Thank you to Luis Campos for sharing today’s story of his dog Nova’s couch cushion!
What is it?
This is Nova’s couch cushion cover – properly read as a cushion cover for Nova’s couch, because that’s what it is.
When Nova first arrived into our lives, we weren’t sure whether we’d feel comfortable with her on furniture due to my allergies. Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind sleeping in one of her many beds strewn throughout the apartment, and never asked for the couch. But one evening, Nova – the fastest dog you’ll meet – bounded onto the couch, ready to snuggle up to sleep. That was the day it became Noa’s couch, so we got comfortable – and got a cover to help manage the allergens. That was nearly four years, and the couch cover shows it. The fabric is comfy but even a small tear can grow with regular use.
How’d you repair it?
The repair itself was pretty simple. I pulled out my trusty sewing machine, found a patterned piece of matching spare fabric, and ironed it square. One helpful stitching trick is to go over it twice: once with a straight stitch to set the piece in place and then with a zig-zag stitch to set the edges. Keeping the fabric from bunching with a zig-zag stitch alone is hard, but once the fabric is stable in pace the zig-zag stitch goes over smoothly.
And then I was done, never to repair it aga… nope! Not a month later there was another tear directly above the initial one. So I repeated the process with a different fabric.
Why was it worth it?
This cover not only helps with my allergies via washes, but it’s also super cozy – I love snuggling up with Nova to watch tv, or read a book. The whole family needs it at this point. But beyond that, I really love the idea of patching this up on a regular basis, when needed, with whatever is available. Looking forward, I know I’ll be grateful to make and see many more patches on the cover. Each patch representing years – or months – of life lived with our furry friend.
Thank you so much Luis and thank you to Nova! That’s it my friends! Please write in with any mends to share or mending challenges to discuss. You can submit at this link or by replying directly to this email.
Enjoy the summer solstice ☀️ and we’ll be back with another mend next week.
Nova’s cushion emanates good vibes and love! And thank you for the helpful stitching trick, Luis! I think it’s the solution for my quilt mends not lasting very long.