Chaise Longue Chat 2021 Refurbishment Part 1

 Chaise Longue Chat 2021 Refurbishment Part 1

This is a big job and I am really going to be working it out as I go along. Therefore in the interest of making this comprehensible I shall be tweaking this rather long blog.

Unpick Tabs

 

Before I could do anything I needed the Material. I had some left from the Boxes. This if you might remember was a pair of Curtains. To maximise the amount of Material that I had to use I first Unpicked the Tabs from the Top.

Size Chaise Base

 

Next I had to Size the amount of Material required. I wasn’t sure whether to use the Width or the Length of the Material. If I remember correctly I managed to use the Material Width-wise.

Cut to Size

 

I Sized up the Material. I was using where possible the Original Hems to save time and energy. I had to remember to leave enough Material to go over the Lip of the Base

Cut Base Back

 

In order to make the Material go around the Base Back I had to Snip it just after the Edge.

Sew Back Base Edge

 

I didn’t want the Material to Fray so I Sewed the Edge with a Blanket Stitch.

Hem Base Back

 

Now I had the Edge secure I could continue. The Material at the Back had been from the Top of the Curtains where I had taken out the Tabs. Therefore I had to Rehem that Section before I could continue around the Back Curve and Base End.

Glue Base End

 

With all the Back of the Material done I could now Glue the Base End and Stick the Material to it and leave it to dry.

Fit Opposite End

 

In addition to the Base End I had also Glued the Material around the Base Back so the Material could be gently Pulled and Stretched.

I Smoothed out the Material and Tucked the Back Section in between the Base and the Backboard nearly to the End. I could then gauge exactly how much Material was needed to be Hemmed.

Scrub out Glue

 

Now I had all my measurements and finished Hemming I could do the main Gluing of the Base Top. I pulled back all the Material and bit by bit Glued, Smoothed and Tucked it into place including the Front Edge.

Unfortunately I put too much Glue in one Section so I had to give it a Scrub.

Chaise Longue Chat 2021

 Chaise Longue Chat 2021

Sometimes you have to leave a project for a while in this case several years. I have posted the link for the last blog on this at the bottom.

Black Legs

 

Ill health has prevented me from doing really big jobs but I had a spot of energy and decided to crack on with a spot of maintenance whilst I was doing some Glossing.

I turned the Chaise Longue upside down and proceeded to Paint the Legs. Whilst doing this I made a discovery. I had some excess Material on the Base. This gave me an idea.

Cat Scratcher

 

My dear beloved Cat Electra had passed across the veil quite a few years ago. However evidence of her presence still remained. When she wasn’t using my leg she had decided that my Chaise Longue made a much better Cat Scratcher than the one she already had. Despite my best efforts the Legs and Front had become a Chat Chaise Longue.

Cut Material

 

I took a pair of Scissors and carefully Cut the Material. I didn’t want to Cut too close or I might end up having to repair the back to.

Partial Covering

 

I had the Material but unfortunately it wasn’t the correct Shape. Therefore I had to use a Patchwork system to try and cover as much as I could with as few Cuts as possible.

I decided the best way to Cover the damage was to Stick the Material on the area. I used Fabric Glue to place the Pieces on the Front. I sometimes had to manoeuvre these about around the Curves which is why I didn’t use Super Glue

Fully Covered

 

The above photograph shows the final result. It is not Purrfect by any means. It is however much better than it was before. It has also given me new confidence in trying to recover the entire Chaise Longue.

N.B

Link for the first part of the project

18/04/19

https://lady-jane-quirky.blogspot.com/2019/04/chaise-longue-renovation-project.html

Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 5

 Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 5

Now I have the Base and Outside Edge done I can move on to the Inside.

Adding Blue

 

As you probably realise by now I am trying to emulate an Ocean theme. Therefore I selected a Deep Blue to begin filling in between the Starfish Arms.

Blue Bottom

 

Once more into the deep dear friends once more. I finished the Bottom of the Dish and now had to decide what to do next.

Two Blue

 

I had to consider the amount of Deep Blue Varnish that I had left. I hit upon the idea of using a lighter Blue to give the effect of the Water being of different Depths.

It work great I was really pleased how it turned out although it was touch and go whether I had enough Varnish to finish it.

Splash of Orange

 

I did a spot of research on the Internet and never realised how many different types of Starfish there were. I had a whole variety of colours to choose from but in the end after sorting through the Varnish I decided to stick with the traditional Orange.

Star Base

 

As you can see in the above photograph the Starfish really stands out against the Two Blues. To enhance the illusion of Depth I added a little extra Yellow to the Rim.

With this added it almost gives it a Rock Pool look. The next step is to go over the whole Dish and give touch ups and where necessary scrape a little Varnish off where it had Splashed on the Shells.

Bathroom Tidy

The moment of truth. Here are my lotions nestled neatly inside my Dish. I did have to move them around several times to get the right order but it was well worth it.

N.B.

Since making the Tidy I have been given a whole load of new Face and Bath products which I cannot fit in. However it was nice while it lasted and I am sure I will soon be able to whittle the products down so they will fit once more.

Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 4

 Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 4

Now the pot is made the fun bit can start.

Varnish Outside

 

I wanted to colour the pot but as I was intending it for the Bathroom I didn’t think watercolours would be a good idea in all the steam. Then I hit upon the idea of using Nail Varnish.

I had lots of half used Varnish so I found a nice Sand Coloured Yellow and began to Varnish the Outside

Dish Base

 

The Outside Varnish needed to dry so I turned it upside down. In doing so I realised that I would need to Varnish the Base of the Dish as well.

Bottom Varnish

I wasn’t sure which Varnish to use as I need the Yellow for a Second Coat on the Outside Edge. I decided to use a Clear Varnish as a kind of Undercoat.

Purple Swirl

 

After sorting through the various Bottles of Varnish I selected a Purple Shade and carefully Varnished a Thick Purple Swirl on the Base.

I had to wait for this to dry before doing a Second Coat so I very carefully added another Coat of Yellow to the Outside Edge.

Pink Bands

 

I wanted to add more detail to the Swirl so I picked a Pinkie-Gold Varnish and began to apply. I wanted to start small then make Thicker Bands. Unfortunately this proved more difficult than I anticipated.

In the end I had to keep do some Bands then and more Purple to try and even out the lines. Sometimes I added too much so then I had to wait for it to dry and then add more Pink.

Gold Edge

To add a nice Edge I selected a Gold Varnish and Coloured in between the Swirls. It was hard work but I am very pleased with the result.

Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 1

 Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 1 

I am about to attempt another Challenge. I haven’t really done any Pottery since school and never with this Air Dry Clay.

Clay-time Tools

 

I collected all the Tools that I thought I would need. This includes Tray, Foil, Knife, Scissors, Ruler, Comb and Brush, Wooden Roller and of course the Air Dry Clay.

Clay-time Piece

 

I opened the Packet and Sliced off a Large Chunk ready to Roll. I Wrapped the rest of the Clay in Foil. Apparently it has to be Foil and not Cling Film.

Clay-time Initial Roll

 

The first thing to do was to start Rolling it out. I can’t remember where I got the Wooden Roller from. It is either a bit of old Dowling or a miniature Rolling Pin with the handles broken off.

Clay-time Roll Flat

 

I am Rolling it Flat in the Tray as I don’t want any loose crumbs that might be lurking on the work surface to get into it.

Clay-time 2^nd Piece

 

What I was hoping to make is a Box with a Lid for the Bathroom. However once I Rolled it out I realised I didn’t have enough Clay so I had to add some more.

I then had to Re-Roll the Clay. Even with the added amount it wasn’t going to be enough so I had to rethink what I was going to make out of it.

Fold Up

 

I decided that it was going to have to be made into a Dish. I therefore Rolled the Clay into a Large Circle and I started to bit by bit Fold up the Edges.

Fold Over

 

This Project isn’t going well. I found that the Sides of the Dish were too Thick and the Base too Thin. Anything remotely Heavy would probably break it straight away.

I order to sort the problem I felt that I had no option but to Fold the Sides down into the Base and Reroll and try again.

All Steam Ahead 2021 – Mad Hatter Preparations Part 3

 All Steam Ahead 2021 – Mad Hatter Preparations Part 3

This is a nice quick blog. Adding Cogs.

Add Cut out Cogs

 

I started to Glue the Cut out Cogs to the Hat. I had made quite a few of them now and of different Sizes. For some reason the Base Covering had left a lot of Glue Residue. I wanted to Cover as much of this as possible.

Add Cogs other Side

 

Once I had added a Bottom Layer of Cogs one Side I turned the Hat around and carried on adding.

Add Metal Centre

 

The Black Cog Shapes were only the Silhouette. To give them a proper Cog look I Glued a Metal Washer to the Centre of Each Cog Shape.

Front Right

 

After doing the Bottom Layer I started to fill in the Gaps with more Cogs. 

Front Left

 

When I was satisfied with one Side I moved on to the other. 

Top Cogs

I had used up all the Cogs I had made so I had to make some more before I could add to the Top. I also had to add a few more to the Back of the Hat.