I remember being incredibly jealous of my younger sister [4 years younger than me] while she bounced up and down in her bouncy swing. I’m sure I had my turn when I was a baby, but I don’t remember that far back. I didn’t really think of buying one for Penelope and never would’ve thought about making one, until I saw the most amazing felt swing at Apartment Therapy.
Fortunately for me, Enfant Terrible‘s shop featured the swing with loads of photos [that have since been removed], allowing me to figure out how the thing was made. AWESOME. What better time to make it than for Christmas?
This is the second time I’ve made some sort of furniture for my child, and hopefully won’t be making the same mistakes as last time. Rest peacefully knowing that I love Penelope and would never put her in harm’s way. For my baby’s safety I used:
- 4 ounce shoulder leather instead of felt [stronger and doesn't stretch much]
- natural leather, no dyes or bleaches
- doubled up artificial sinew for strong seams
- 4 bungee cords that can hold up to 50 lbs of tension each [I know Penelope's a big girl, but not that big] although they might look like they’re going to fall out in the picture, but they’re actually really hard to get in and out of the eyelets
- circular wall hooks that can hold up to 2300 lbs of pressure each, bolted into the studs of our door jam
We’ve had the swing up for about 3 weeks now, and it’s been a wonderful success!! Everything is strong and holds in place, and Penelope has such a great time bouncing away to music in it. It’s really cute to watch.
I think when she gets bigger, and we actually have a yard [that might be never] I’d take out the bungees and put rope through the holes and attach it to a tree. Wouldn’t that be sweet?
Note: I can not be held responsible for those that might try this at home.
for Christmas. You can almost taste the creaminess of the mousse and the crunchiness of the feiullete through the screen.
