Don’t you just love it when a creative plan works out?
(I hope that last sentence doesn’t sound too smug – I could show you plenty of disasters, too.)
Our kitchen is in the oldest, 18th-century (allegedly even 17th-century), part of the house. It’s lovely, but colour-wise it’s rather bland. Or rather, it was, but we’re working on that. I decided that the kitchen chairs deserved a makeover to match the curtains. Look, those chairs were soooo dull. Couldn’t you just fall gently asleep looking at them?
Cue much busy activity:-
The plan was to paint and crochet the chairs to match the curtains. There are a few things that I should mention at this point. First, the whole project was inspired by a post by Selma at Eclectichomelife.blogspot.co.uk, and it was she who introduced me to the marvels of Autentico chalk paint. The beauty of Autentico is that you don’t need to prime the wood before applying it. Also, the paint doesn’t smell. Two coats of paint, a final coat of wax, and you’re done. It’s not cheap, but I can’t recommend this stuff enough.
I spent a happy afternoon in the garden painting and waxing. Work was briefly interrupted by a shield bug whom I hadn’t the heart to move. He was so pretty:-
Meanwhile, I was busy crocheting cushion covers with colours inspired by the curtains. The pattern is a free Drops design, available via Ravelry. Very easy but I spent a lot of hours on these beasts. You might think that making four cushion covers would be quick: you’d be wrong. Anyway, I hooked and hooked and hooked and hooked, then sewed on tiny bee buttons, just because I could. (I do love bees.)
And eventually, the things were done. Look!
Not too bad? May I inflict another shot on you?
Over a kilometre of yarn and many, many hours went into making those cushions. So now they’re in the kitchen. And that’s made me spot the flaw in my plan: I now need to crochet cushions for the Toddler Twinnage’s chairs, don’t I? *Sigh.* I foresee another dozen hours evaporating in a frenzy of obsessive crocheting…
Anyway thank you for reading, as always. More soon. Happy knitting/crocheting…
dawnhiprose says
Love them!!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you! 🙂
nicolaknits says
So pretty. Now to go and see how I can beautify my own kitchen!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. I recommend this pattern, if you’re tempted….
Rosie says
You’ll have to paint the table legs too … Love the colours … Inspired xxx
The Twisted Yarn says
I know, but I think the Stoic Spouse would object to that. 🙁
sewchet says
Stunning! A lovely burst of colour in the room. Cushions are great too, all the more so because you put so much work into them.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you! I’m not sure I’d have started out on the process if I’d known how many hours would go into them!
eclectichomelife.blogspot.com says
Stunning Phil. It really has transformed your kitchen. Love your colour choices and I think the cushions are marvellous. They may have taken a long time but you will so enjoy them x. Superb
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂 It was inspired by your post, though. I’m really looking forward to seeing your version in the flesh on Tuesday!
mollieandclaire says
Absolutely fab!!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thanks. 🙂
greenelephantcrochetandthings says
Wow I love the chair covers, they are really beautiful! 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you muchly! 🙂
onedabbles says
What a lovely kitchen! Great result and gorgeous covers. Yay for the bees too.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂
(And bees rock.)
freelancewritingshelleylittle says
Love love love!!!!! They are so cute!!!!
The Twisted Yarn says
Awwww, thank you. 🙂
thecontentedcrafter says
You, my dear, are the bees knees!! This is one of the nicest kitchen do-ups I have seen in a long time. It looks so friendly and relaxing and welcoming – I can see us all sitting round that table quaffing down wine and nibbling on something tasty from one of your platters ……
Where I would have just crochet a boring old square – maybe bi-coloured admittedly, per chair – you go and make four squares of varying colours per chair! A design genius!! And you most definitely do need to make your gorgeous twinnage a seat cover each as well. We don’t want them feeling left out do we?
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you so much. 🙂 You’re welcome to come and quaff wine round our table any time, although I realize it’s a fairly lengthy commute. But thank you for your kind words, and I raise a glass to you.
slmann says
Fun project, lovely results! – Sharon
The Twisted Yarn says
Thanks!
Nannie4 says
Excellent! It’s exactly the right thing to have done to the kitchen. It really looks beautiful. I also agree that the table legs should match the chairs. How about one leg in each colour? (easy for me to say.) {evil grin} As for the kids’ chair cushions — how about solid colours to match the (table legs) colours of the kitchen? It would be less work and still look great.
BTW, I’d better get out some yarn myself and start crocheting quickly. We have a frost alert here tonight. I have protected my kitchen garden — have to make it last a while longer. Ooops— that Canadian need to speak of/complain/rejoice about weather. Sorry…
The Twisted Yarn says
🙂 I think Brits pretty much equal you for discussing the weather. I agree about the table legs but it’d be too much for the Stoic Spouse’s nerves and he’d probably divorce me. (Clearly, he’s not THAT stoical.) Enjoy the pre-winter crochet!
Magpiemakingdo says
Those turned out sooooo lovely!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. I’m so glad we only have four chairs in the kitchen, though!
A Crafters Journey says
What a very happy kitchen!! I love the colors and your work is very nice!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂
Tajana says
Beautiful!I love your kitchen style!!!It seem so comfy and the colour combination is so great!Well done with the chairs and with the cushions!Stunningly amazing!!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you so much, as always. 🙂
Tajana says
<3 <3 <3
Tajana says
I forgot to write BRAVO
narf77 says
Maniacal hooking and twitching aside, they look wonderful and completely enhance your lovely kitchen…yeah, get hooking ma’am, the kids are going to want the same 😉
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. I know, I really need to make mini versions. Sigh.
Gail says
Brilliant makeover, wonderful crochet. Def worth the effort xx 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you! 🙂
suyuhandmade says
Wow those covers are fabulous – lovely kitchen too!
The Twisted Yarn says
Awwwww, thank you! 🙂
gladeridercrafts says
They’re lovely 🙂 And I just love those bees, so cute!
The Twisted Yarn says
Yes I HAD to use those bees as soon as I saw them.
Mrs P says
Very chic, colourful and oh so beautiful 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you!
Gallivanta says
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you thank you thank you!
jenyjenny says
Really beautiful! And the little bee! I love that unique little accent…I did like the chairs before: traditional, not boring! But now, a treasure…mmmm
The Twisted Yarn says
Awwwww, thank you!
triciandaisy says
Your hard work has paid off,looks lovely . Tricia
The Twisted Yarn says
….until the twins pour paint on them or something! 🙂 But thank you.
soknitsome says
Super chairs, fabulous cushions, wonderful kitchen 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you!
Allison says
No chance of your kitchen being dull now! I would have guessed that cushions would be fast too…
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂
slippedstitches says
Wow, they really make the whole space pop. Great job.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you!
bcre8v2 says
Reblogged this on storyline creations and commented:
Very beautiful and inspiring. Check out the twisted yarn blog.
The Twisted Yarn says
Oh! Thank you sooo much for doing this! I’m honoured. 🙂 🙂 🙂
thememobook says
Very pretty!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thanks. 🙂
sparklymoose says
Wow, they are amazing. I absolutely love the cushions, they are so pretty and colourful
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you, you’re very kind.
jenpedwards says
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Love it all!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you so much. 🙂
annabellefranklinauthor says
Genius! And what a beautiful kitchen. The best that can be said about mine is that it has a ‘distressed’ look!
The Twisted Yarn says
Ha ha. Nowt wrong with the distressed look. 😉 And you should know that I took this picture at a very carefully-chosen angle to avoid the chaos in the rest of the room.
knitsnips says
Your chairs are lovely! Great spot of color in the kitchen. 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you!
Carole says
The chairs look fabulous 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂
atelieroursonne says
They are wonderful. And they fit perfectly into your kitchen. And you better hurry with those for the little chairs. But I guess you have already been told 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Yes, I really do need to do this, I think. It would be quite cute. Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Susan says
You did a fabulous job. The paint and crocheted seat cushions have totally transformed your kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂
KerryCan says
I’m late to this party but let me just add my congrats–those chairs are really spectacular! Such a great vision for what would work and great execution!
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you!
elisabeth andrée says
Wow, I love your chairs! 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂
threadandethel says
Ugh, the chairs look so good. Now, I’ll be wishing I was crocheting beautiful cushions instead of focusing on a much due baby blanket. Life is so hard sometimes. (Great job!…They’re super pretty.) 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
Ah, but the only reason I’ve finished these is because I’m putting off the baby blanket I need to make for a friend. Sigh.
Caroline says
wow – they are fantastic. Love the colours you chose.
readandcreate says
Love the colors so much! The pink and blue make the whole space 10x brighter!
priscillaliu1087 says
What a great idea for sprucing up a kitchen AND chairs. The chairs are completely transformed! This would be such a great project for outdoor seating areas too. 🙂
crackedbutcrafty says
These crochet cushion covers are gorgeous! Haven’t tried crochet yet, but this tempts me! Can I ask you a really mundane question? Your photo ‘Kitchen chairs in progress’, which is four photos in one – how did you make the composite photo? It’s a great idea for showing the process!
miaslovetree says
I just love those cheery chairs!! And what a brilliant idea put a wee little table next to it. 🙂
daniellajoe says
Lovely!!! granny squares rock everyday!!! 🙂
Lisa says
Wow your chairs turned out fantastic! Great idea!! Hugz Lisa and Bear
youngatfifty says
Fantastic. I am working on a set of cushion covers, and it is taking me forever too. I thought I would just hook them all up in a couple of days !
rthepotter says
How on earth do you do these big projects with twins in the house??? Certainly worked!
And thanks for dropping in on Minutiae 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
I do spend lots of time reading to the toddler twinnage whilst knitting/crocheting. And I get the yarn out once they’re in bed. And I neglect all sorts of things that I should be doing…………..
crawcraftsbeasties says
Wow, all your frenzied crocheting certainly paid off… It’s like a different room! Nice work, and gorgeous fresh colours!
BrainBubbleGumBlog says
The chair cushions are lovely! I really like the colors you chose.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you. 🙂