Before I get back to replying to the many comments that have accumulated over the last couple of days – many thanks for taking the time to respond, everyone; I appreciate your thoughts and replies very much – I want to catch up with Flat Richie. I had promised to go through the log book, tracing Flat Richie’s journey and sharing the lovely messages that have been left in the book. Even though Flat Richie nowadays lives on my desk, right in front of my eyes, the whole state of pandemia basically distracted me from the task at hand. So I am catching up today with two entries – from May and June 2019. 
In May 2019 Flat Richie spent a long holiday with Jholland in Oklahoma. 6 tornados!!! No wonder he stayed longer than envisaged 😉
From there he travelled to the West coast of the US, visiting Kathy until June 18th.
Check out Kathy’s little extra fun. She made the participants work to read her message to them. 
Neat 🙂 We’ll return to Flat Richie later in July to catch up with his travels after he had crossed the Atlantic once again.
As a little OT PS here is an answer to a question that Besotted left in the comments on Sunday. She was wondering what had become of the cut-up denims that I showed prior to the round-up. I managed to finish that project on Sunday (part of the reason why I did not reply to all comments right then but went awol). Since repainting my kitchen the other day, my bright red seat pads on my kitchen chairs felt like a real eyesore, exacerbated by the fact that the pads were manky and stained.
Granted, these were the cheapest seat cushions you can buy in Ikea. But it always irked me that the chair cushions did not have removable covers. Over time, they became dirty, and I could not wash them. So I decided to go matchy-matchy with my kitchen wall and sew up a few new covers. Thankfully, a batch of about 10 pairs of old denims had survived my recent declutter and tidying.
Initially the plan was to create some simple geometric colour-blocked cushion covers. But since I am a lazy crafter, I did not want to invest the time to hem the fraying fabric for the removable cover. I also wasn’t sure whether I had enough plain denim fabric (from the trouser legs) to cover five cushions. Improvisation is usually the challenge that creates the best results for me, so I decided instead to make use of the existing waistbands of the trousers and somehow also incorporate the pockets into the design. So where you see a waistband in the following photos, that is actually the opening through which you insert the cushion into the cover. No zip or buttons needed; the overlapping fabrics hold the cushion inside the cover. I even used the inside-leg seams as the ties to fasten the pads to the chairs, so this was a complete upcycle with zero cost. It actually turned out quite fun, I think.
The old red cushions are hidden away now, and the new seat covers are not only removable but also reversible. Plus: Since it was a bit of a squeeze to get the old cushions into the new covers, the pads now feel a bit squishier and more comfortable. Win.
There. Aren’t you sorry now, you asked, Besotted? 😁 When it comes to crafty stuff, I get all excited and overboard. 😬
Anyway, next step: I have to repaint those chair legs. I want an Instagram moment in my kitchen them to match with the colours. The project continues…
And on I go now to the comment section.
Guylty Pleasure 
Not at all sorry I asked. I’m chuckling over the notion that now your family members can sit on each others’ asses whenever they wish.
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Hahaha, I didn’t realise but that is very true.
(And my 21 yo son just returned from his hiking holiday and first thing he did was notice the new seat covers. Mama is pleased 😂)
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What a great idea. My sewing machine still would give me trouble. I have not sew anything in a long time do to some tension issue (I think it is). My husband has used it to shorten his work pants but still likes to be a pain.
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Oh yes, a malfunctioning machine is definitely a buzzkiller. It would really take away my motivation, too.
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I love rereading the places Flat Richie was before me!!! I can’t wait to see the places he went AFTER me! LOL!
As for your crafty chair pads, for some odd reason I realized that my chair pads are REALLY flat Christmas pads.
I mean…. flatflatflatflat! LOL!
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Yep, the whole “flat” thing was beginning to be an issue with my seat pads, too. By squeezing them into a slightly smaller cover, they have gained a bit of depth again 😉
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Love your crafty seat cushions. Clever girl .My sewing is pretty basic. I can make a impressive pillowcase.
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You know, I think pillow cases are actually not that simply. You need to be able to sew in a straight line for that!
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I always enjoy reading the FR entries 🙂
What a great result using up old jeans that way! My sewing skills are basic, even after years of sporadic sessions at my machine. So sporadic recently that it took me forty five minutes yesterday to work out how to take off the main foot and attach the zipper foot. I ended up having to search online for an answer. Now for the task of taking up my jeans the quick way that retains the original (and better looking) hem.
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The FR catch-ups are kind of extending the whole project a bit longer. (Hehe, filler material for my blog…)
My sewing skills are not really particularly great, either. Let’s just say that I am a dilettante who is not afraid of trying 😉 But yeah, it kind of takes practice, just like everything does. Hope you got your hemming done 🙂
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It’s lovely to hear about Flat Ritchie again and to see such creative inspirations from his visits. The cushion covers look fabulous too – in-jean-ius in fact!
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LOL injeanious. Pun game strong, J!
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great bit of upcycling with the cushions, kudos
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Thank you 🙂 – they have now been in use for a week, and actually they have worked out really well.
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“I have never been and shall never… to these beautiful areas” thank Jennifer and Kathy to make me travel from my desk.
Il faudrait que je prenne des cours de couture mais le temps me manque, put-être quand l’heure de la retraite sonnera. Le résultat est impressionnant. Avez-vous enlever les fermetures éclair?
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sorry: peut-être, enlevé
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Re. the zipper – I actually cut the trousers in such a way that the zippers were not part of the fabric anymore.
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🙂 Vous m’avez inspirée pour essayer de recouvrir 2 fauteuils bas, pendant les vacances. En attendant, je dois les démonter changer la planche pour une en bois exotique qui résistera à l’attaque des insectes xylophages (Anobium punctatum). Puis il faudra que je change le mélange de latex et de mousse.. Sans compter le polissage et la peinture sur l’ossature en métal… J’essaierai de prendre des photos.
Définitivement, MERCI pour ce sujet.
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Oh, that’s fantastic, Squirrel! I love hearing that. I hope you get some suitable materials to replace the old insides of the armchairs with. The whole process of recovering an armchair is really not as difficult as it sounds, especially if you are able to take off the existing fabrics in sequence and keep them as templates. What helped me most was taking pictures while we took the chair apart – it helped us put the fabric back on in the right order. Good luck!
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C’est un modèle design des années 1970- 1980, le démontage sera facile. Le plus dur sera d’habiller le dossier, car il sera à recouvrir des deux côtés.
J’aimerais utiliser des matériaux naturels comme mousse d’assise (latex, kapok, fibre de coco…). Mais la maison de bord de mer est humide et peu ventilée l’hiver… les insectes sont les ennemis. Ce sera un défi de ne pas jeter ces 2 chaises car la plus part du mobilier est bon pour la destruction. C’est un crève coeur de se séparer des objets qui ont marqué notre enfance, (comme par exemple: la grande table de la salle à manger)…
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I completely agree – and furniture is often heirloom material, so it would be great to save the chairs and pass them on to your children eventually. Using natural materials sounds tricky in that environment. Mind you, maybe it is possible to use such natural fibres yet impregnate them with some sort of spray that might also repel the insects?
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🙂 merci
Un bon sujet à étudier. Il existe des mélanges de cires et d’huiles végétales avec des huiles essentielles…
Pour l’instant, je démonte les crochets de tapissiers. Tous rouillés, je vais devoir vérifier la date du dernier vaccin contre le tétanos… Les temps libres pour bricoler sont rares, une demi-heure de temps en temps. De plus, je suis novice et donc lente et maladroite.
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Hehe, yes, it can be a dangerous business 😉 I was also conscious of the rusty old nails in my armchair…
Time is so precious. But you know, even if it is only half an hour per day, you will eventually get there. My hubs and I restored our armchair over the course of 10 days, working 1 hour in the evening every day. It was actually a lovely project to do together.
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🙂
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