I’m really fortunate to have some really special friends. The kind of friends that you just can’t go to the store and pick out a gift for – especially when you are a crafty person (you know who you are)!
Every Christmas and birthday I struggle with what to give my close friends. I remember a time not so long ago, that I worked for a looonnggggg time on a beaded, hand woven peyote bracelet with layers of embellishments and the like for my friend’s birthday. I know her style. I know how put together she always is and I know that I can’t just give her some bracelet that I picked up at Walmart (ok, I’d never do that – even for someone I don’t like so much). So, I gave it to her and before she opened it, I said, “I really hope you like it and if you don’t, please pretend you do otherwise we might not be friends anymore”.
Ah, another holiday requiring special gifts for special friends. I’ll admit, it was down to the wire. Like most things I do, it was last minute and I was drawing a blank. Who knows where the idea came from but it was a good one.
A couple of months prior, I picked up this ugly piano bench at Goodwill for $5. It was sturdy and I knew I could make something fabulous with it! My husband keeps complaining that I keep bringing home junk and don’t do anything with it. I had to prove him wrong and I’m 90% sure that wasn’t my only reason for concocting this little treasure.
I’d love to tell you I spent a month on it. Sanding it perfectly between coats of paint and drawing out my quilted pattern, but I didn’t. I made it in a weekend and it was so much fun!
I started out by giving the bench a good cleaning and light sanding and painting several layers of white paint to freshen it up and hide the “imperfections”. Then I went to work on the quilt top. I measured the existing cover and figured out how big my squares needed to be so that the pattern wouldn’t get lost. These squares measure 6″ x 6″ and there are 12 of them. They are paper foundation pieced and the fabric came from my stash. Make sure to allow “extra” quilt top to wrap around the bench top so you can staple it without it showing the edges.
I wanted the top to have some cushion, so once the top was finished, I layered it like I would a regular quilt with cotton batting and backing and then quilted them together with my sewing machine. There’s no need to finish the edges – they won’t show.
Wrap the quilt top around the existing top, staple it good and reassemble! Viola! Instant gratification and a very happy friend. (Well, at least that’s what she lead me to believe!)
100% in love with this creation! ❤️