Let me give you some background: in 1996, my beloved Aunt Ma gave me my sewing machine as a wedding present; she also gave me a sewing kit which she’d filled herself with everything I might need for sewing.
In 2012, when I returned from London to Spain (specifically, I moved internationally from London – population ten million – to Cueva del Hierro – population 26), I made an early repayment of the entire outstanding balance on the mortgage for my flat in Madrid and was left with no savings at all…
So I had to make my first sofa for the living room in Madrid myself using some foam mats, some fabric and some zips that I’d bought. Obviously, it wasn’t the first time I’d used my sewing machine – I’d sewn a lot before (mostly mending my own clothes and my daughter’s), but this was the first time I’d really got down to work making things from scratch. This was the result:
I also sewed some fitted sheets (like a mattress protector) and some bed sheets for when I turned that sofa into a bed:
When I could finally afford to buy a proper sofa, the one I’d made came with me to our house in the village, in Cueva del Hierro… and it’s still there:
I also took the opportunity to sew a set for a small 90 cm mattress that I turned into a sofa when it wasn’t being used as a bed. I first had it in the guest room in Madrid and when I could finally afford to buy furniture, I brought it to the village:
