Hello and welcome… and before I begin let me apologise that this blog will concentrate mainly on me. It is not often I take time to talk about what I do and why I do it, but in the interests of giving you a piece of my life and an understanding of who I am I am going to be very selfish and talk about me.
It seems like a century ago that I was born – no, I am not going to go all the way back to my childhood to talk about my traumas and life pitfalls – but I suppose that is how we are all feeling right now with the trials of Corona and resultant feelings built up. We all need a release valve, something to express, to break out and to, once again, feel normal. For most people it is getting in their car and going away for a weekend break, or a nice long holiday. For me it is a little more complicated – I live where everyone else “gets away” to. So what do I do to “get away”?
Simple I retreat into my world of creating art. The pure, simple act of taking what is in my mind and putting it on a chair or a canvas.
I started creating art (seriously) a few years ago on the death of my husband. He always had the knack of knowing when my nervous, tension spring was fully coiled and I was about to go mental on the family and would quietly organise a break, a short trip to the mountains for a picnic, or a long walk across the Drakensberg. Unfortunately he passed and I was left trying to find a way to switch my release valve on my own. Painting has achieved this for me; there is nothing more satisfactory than letting loose on a canvas with multiple shades of colour until you have a mess… or a masterpiece.
This blog has but one purpose and perhaps you will join me on my journey through the days and months while I show you my life. Welcome and I hope we become firm friends.
25 August 2020
Refurbishing a footstool.
We can often get pieces of old furniture from friends or family which can be used to make new modern pieces. It just takes a little time and imagination to create that special focus piece for the room. Below I show the process in refurbishing a footstool given to me by a friend when she cleaned out her house .
Step 1
The old footstool as it was given to me - the apholstery and finishing broken and dusty
Step 2
I stripped the footstool down to the bare bones and sanded and cleaned the wooden frame.
Step 3
An initial coat of paint was added to cover any defects in the wood that the sanding could not get rid of. Then sanded and smoothed after which an additional coat was applied to smooth the finish.
Step 4
While the paint dried on the frame I prepared the material. Hand-painted the design on 100% cotton fabric treated with alum and a weak mixture of vinegar to create a better bond for the dyes and paint
Step 5
Once the paint had dried and cured I proceeded to hand-paint the designs and embellishments. Once these were dry 3 coats of varnish were applied - sanding between each coat. this provides a good seal for the finished product.
Step 6
Once both the stool frame and the material had dried (2 days minimum) the uncut fabric was finally fitted for placement and sizing.
Step 7
As soon as I was happy the padding could be inserted and apholstery begun. Each piece was carefully fitted and attached to the frame. A final finishing touch of braiding was placed on the edges.
Final
The finished product after long hours of happiness and enjoyment.
