I had this side chair reupholstered with a beautiful wool crewel fabric and the cats as well as Faye love to sit in this chair. Of course the cats like to sharpen their claws, too, so I made this simple little fitted cover for the seat. I may add ties on the 4 corners so it stays put.
The weather is so brutally cold that it almost scares me. I have never been afraid to live here alone all these years….except when the weather is so life-threatening. Then I’m afraid to step outside or go to the barn. I NEVER go out without my cell phone just in case I would slip and fall.
One more time: if you need the online sampler blocks, go to farmchickquilts.com. Mandy will help you. I do not know if she is posting a quilt for 2015.
Oh my..Mary please be careful and yes take your phone with you..good idea. I took a nasty fall Dec.1.
I have passed on your free pattern offer to my favorite local quilt shop. Love your chair and seat cover. Be warm..Louise
The fabric on your chair is just beautiful! I have a rabbit who loves to sit on wool–it must feel extra good to animals. Hamish, my rabbit, is very small, a Netherland Dwarf, but he loves to sit on a chair in the dining room that is the same type as yours. I recovered the seat and then made a matching cover with the upholstery fabric and it works great to save the chair. He’s already nibbled the cover in one spot, so I’m really glad it’s there. This weather is truly brutal and it IS scary. It makes you feel sometimes like nature is out to get you. I don’t know if people in warm climates, or those living in cities, understand how rough it can get out in the country with the wind blowing and the temps so low. I lived in a city growing up, but have been in a rural area for the past 37 years and the whole feel of the weather is different once you leave the protection of all those buildings and people. It’s no joke. I’m glad you’re so careful. I never thought of having my phone with me when I go outside, but I’ll be sure to carry it now. I have fallen before and in weather like this, it really could be deadly.
Mary,
Great job and the colors match the wool crewel work beautifully. Ties get my vote.
Excellemt idea to take your cell phone along and walk carefully outside. My dad was raised on a large farm in NoDak and said his dad always had a big rope tied from the hitching post at the house to the barn during the winter because of the blizzards and no visibility with the blowing snow. Those were the days of plow horses!
Stay warm…….
Launa
Is that ever cute, Mary. You are so talented. Still love hearing about you, the farm, the animals. Etc. keep up the good work girl.
Thanks for great idea! I have a lovely green silk covered Eastlake chair that was a wedding gift to my grandparents, who were married in the 1920s. The silk is new and LuluBelle the tuxedo kitty loves it! A new chair cozy is my next project!
Love chair seat cover..great idea..could use for dining chairs also…got to get sewing
I see that somebody has already suggested that you tie a rope from the house to the barn. When there is a whiteout visibility is zero it is so easy to get turned around. It might sound corny, but not if you need it. Out here in western South Dakota, survival is all important. When people get stuck, etc. they are warned to stay with their vehicle, but every year some think they can find their way….. And they don’t. Be careful.
You are right, it is scarey to live alone any time, much less now! Do you have anyone close by! I hope you have good cell reception! Good luck, thinking of you! Lee Hardwick
Wrap up in quilts and watch basketball, keep your phone charged, everything will be okay!
Along with carrying your cell phone when you go outside in this brutally cold weather, call a friend or neighbor before you go outside, and let them know when you should be back in, and that you will call when you’re safely back inside. Then, if you don’t call in the allotted time, your friend or neighbor can call for help or come check on you. If you fall, drop your phone or can’t call for help for some reason, someone will check on you.
Or, you can arrange with a friend or neighbor to “check in” at a specified time; just a brief call or email once or twice a day. That’s how our elderly neighbor who suffered a stroke was found by a friend. They always talked at 7 p.m. each day, and when the friend couldn’t reach our neighbor, the friend called 911.
When my husband was gone one summer many years ago, my neighbor across the road knew I would open the curtains and raise the window shades in the front bedroom, and I would close them before I went to bed. If I didn’t, they knew to check on me. Fortunately, they never needed to call or come over. But we all felt better with this small reassurance. That was in the days before the internet!
We might fell silly doing some of these things, but I do lots of silly things. Being pro-active for safety in this brutal weather isn’t silly.
Yes, in a blizzard a rope is sometimes necessary. I am watching BB tonight but will text Becky when I go to the barn at 10 pm. I am also going to lock the geese in if I can sneak up on them in the dark. They move into a semi-secure area at night and I’m going to shut the door if I can. The latch on my walk thru gate is still stuck so will call for assistance tomorrow. I refuse to move the snow – Rick loves to do it so I’m saving that job for him – ha!
I already turned the chair over for Emma, too – she’ll probably be in it toniight.
Hi, Mary! I love this idea. I think I ‘ll try it on one of my chairs.
Be careful going to the barn. Stay warm……
LOVE the colors in your seat cover!!!
I would be tempted to tie a rope from the barn to the railing on your walk-way. Then if you did fall (heaven forbid), you could guide yourself back to the house with the use of the rope.
Love seeing all you do, and love the chair cover.