I'm looking forward to all of them. But mostly Abby's Angel, Rachel and Little Carol. I have Dream Come True waiting for a spot in the garden. I've heard very good things about this rose from Frank B. and am excited to see it get established. I also got Veteran's Honor, on my must have list for a number of years now. It is already planted since it didn't break dormacy and is starting to push already, as if it had been there years. I'm getting a bunch of others as well such as Lady Bren, Leading Lady and some Hybrid singles that I'm looking forward to.

My wife and I are looking to replace an old playroom sofa and have decided to go washable slipcover*. We are not going to slipcover the existing sofa. We visited one brick&morter retailer that sells a limited line of sofas that are only muslin-upolstered and you choose your washable (pre-shrunk) fabric and it arrives with the slipcover made for it. We like this idea but I would like to see a greater number of sofa styles and comfort-test them before I make a choice. I am reading that Pottery Barn, Crate&Barrel and maybe Shabby Chic (are they still in usiness?) are all sellers of "naked" sofas with this setup. Do you folks know of other manufacturers and the outlets that sell them? We are in Texas. *BTW I have read the threads about putting them back onto the sofa damp so they go on better--thanks for that tip.

out of lurkdom to add my 2 cents worth on this topic. I have a Baker sofa bought c.1980 with down-covered dense foam seat cushions and feather&down loose back cushions. About 18 years later, I had it re-upholstered (new colors for new house) and the cushions rebuilt with the same down-covered foam and feather&down. A local upholsterer who did exactly what I wanted, happily. The "new" cushions and fabric are still in prime condition, as is the sofa carcass -- Baker really did make an excellent product, so there was never any question in my mind whether to re-do this piece or buy new. At the time of purchase, the sofa cost $2000, a hefty amount back in the day! It certainly was worth recovering, and I believe I could do so again in the future if warranted, if I live long enough! Otherwise, I fully expect my kids/grandkids to inherit the sofa and for it to still have years of good use. If you communicate carefully with your upholsterer, you should have no problem getting the down-covered cushions you want. Be specific and stand your ground if he/she wants to substitute something else!! And good luck (if you haven't already solved your sofa problem).

Stay away from memory foam, find a sofa with legs in the center and on the ends to support the frame, avoid the thinner upholstery stretchy fabrics, avoid SOLIDS(especially light color solid fabrics), if your shoulders are not at rest when you sit on it, you will not enjoy it for longer than short periods of time, look for the specials from name brand higher end lines, not the mass showroom pieces....they all sit like a worn out bed pillow. If the back is softer to push in than the seat, run away...don't buy things with lots of buttons or lots of thumptacks for trim...they won't last 5 years in your price range. Find a fabric that has lots of variety of hues in it because it will go with your changing drapes and tastes over time, especially the most common hues in furnishings, not the eclectic....and the classic designs...not the wierd? LOL ....good luck ! Typically there are fine sofas in large homes with several sitting areas, that were lightly used for moving sales or estate sales. You might watch for those if you have the time.