Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Ho rifinito

Yes, Gentle Readers, the bloody chair is finished.  And in the grand tradition of making somebody work on something until they are truly sick of it, we immediately had to start on the second attempt, putting all the knowledge we acquired on the first one to work.  God, who took the notes?  Not me.  I took a few crap photos as I went along:


How useless was this one?



Not quite as useless as this one:



Or this one:




or my personal favourite, where the only thing I've managed to focus on was Brad's bum:



peeking round the corner of the chair!

However, it all came out in the wash:  



and underneath:




All nice & tidy.  MGF Kaz has bought the chair from me, which is good, because I never want to see it again.


I started the next one today, using this:


Bird Swing fabric by Michael Miller - 1 Yard

which is surprisingly difficult to line up - the pattern repeat is a long way apart and the birdcage bottoms are not aligned, but I think I've got it now.  I'm up to putting the first of three lots of foam on the seat, and I'm confident I'll get it finished next Monday.  My respect for upholsterers rises to new levels.

The weekend in the Green and Pleasant Land was very relaxing... they haven't had any rain for three weeks, so things are not so Green, but it was still fabulously restful:








And in here, I spotted something:



What a little cutie, hey?

And now, Gentle Readers, I must away to the shower, coffee with MBF is calling, and the dishwasher needs emptying.  Can't do that in my pyjamas, can I?  Hah!

Thursday, 10 March 2011

Progress Part II

Made birthday things for Miss Mandy but can't show them here as she reads this!  Once the birthday is over, I promise purple photographs.


Chair coming along nicely, but disappointingly not finished today due to my overwhelming desire to make sure the slip-stitching along the edge is invisible.  Which meant, I had to pull it out five (yep, count them, not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE) times before I was happy with it, and even now there's a couple of spots I'm not sure of.


My fingers are very sore.


We're off to Hunter Valley tomorrow for a weekend of R&R & mowing, if Mr G ever gets home from work to pack his clothes, although he probably thinks I'm going to do it for him because I get home earlier than he does.  Ha.  


I've been playing scrabble online with My Lovely Ma & MGF Dawn, and losing badly.   Little old ladies have no scrabble-scruples.


There is other news, but I need to go & drag the suitcase out of the roof, apparently, so more on our return from the Green & Pleasant Land!


Ciao!

Saturday, 5 March 2011

Very funny, Blogger...

I didn't notice, Gentle Readers, that my post from yesterday, when I came home all full of enthusiasm and dust, was full of HTML, until this afternoon when I was waiting for MBF & Master H in one of the few decent bookshops on the mid-Northern Beaches (which is closing down, for shame [but which isn't part of the A&R or Borders chain], because the owners are retiring and didn't even try to sell it as a going concern...), and my back started to ache, so I went and sat on The Bench to wait for them.  As I do from time to time, I thought I'd look for updates from my favourite blogs, and as usual, I get to them via my own blog, because of course they're all gathered there for convenience.  Mine, of course.  It's just very handy for you as well, because I know that some of you go straight from me to Mrs Pudding, for example, and that's fine... 


Anyway, long story short... I was doing this on my phone (so geeky) and what do I see but a mess of HTML... I assumed it was because there was some issue with the phone, but now that I'm home, having had a drink & two aspirin, lying on the bed & wishing I felt better, that I have discovered that the whole post went up in HTML, and none of the photos made it, either.  Gah.

Anyway, I couldn't bear to do it all again, so here's a precis:


Madam Late arrived at 8.50 on Thursday & didn't arrive at all on Friday...
Mr Smelly didn't arrive at all on Thursday, arrived late on Friday, stayed for 2 hours then nicked off without letting the teacher know he was leaving (not really an attendance thing, more a courtesy thing)...
Miss Sulky actually picked up a broom but only managed to wave it round her own workbench, she didn't quite get to the rest of the floor, but that is some progress...
Miss Badhair left early so she could go to the beautician.  Guess that's better than Zumba, which was last week's excuse for leaving early.... such dedication
Poor B put his inside back cover on the wrong way round & had to start again... 
The rest of us are perfect, but you knew that already.


Chair is coming on:


And tomorrow is our wedding anniversary (18, to be precise).  Incredible really.   Mr Golightly sent me these yesterday, saying Happy 18th & here's to another 80.  I don't really want to still be going at 375 years + 80, but I guess we'll see.




That's it.  I'm having a rest now, before we go out tonight with OWP & KWP to our favourite Italian, where Mr Golightly & I have been dining since before we were married.  Yum.  


Have a great weekend, Gentle Readers, and watch out for that HTML monster!


Ciao!


PS I bought a scrabble dictionary.  Watch out!

Friday, 4 March 2011

Progress

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Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Eye spy

At Upholstery School there are very strict rules about wearing safety glasses whilst stapling or nailing - those mothers really punch out the sharp flying things, and while you can always grow skin over a cut or a hole, you can't grow another eyeball.


Needless to say, the safety glasses sit in our toolboxes, and get all scratched and greasy.  So... today I made three pouches for the three amigos (me, Caroline and Natalie):


Insides:





Outsides:

And the glasses fit in very nicely, thank you:


and so do the safety glasses:


And yes, we all look like Fearless Fly.  But we're safe!

Anyway, I'm going to put these into the shop... they work just as well as other cases, they're lined with quality fabrics, made squishy and protective with quilt batting, and they look a lot nicer than the brown vinyl one you've got now, come on, admit it!

And in the fabric purchasing department, I bought a metre and a half of this:




And yes, that is my hand, so you see the scale of the print - my favourite chair, which we inherited from Mr Golightly's lovely parents waaaaaaaaaaaaay back when we were newly married and very poor, is covered in a gorgeous wool from KA Fabrics - way back when we were very spoilt and had three or four KA stores to choose from - which is blue, cream and brown, and although it may sound pretty foul, it's gorgeous:



And, of course because KA no longer graces our shores, there's no more to be had - that and the fact that it was nearly 10 years since we had the chair redone!  So, I wanted something that would go with the chair, and could be used to recover the lounges if & when I ever get round to it ... I think they kind of go together... and I will use this to cover my skirted footstool, which we have to do at Upholstery school.

I had a lovely time at Bargain Upholstery Fabrics at Seaforth - they don't have a website, but what they do have is six (yep, six) shops full of amazing fabrics.  Despite the huge choice, it didn't take me long to find the cream, and it was only $16/metre.  That's a massive bargain, when you consider that quilting cottons can cost as much as $25 per metre - is it any wonder that we get our quilting stuff direct from the US???.  I got 1.5 metres, which should be enough to do my laura ashley cream wool footstool as well, which is looking a bit grubby and old.  


And that, Gentle Readers, is the news of the day for me.  I now have to dress respectably (out of the yoga pants, into something guaranteed not to frighten the children) and away, away to the supermarket.  Can't wait!

Ciao!

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Sandflies, mosquitos and other minor irritants

So, Gentle Readers, last weekend we had some social stuff - I had to go & suffer through a free facial on Saturday, (oh, so difficult!), and on Sunday we all celebrated Miss Alex's birthday - she's a teenager now.  Her Aunty Cathy (Mr Golightly's sister) lives in Collaroy Plateau, just round the corner from where Mr Golightly and his sisters all grew up, and we rolled up on Sunday with my wonderful MIL in tow (always good for a quick getaway, bringing the MIL with you!)... but the sandflies!  OMG.  


I counted 15 bites on Sunday night, including one or two of which are the size of of a 50c piece - that's about 1 1/2 inches across, for those of you in other countries... they are so itchy that I was nearly driven out of my mind at School yesterday, combining itchy arms and legs with dust and hessian... not good.


Anyway, I stopped at the chemist/pharmacy yesterday on the way home & have been slathering cortisone cream all over myself, which, for the most part, has been quite effective , but... there is one on my wrist and one on my elbow which are huge, and are pressing on various nerves under the skin, making me ache.  Ow.  I want sympathy.  Although, I am sleeping better, because I'm taking two Polaramine before I go to bed, and they keep me out cold until about 3.30am, when I go to the loo, then go back to bed & sleep like the dead until 5.30am.  Bliss.


In other more cheerful news, my chair fabric arrived from here:


BirdSwings and Caribe Ta Dots Fabrics by Michael Miller - 1 yard each-Total 2 yards

And this:

Moss and Mustard Ta dots and Apples and Pears Fabric-1 yard each- Total of  3 yard of fabric

and this:

Dumb Dot Aqua - By Michael Miller  1 Yard

So I'm thinking that I should be able to make something fantastic out of these after the chair is done - maybe a cushion?

Upholstery school continues to delight me, and here for your edification is the progress on the child's chair:


Most of yesterday was spent wrestling with the calico at the corners at the bottom of the inside back, learning how to slice the fabric so you get a nice finish underneath.  Then we put the final fabric on the back, making nice pleats so it sits smoothly.




The we started building the seat - webbing (itchy!), hessian (itchier!), black plastic edging, foam, wadding, bigger foam... which is where I'm up to.  Thursday we're going to put the biggest layer of foam on the chair, which holds it all down, then the calico. then the fabric.  Then we do the border & border piping.  Then we do the back.  Then I have a drink! 




Anyway, more progress shots as we go along.


What else have I learnt so far?  Some people don't work well in teams - it wouldn't occur to some people to get off their arses and help out by doing things we need to do before we can go home, like sweeping the floor, cleaning off the benchtops, taking somebody else's tools to the storeroom, turning off the lights, fetching, carrying, ... Surprisingly, there's only one of these people, and interestingly, she's the youngest person on the course.  Co-incidence?  Hmmm.

Anyway, Gentle Readers, I am going to put my lovely new fabric into the washing machine, then hang out some of Mr Golightly's socks.  Such excitement.  Enjoy your day!

Ciao!

5.04pm Edited to say:  I can't believe nobody noticed I'd spelt 'sandflies' wrong.  Ouch!

Saturday, 26 February 2011

Piping, selvedges, staple guns and spelling

Well, Gentle Readers, it's a bit depressing that the new blogging schedule of every other day, or thereabouts, has well and truly fallen into the bin since Upholstery School started.  I have spent the last two Tuesdays & Wednesdays socialising, and then by the time Saturday & Sunday roll around, I've either got things on, or I'm too tired.  Last Saturday we had a lunch, then a 50th Birthday to go to, and by the time we got home (admittedly it was only 8.00pm), I fell down in front of the TV, watched three episodes of Battlestar Galactica then crawled into bed at midnight.  Do you think I could face writing a blog post on Sunday?  Nope.


This week wasn't much better.  Tuesday I went with Mr Golightly to the bank, and Wednesday I had lunch with my lovely MIL, then went up to see My Best Friend and helped Miss Nelly with her spelling.  I think it's pretty impressive that an 11yo knows how to spell 'expeditiously', don't you?  Also, 'belligerence', 'narcissistic' and 'kaleidoscope'.  I couldn't get that one right!  She did have a bit of trouble with 'crevice', but I gave her the trick - it's just like 'de-vice', but with a 'cr' at the front.  Easy.


Upholstery school continues to make me grin like a loon - yesterday I had to go to the storeroom to get the right colour thread to sew my piping onto my chair front, and I was smiling at the thought of what I was going to do next.  This makes me so happy, I feel like I've fallen into something I was always meant to do.  I'm not a fatalist, or anything, I've always solidly believed you are purely responsible for your own life, but this just feels so right.  


Anyway, this week we:


... finished our footstools.  I had to use fabric from the school storeroom, having completely forgotten to take my Joel Dewberry with me.  D'oh.. but I found a nice sapphire blue chenille-y type fabric in the fabric store.  


All they need now is feet.  I'm going up to the local hardware megastore today to find something a bit nicer than the plastic monstrosities offered by School (for free, to be fair) - if I'm going to have this thing in my house, I want nice feet. .


... drew up what's called a Cover Plan, in Upholstery-speak, but what the sewers amongst you would recognise as a cutting layout.  It's done in 1:10 scale, but with the actual measurements written on the pattern pieces.  The fabric width is also written on the Cover Plan.  They don't assume that fabric is all the same width, of course, because it isn't.  


... found fabric in the storeroom I could live with for this child's chair - this one is the one I'm not keeping - the fabric I ordered for MGF Kaz hasn't arrived yet, but as we get to make another chair, I will use the good fabric for that one.  


This fabric is woven, it's sort of browny-orange, with a green leaf & yellow dots, which sounds foul, but it isn't really.  It's just not what most people would have chosen for a child's chair:




but you know what?  Because it has such a distinctive repeat pattern, cutting it out straight is easy.  You just pick the spot, such as the every top row of the little yellow dit, and cut along the line, making sure you get each of the yellow dits.  


... cut it all out, and then we got to make piping.  Easy for those of us who've done it before (I made an eight-gore skirt once with each gore piped... what was I thinking?, and then there was Mr Golightly's bean bag... ), a bit more trying for people who've never done it.  I must say, though, that the people who were struggling with the sewing machines found the piping easier to make than they'd expected, probably because they had the discipline of following a line.


... Got to attach the piping to our OB (that's upholstery-talk for 'Outside back', or, the back of the chair :-)), just along the top, then it's secret squirrel until next week, when we will learn how to attach the back to the frame.  I've always wondered how that was done, now I get to find out!!


In other news of interest, the Head Teacher was quite interested in the concept of using a Rotary Cutter and quilting ruler to cut out - they currently use scissors, and blackboard chalk to mark it up - because it doesn't leave a mark, unlike tailor's chalk, which is almost impossible to get off, apparently - so I'm taking in a cutting board, centimetre ruler and rotary cutter for them to look at.

Madam Late turned up at 9.10 on Thursday, but managed 8.30am on Friday.  She's so far behind (in week two!) she's already having to take catch-up classes.  Ah dear.



And finally, I promised MGF Kaz I would post this picture & brag a little about it:




My lovely Ma and I made this whilst I was in Perth in early February; lots of the fabrics were donated by ladies from the Parkerville Craft Group and Good Works Society, and I did the piecing.  The creative genius, though, with the large cowboy and his lasso, came from my lovely Ma - she photocopied and enlarged the material, then cut out individual pieces for the fence, hat, scarf, pants, shirt, face, hands and feet, then raw-edge appliqued it together - genius.  



You may remember the fabric from 2009, when I made toy bags for Kerry, the beautician. Mum just substituted the lasso for the gun & bingo!  Bob's your uncle.  Or somebody is!

And now, Gentle Readers, I have to go & do... stuff.  Actually, I'm thinking about a nap.  Yesterday was a busy busy day, and I'm up, but not dressed, so I'm thinking... why not?  Ciao!