Desk Makeover!!!

I've been pretty quiet on Social Media lately because I've been sucked into a desk makeover project. I started it, then got sidelined by a cabinet refinishing project. I finally wrapped it up today.

I'm one of those lucky people who gets to work from home. Because of this, my home workspace is important. I have health issues so ergonomic comfort is important. My desk chair still needs to be addressed, but I had a sit-stand desk (purchased about 5 years ago) that didn't fit with the french country look I was going for. This is the before picture. I bought the sit-stand desk frame and bought a board from Home Depot, stained it, and screwed it on. So it was a plain old board. Let me step through how I went from that, to the final.

First I started ordering fabric samples. I knew I wanted natural fibers as the skirt would be touching my legs and I can't stand synthetic fiber. It took about a month to make the final selections. I decided on the silk plaid shawl to go over the top. This goes with my house colors of blue and taupe. I didn't really want silk, it was super expensive, but it had the right colors and was gorgeous. It is a rough silk. I think they call it raw silk.

Given the price I had to choose an inexpensive fabric for the full skirted tablecloth. I found this beautiful homespun cotton stripe at Jubilee Fabrics for under $6 a yard. It was a good thing it was cheap because it required 15 yards. FIFTEEN YARDS!!!

But nothing does a gather like a stripe.

Both fabrics are yarn dyed woven fabrics. This means the pattern isn't printed on top. The yarn is dyed, then the fabric is woven, so both sides look the same.

As I was shopping for fabrics I learned an important lesson in interior design. Your room is a palette. It was less important that my two fabrics go to get her perfectly and more important that my two fabrics go with the room. The cotton stripe has a brown and gray in it that doesn't go with the silk, but it does tie into the colors of the chair and the room. Another objective was to have a beautiful desk, but not take the attention away from the art in the room. I consider Amelia (see my Mannequin post) and my Van Gogh canvas art to be the focal points. I ordered many samples that were stunningly beautiful, but they were too detailed and would have been distracting.

While I was waiting for and choosing samples I ordered all the "things" I would need.

First on the list was a glass top to go over the fabric. I spill my coffee at least once a year, so why not plan for that? I called a local glass shop and they do this regularly as they instructed me on the proper depth and edge. They delivered it too.

Then I had to get rid of the big glaring yellow legal pads that I've been using for fifteen years. I replaced it with a small leather Obermeier padfolio, so I can close the cover on my notes. I hardly ever use printer paper, but do need to scratch notes on occasion.

Next I bought my laptop riser. This keeps my head at the proper angle by lifting the screen. No more neck pain!

I think Amelia came next. I created her to hold my huge ear phones. I have an ear problem . . . well, you probably don't want to hear about my special issues. We will leave that story untold and Amelia has a blog post all her own. Moving on . . .

Given that I now had a glass top desk, I quickly learned that I needed a mouse pad for two reasons. First of all, the mouse won't work on glass. I think it is because of the reflected light. It confuses the mouse. Secondly, my elbows hurt!!! I was raised to keep my elbows off the table, but despite these lessons, I continue to squash table fairies.  So I purchased a super long gamer mouse pad to serve both needs. But it was too bright and detailed. I knew right away I would need to cover it so it would blend in with the desk top fabric.

After arranging my desk, it felt lopsided with the tall laptop on riser in the center, tall Amelia on the right, I needed something tall on the left. So I purchased an Arthur Court pitcher. Arthur Court is aluminum holloware in decorative designs. It never needs polishing and will last forever. My family started collecting it years ago when I worked at Perlman Fine Jewelry store, where they sold it. It is reasonably priced and will last generations. I filled it with a few silk flowers plucked from other arrangements in the house.

The problem was that the aluminum slid around on the glass top, which is unwise on a desktop that moves. Another problem to solve! So I searched for sticky things and ended up with silicone trivets. It did the trick, but though lovely for what it is, I could tell that it, too, would need to be covered. When I ordered this, I found my final item on eBay. An Arthur Court tray that I can use for my pencils and e-cigarette.

So that was the last "thing" I needed, and all that was left was the sewing project. The sewing list was this:

• Full skirted tablecloth
• Decorative scarf to go over the top.
• Slipcover for the mouse pad
• Slipcover for silicone trivet to go under vase.

Let's take them one at a time.

Full Skirted Tablecloth
Please note, I haven't sewn diddly in 15 years, and this was FIFTEEN YARDS of fabric. About 12 yards of it was gathers, which I've never sewn before. I went to my Mom's house and with her knowledge and my adventurous spirit, I sewed reeeeaaaaal slooooow.

I wanted it to have a few features:

• Gathers so it would have a full, soft look. 
• Extra length to cover the legs a bit more when in the up position.
• A split in the middle with ties so I wouldn't have to fight the skirt when I sat at the desk.
• Little sleeves in back to slip cords through. They are like pockets without a bottom. 

Decorative Scarf
The requirements for this were:

• Long elegant mermaid ruffles on the end.
• Nice enough so I could borrow it from the desk and wear it with an evening gown.

What the heck. If you are going to make something out of silk, you should at LEAST get to wear it!!! Plus, I have a scarf fetish. My family will vouch for this. 

Mouse Pad Slipcover

This was a bit of a disaster. I couldn't figure out how to stitch the ruffle on with the machine. I ended up with too many layers of fabric and jammed up the bobbin thread. I had to take it apart and come up with a new plan. The new plan sucked as well, as my sew lines are all crooked. At this point I just left it. I wanted sweet little ruffles that barely peeked out and I got it. Just don't look at the sew lines. I won't.

Trivet Slipcover

This was fun to make. I used bowls to trace the fabric and hand-stitched the ruffle on. That was clearly the trick. It came out perfectly.

Done! Done, done, DONE!!!

I just assembled it last night and took photos today. Here are the full photos.

Thank goodness that is over. I am 100% satisfied with the outcome, except for the wavy lines on the mouse pad. I'll survive.

Lisanne

P.S. Are you registered to vote? Not only do we have a right to vote, as citizens, but we have a responsibility to vote. This country is run by the people we elect, or allow to be elected by not voting against them. We are responsible for what our government does in this world, to other countries, to the earth, and to our own citizens.