Cat-Scratch Fever to Cool Bespangled Couch (pic-o-riffic)

[witwhitherwilt]

Meet our  kitty, Oreo:





She mostly enjoys life with her human servants, despite the fact that we are terribly cruel and hardly ever give her more than a bite or two of our sushi and sometimes deign to move when she is trying to sleep on us. But she especially likes the large green-velvet scratching-post in the living room. We like it, too--but we call it "the couch."  Attempts to train her not to scratch it have worked about as well as training a cat not to do something has ever worked for anyone in the history of feline-human relations.

Before:



 So when this challenge was announced, I decided to use the buttons both to cover up the scratches and to make the arm of the couch less "scratchable" in the future. I poured myself a glass of wine, put the figure skating championships on tv, and just started sewing the buttons directly onto the couch. (Hint for anyone else crazy enough to try this: a curved upholstery needle makes a huge difference. I got one after the first frustrating, finger-sticking day and it made things so much easier.)

At first I just meant to cover the torn-up corner:





But then I started to get a bit carried away...





I soon used up most of my buttons. A friend was kind enough to donate a bagful from her stash, and I literally jumped for joy when, after a fruitless day scouring thrift stores, I found several packages of them in the aisle at the Dollar store. I filled in the gaps between the buttons with random loose beads and shells I had lying around. I also incorporated some jewelry that I liked but never really wore, like this large Star-of-David pendant I inherited from my grandmother.




And here's the entire couch from the front:




From the side, it looks a little like a frame without a picture. I thought about filling it in with something, but didn't have time before the challenge deadline. So for now it just frames poor dejected Oreo, who has lost her scratching post and must now contemplate the deep ennui of life:






ETA: Thanks everyone for your concern about Oreo's wellbeing! Rest assured, she has a cardboard scratcher now that she likes a lot, though she sometimes stands on it and meows at me until I sprinkle on more catnip!








 

[Lmcbride]

Rocks! Totally rocks!  My cats scratch the hell out of my wooden furniture, and I have no idea how to doctor that up to make it as beautiful as this...  I would do that to my couch even without the scratch marks.

[shyster]

Absolutely, positively, fantastic!!! Your tale of feline-human relations was entertaining enough sans pictures, but the expressive face of poor Oreo and the gorgeous end result of your button-wrangling is just priceless.
Thank you so much for sharing...and inspiring!

(There is a massive box of buttons sitting in my studio that may be destined for a similar fate, now.)

[jloveg]

you totally rock!  the poor dejected  Oreo.... shame on you servants for neglecting him. LOL
I like that its a frame once completed. great idea.  are  you going to do the other side to match??

[GrammaBiskit]

Great concept!  Too bad my husband would never let me get away with that!   

[Gramma Joe]

Great idea!   I am impressed.  Love the way it looks.

[Bad Kitty]

this rocks.....so much awesome is in this idea love it

[edelC]

this is awesome..I bow down to your patience and the end result looks fabulous!

[summertimerolls]

this is gorgeous!  I wanted to do something big like this, but time didn't permit.  I'm amazed that you sewed them on, and glad you thought of a curved needle.  Great job!  I'm hitting this Rocks for you.

Also, how did you get OREO to sit for the picture?  I don't do cats, but it seems like he was obeying orders, which I get just isn't so with cats.

[drycleanonly]

Love it!
Great idea and it look amazing!