A homemade patchwork flag

The tall wall in the stairwell of this foursquare farmhouse needed something special.

It was dingy and empty. It needed color and something long to fill the space. I had been inspired by a patchwork fabric flag art piece in an antique store a long time ago. I realized that we could make our own, which would be personal to our family and fit the story of the farmhouse.

The sad stairwell, before

Vintage fabric details ❤️

First, I re-visited my inspiration photo and decided how I wanted our flag to look. Then, I measured the wall space and drew up a mockup on my computer. I planned out the best length and how much fabric i would need for the stripes.

Next, I started sourcing fabric. I used some handkerchiefs that were my Dad’s, and some of my husband’s old plaid shirts. I sourced more vintage fabric, hankies, tablecloths and grain sacks from marketplace, thrift stores and Amazon.

Finally, I casually asked my mom to sew everything together. I prayed she would do it. I have a sewing machine, but her attention to detail is unrivaled.

My mom somewhat reluctantly agreed. Then, she attacked the project like a professional. She did an amazing job sewing the pieces together and figuring out the design for the blue block.

Visual representation of the official DIY flag making process.

Nanny’s personal touch

She did go rogue in a few places and add in her own fabric that was special to her. These cartoon elephants are from a pillowcase that she made my daughter. 🥹 And I think she just liked the reindeer.

Hanging the flag

View from the upstairs bedroom

It means so so much to me to have this piece in the house. I love that it was a collaboration with my Mom. I love that the fabric we used has personal meaning to it. I love that it fits the vintage farmhouse vibe, and celebrates quilting, a craft that is historically femaie. And, I simply love that it’s big and colorful. It brightens up the space so much!

A new family heirloom

Farmhouse bathroom update

Cute and rustic farmhouse style bath

This bathroom renovation turned out a lot better than anyone thought was possible, including me.

When the house was built in 1905 there was an outhouse outside, and this washroom inside. It was small and dingy, with a window over the tub and a door on each side. No original fixtures remained, although the bathtub was definitely old.

We kept the footprint of the room but rearranged the layout, walling off one of the doors and moving the toilet. I wanted to keep the window over the bathtub, because of nostalgia (and it did let in some light). But all the construction experts said shower windows are trouble. I finally caved so we could have a nice, plain tile wall in the shower, that wouldn’t leak and cause us issues, and also privacy.

Bath tub and window - before

Bath and shower - after

We kept the cast iron bathtub that was there. It was dirty and extremely heavy, and the plumbers and my family kept asking, are you SURE you want to keep that tub? But it was already there, no cracks, ready to use. It was practical to keep it.

Vintage worktable

The finished vanity

I used an antique work table and vintage sink for the vanity. The beadboard adds a nice texture on the walls. The blue flower penny tile from Floor and Decor was reasonably priced and so cute. And finally, we had kept these ceiling light fixtures that were (I think) original to the house, so we mounted them to the wall on either side of the mirror. They look neat and put out lots of nice flattering light.

Vintage light fixture

The finishing touch is the toilet stall. I don’t know why, but I feel compelled to go the extra mile in small bathroom spaces. I painted a daisy floral wallpaper on the wall that was inspired by some wrapping paper I bought at TJMaxx.

Painted wallpaper + penny tile

View from the kitchen looking in

Painted floral wallpaper

In the end, the bathroom turned out cute and cozy. We updated it to modern day standards, and it’s much brighter and more functional. But we kept the rustic, country vibe😍