Monday, March 25, 2013

Old cottons & laces ...


I'm in the middle of some more cotton 'samples cleaning & restoration' - using my tried & tested old-fashioned recipe. If you want to find out how to do it, click this link: OLD-TIME RECIPE - it's also good for stubborn stains on 100% cotton fabrics (eg. curry on a man's shirt!).

PLEASE NOTE: As with all washing, test a sample first!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Chair seats revamped


The seating for the above dining chair was originally off-white - suitable for the previous house lived in but not now. The room is basically black & these chairs are perfect so solution was to enhance them with fabric leftover from the footstool project (click to link). Finished (with a spare for emergency food spills!) they are waiting for some back cushions as the metal can sometimes be a little 'hard'. To see 'drapes' in the same room under construction, click here.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Stapling a foot ...


Last year I quickly recovered a footstool before moving - a really quick job if you use staples (above stool foot). If you click Stitcherydoodaa's Projects  you'll be able to see the result.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

1930s Carver revamped ...

At left is a chair I renovated a few years ago. Originally a 1930s 'carver' it was the only one of the set suitable ie. it hand arms ! It was sanded down to bare wood (oak) then hand painted in a variety of different neutral colours before finally being "sponge" finished. Once completed it was varnished for durability.

The seat was also 're-vamped' using some dressmaking fabric - the only one I could find that blended in the hall where it was to be used. 

However, now after moving, its likely the seating will be renovated again to better suit the room its to be put in - more news on this over the forthcoming year.
Sponged arm

Sponged ladder-back

Sponged ladder-back


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Make Do & Mend ...


This is the 1940s-style pouffe/footstool made a few years ago as a textile experiment of patchwork-smocking-quilting combined. It was made as a result of some research re: WWII 'Make-do-&-Mend' & has been worked using period techniques from the time. It utilises a variety of authentic textiles & haberdashery as well as 'left-overs' in my own 'stashes' - it also was filled entirely in old stockings & pop-socks collected together & then cut into small pieces. For this reason, it is very heavy & ideal as a seat! The outer 'skirt' is detachable both for cleaning & decoration to change its appearance (more pix if you click here).

NOTE: Currently I'm on an artistic journey which involves recording all my works - past, present & into the future! Because of my background, I also like to revamp & renovate items (very Make-do-&-Mend and Recycle !) & often find it extremely challenging. If you click on this link, you'll find some of my recent works gradually appearing. Ultimately it will include a wide range of things from small decorative items to home interior decoration.