotel rooms.  In order to make both places feel like home, I purchased the exact same bed and mattress for CO. The duvet I sewed in this picture stayed in CA.