Gram Would Be Proud

I was so happy when I finally finished this project a few months ago. This rocking chair belonged to my Grandma Swanson. She bought the chair when she moved into a new apartment after my grandfather had died (I guess around 1993) and she was so proud of it. I think it was pretty symbolic for her. It definitely wasn't something Grandpa would have chosen; it wasn't a Lazy Boy and the original mauve cushions were certainly not his style. But it was perfect for Gram and her new apartment that was filled with shades of old lady mauve.


When Gram moved to Bedford to live with my parents, this chair came with her. Though the color was awful and didn't go with anything else at Mom and Dad's, it was very comfortable, and it pleased Gram to have it around. After she died, they hung on to it, but they were happy to share it with us after I mentioned it would be nice for Tom to have a reading area in our old bedroom (so that he could work on school stuff without me disturbing him, or, more accurately, so that I could watch TV and sew while he was reading and not have to quarantine myself in the bedroom in silence).

The chair served its purpose well in our old bedroom, but when we moved this fall, we decided it made more sense to put it in the living room (we got rid of our old loveseat, so this chair and our couch are our only seating options). I could deal with the mauve hidden in the bedroom, but in a small, open living space, it just wasn't working. So, I decided I would be brave and tackle a new sewing project, completley unlike my usual quilts and bags. It was a big endeavor, but with help from both my parents and Tom it came together pretty well. Dad helped disassemble the strong-ass buttons on the old cushions, I tore out the seams of the old cushions so that I could re-create a pattern, Mom ironed the old pieces and helped me pin and cut new fabric, I sewed and cursed and sewed, and Tom helped me sew on new buttons.

It's definitely a bold choice in fabric (thanks for your help, Erica!) and has really changed the look, but we like it. It's a bit more modern, but it's still a really comfy chair. I think Gram would be pleased :)