Many Bags!

This week I have done more bag making, if you have noticed my little image for the Etsy shop you may have noticed that the little bag there matches my dining chairs!  Well I didn't want to waste that little bit of fabric, here it is I started it after I finished the chairs.

I have been listening to some podcasts from create and thrive and also reading the information on the site.  A lot of the advice about Etsy selling is all about being constantly having an online presence, posting to Instagram and other social media. I may have said before but I don't really want to make social media my life so if that is the only way to go it may not be for me.  So I am adding a few more and then I will them sit a bit and just see what happens.

Next up was a blue bag using up a few bits I have left over from a dress I made for a Minerva post, a few pieces of canvas only big enough for strips and some former duvet cover lining.  The faux leather I still have a bit left of that.  There was also a bit of experimenting here making a bird keyring  to go with the fabric.

Today I have almost finished another one but I think I will keep this one, it is a bit wild colour wise and I used part of a charity shop bag for the top, I will share later when it is complete.

I had a nice walk and a cup of tea at a café today with my friend, I also showed her where the  local fabric shop is as she wanted me to make her some tops.  Of course I couldn't come out empty handed and bought a gorgeous piece for me, it is now blowing on the line.  I thought I would wash it immediately to save me prematurely sewing it up later unwashed and regretting it.

Sense and Sensibility is finished and I didn't think much of it, if you are going to read any of the Austin project novels don't choose that one or maybe just stick to the original as the modern day character versions were far too tedious.

The garden is beginning to look tired, though I have to say the flowers have had a really good run.  There are just a few things still to open and they were planted quite late, the rest needs a good sort through now.

Well that's all for today.

Retro Dining Chairs Make-over

Today I finally have my stair carpet and hall flooring down so it feels more like a home again and not a project.  I still need to source a couple of pictures for my walls as my old ones don't go anymore but I have the idea to possibly reuse the frames and just get art posters.  That would entail more painting of the frames as they are gold but it would save them and I hate waste.

My table and chairs are getting used and look brand new, I am so glad I saved mums chairs from being thrown out because although they were worn and faded they are a strong frame.  In the end I went for a dark grey on these, the paint was from wilko and it is cupboard and furniture paint.  You have to use primer first but at £18 pound a tin I didn't think that was bad to transform some furniture.

I gave them all a good clean, sanded them and primed them and waited twenty four hours, then I gave them all two coats of the paint.  You have to wait six hours between coats.   When choosing the fabric for the seats I went for an Orla Kiely print in mustard as I though it would look good with the grey.

I am happy with the new look and the good thing is if the seats begin to look tired then the fabric can be updated again in future as it wasn't hard to do.  I also added an extra layer of wadding to make them extra comfy.

before

after

Here are the chairs with the primer on, they actually looked like a distressed effect so if you like that sort of thing I suppose you could have varnished or waxed over them at that point.  

The table top had three coats of clear varnish after the original had been sanded off, it is matt not shiny and I also bought the varnish from Wilko. ( I ought to mention at this point that I am not affiliated with that shop, I just thought it was good value for the paints.)

Here are the pictures of the finished stairs and hall, I didn't take a before shot as I just  got straight on with it and then thought oops.  So  it was originally beige walls, with a dark red carpet and light wood laminate floor in the hall.  The walls are now an off white called cotton, white walls and ceilings and grey floors.  I think it looks more modern but we have repainted the banister mahogany (which is the same) as I have an upcycled wood cupboard and I wanted some contrast.   So I hope we manage to keep it all looking tidy for a while, it is a hallway after all.  The little cupboard is for shoes but my sons seem to think it is there so you can kick your shoes off underneath it and leave them there!  I am going to have to wrap it up for today as for some reason my text keeps vanishing every time I start a new line and I can't seem to type anything below these images Argh!! Bye for now. 

A Quick Dress Between Painting

I have been painting all day, well I had to have a brief period before I could add another coat to the first items so I decided to run up a quick dress to have a change of activity.  I started painting my table this morning, then moved on to the chairs while that was drying then a cupboard in the bathroom that needed touching up.  I have to say by this point I was ready for a change, so I thought I would use this paisley print I bought in  a sale a while ago.  Nothing too fancy I just cut around a t shirt shape I like with cap sleeves and made the back longer than the front, I cut it out long enough to make a dress and also a long strip for a belt.

I think I will add elastic at the waist as I feel when it is just a belt I am constantly arranging the pleats that gather at the waist, an elastic keeps them nice and even for you and doesn't take long.

This is comfortable as the fabric is nice and soft, it is a woven fabric no stretch so I cut a bit bigger to allow for ease of getting it on and off without the need for fastenings.  It was a good easy make and a nice break from decorating.

Having only just finished the second coat on everything, three coats of varnish on the table, I am ready for a rest!  I have a copy of Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope to get on with my next instalment of the Austin Project, I have seen a few poor reviews for this so I will see what I think.  Sometimes it is best to find out for yourself as I have read books with rave reviews that have been terrible so you never know.

Tomorrow I will choose some fabric for the chair seats so I look forward to sharing the finished items with you and early next week my hall and stair carpets should be fitted so hopefully things will be looking more presentable.