THE MAHOGANY

Although I really liked that first bed and its matching curtains for quite a few years, eventually I tired of it and wanted a change.

I wanted a completely different look, so replaced the original brass bed with this mahogany one. For the comforter, I just did simple channel quilting with the sewing machine, following the lines on the fabric.

I wasn't tired of the original color scheme, and kept the same basic colors in the bedding, so the new bed worked with everything else in the house. It just established a more tailored flavor, which is what I wanted for a change.

When I made this bed I had just purchased Judie Williamson's booklet, Judie's Beds, and really liked the way she made pillows. I made lots of pillows, using many of them as gifts for club members. The two throw pillows are from fabrics I had picked up here and there. That's bunka used for the cording and ties on the shams. It is used in its pulled ruffly form on the little rosebud pillow. The polka dot pillow has a piece of the lace from the shams across one corner.

I went to a lot of trouble to make a bolster and the darn thing doesn't even show!

THE OAK

Well, I guess you can tell the McKinley underwent several changes over the years. This was the third bed I used in it.

This oak bed had a matching painted nightstand which I really liked. I copied its floral pattern on a rug, just dotting the flowers and leaves on and painting the stems with very fine tipped felt pins. Looked okay from a distance, anyway, and I was pleased with it.

This time I made the bolster the principal pillow! But notice the colors - still the same combination. The light oak bed has a matching painted nightstand, so when I used them, once again the bedroom had a completely different look and feel.

This was the last bed I used in the McKinley before I moved it out of the living room for a revamping. Unfortunately, the final revision still isn't finished and it hangs in a spare bedroom.

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