Wicker Chair Makeover

The Find

I found two of these worn wicker chairs one night. They were lightweight and had a good shape to them, too bad someone put them out with the trash - but good that they were still salvageable!  I really liked the wide armrest and gracious curve of the backrest - nice lines.

Wickerness.

The (Half) Makeover

The white paint on these wicker chairs was cracked, flaking, and overall in really poor condition. In addition, on some of the legs the wrapping was coming undone.  I fixed the loose wrapping with some super glue and clamps - that seemed to do the trick!

Coming undone

Cracked paint

Paint missing on some fibers

It was clear that these chairs had spent some time exposed to the elements.  I've never refinished wicker furniture before, so this was a new process for me.  I decided that the first step was, AS ALWAYS WHEN PAINTING, surface prep!  So I used a stiff scrub brush to scour off the loose paint as best as I could.  Then I used a can of spray paint to try to get into all the nooks and crannies of the wicker.

Ocean Mist spray paint can

The color I used was 'Ocean Mist', a very very pale blue. Wicker has many many nooks and crannies, and I used an entire can of spray paint on one chair without even fully coating it to my satisfaction.  It was maybe 1.5 coats in some spots, but only 1 coat in others.  This resulted in  "uneven" color across the chair.  On some of the chair-front the blue color was much more apparent because that part had received a second coat of spray paint.  I estimated that to spray both chairs and get full coverage with even color would take 3-4 cans of spray paint.  If I were planning to keep these chairs for a long time I would definitely consider that a fair investment in such nice patio furniture.  However, I knew these chairs were only going to be around for a few months, and in peak summer I don't actually spend much time sitting outside. So I stopped at one chair with as much coverage as I could get on the underside and topside.  You can see that the pale aqua color was starting to be visible, but that a few more coats would have helped smooth out the surface.

Ocean Mist - 1 coat

Here is the chair in its home-corner after getting as much spray paint as it was going to get from me.

Sitting pretty

Conclusion

The color-mismatched pair of wicker chairs hung out for a while and the newly spray-painted one held up nicely.  The chair shape was very comfortable, and if I had a larger and more permanent space I would have hung on to these curvaceous beauties!  But alas, they eventually went on to their next home, where I hope they will bring others comfortable repose.  

Happy freestyling - don't be afraid to shift your plans in response to a reality check!

Sitting prettier with a freestyle pillow

3rd Life For A Pair of Frames

The Frame Finds

A while ago I posted about finding a pair of frames and the subsequent makeover using gold foil (failure) and gold paint (decent).  As part of the continuous parade of ideas, free stuffs, and design 'pivots' in this home space frames are known to come and go - and eventually those frames went on their way too.  But the story doesn't end there! No, these particular frames ended up with a new life and an old identity all at the same time....

The First and SECOND Makeovers

Just a recap, these frames looked like this when I found them with French architectural photographic prints inside:

First Version

Then after the first makeover they looked like this, featuring some vintage bird images downloaded from the Biodiversity Heritage Library, resized, and printed on photo paper:

Second Version

That is the form in which I gave them to a friend who was looking to fill some empty walls.  One day, while we were hanging some *other* art pieces around the house, I let her know that these frames still had their original French architectural prints inside - just hidden in the back under some cardboard.  

Surprise! 

She had, by pure coincidence, recently found and hung a picture of Notre Dame in Paris in another room of the house.  I showed her the original French architectural prints, and a little bit of an idea was planted.

Later on I got a message that she had decided to repaint the frames (second makeover!) to match the green matting on her Notre Dame picture and to reveal the original French architectural photo prints (the birds happily taking a backseat).

Third Version

Conclusion

Is this a conclusion, or will these frames go through a third makeover? The life of a freestyle find is full of surprises. For now these framed prints live on a lovely gray wall, flanking an image of Notre Dame and the Seine on a sunny day in Paris. (Also loving that chair rail and moulding on the lower wall.)

Where it's at.

Happy freestyling, and don't forget you can sometimes store one piece of art behind another in the same frame!

DIY Felted Wool Yarn From Old Blazer

The Inspiration

Thrift stores are filled with well made old business attire, things like suite and jackets or blazers.  In some cases you can find items made of 100% wool (except for linings which tend to be polyester, acetate, or something similar).  Those of you who have lived in cold climates might have more experience with the benefits of wool, but it really is an amazing fiber.  In a world full of synthetics that break down but don't biodegrade, maybe it is time to look back to the classics - wool, linen, and other natural fibers.  

For this project I was looking to make my own wool yarn. There is looooots of cheap yarn out there, but most of it is acrylic, and to me acrylic yarns feel sort of plastic-y.  Wool yarns exist but are not always available at the desired price point at your local craft store. All this to say that I decided to make my own wool yarn, and as my "raw material" I used an old wool blazer from the thrift store in a beautiful dark burgundy color.

The DIY Wool Yarn From an Old Blazer Method

Step 1. Find a 100% wool garment and remove any non-wool lining. 

It has to be 100% wool, if it is blended with any other fiber it will not shrink and felt properly. If an item is not labeled properly you can always try to felt it and see how it goes, but be prepared for lack of shrinkage! This happened to me recently with a name brand sweater (purchased at the thrift store) that was labeled as 100% wool. It did shrink a little, but did not fully felt, so I suspect there was some sort of stretchy fiber in the blend.  Removing the lining can be done in many ways, you can either cut the lining fabric close to where it meets the wool fabric, or you can use a seam ripper to cut the thread holding them together. 

Step 2. Wash your garment in hot water with a long agitation cycle.

Depending on how your original garment was dyed, the color may run. Plan accordingly. If you are not sure whether a garment is color-fast, wash it alone.  Once the washing cycle is done you should see that the garment has shrunk (sometimes significantly). If it doesn't look felted, you can wash it again in a hot cycle.

Step 3. Dry your garment in a dryer with hot air.

I've seen suggestions for including a tennis ball or other items to help with the felting process, but I've never used them.  If you forgot to detach the non-wool lining you should notice that it seems larger than the wool pieces by now.

Step 4. If you garment has felted, but not fully, repeat steps 2 and 3.  If your garment has felted to the point where you can't see the warp and weft properly it's ready to cut.

Step 5. Decide how thick you want your wool yard, and if you want many short straight strands, or one continuous piece with a few curves in it.  I chose to make one long piece of yarn from the entire sleeve of a jacket. If you want to trace out a pattern, use a marking pencil that will remain visible on your fabric.

Felted fabric and supplies

Step 6. Start cutting!  I chose to free-hand cut the sleeve, starting at the outside edge and working around the outside towards the inside like a spiral.  I tried to keep the width of the 'yarn' to approximately 1/4 wide. There were a few places where I had to trim off an extra corner because I was trying to avoid sharp curves.

Cutting the felted fabric, spiral from the outside

Step 7. Examine your completed yarn string. Trim off any excess or rough edges that bother you.

All cut up and nowhere to go

Step 8. Wind your new yarn up into a ball so it doesn't get tangled. It is now ready to use!

Ball of yarn, ready to be reborn!

Conclusion

This DIY wool yarn from a felted blazer method yields yarn is is wide and flat, not round. If you want to have yarn that is closer to being 'round' you could cut a narrower width - which would take longer.

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to reuse and remake!

Bonanza of Blue Patio Furniture

 The Furniture Finds

One two separate evening walks around the universe I came across a pair of blue patio chairs, and also a metal-frame loveseat with blue cushions.  All of these pieces had seen better days, and I'm guessing they had been sitting outside on a porch or patio for a bit.  But they all seemed intact (no loose legs or fabric rips) and ready to benefit from a good cleaning.

Blue chair pair (stacked)

Not feeling the love...seat

Loveseat, backside

The Cleaning

The two blue chairs were, despite a bit of dirt, in perfect condition. (Thank you curb givers!). So with a little soap + water + brush action they cleaned up nicely.

With the loveseat I was only able to wash the covers and the smaller (upper) cushions in a washing machine.  The seat cushions will have to wait until another solution presents itself, they will just stay as they are since the plan was to keep the piece outside anyway. But again, thank you curb givers for putting this out so it could find a new home.

The Conclusion

I have some friends who just bought a house and mentioned they were looking for patio furniture! 

What coincidence!  I realized that my limited patio space was best used for plants, not for lounge furniture (maybe if this were a large space - but it is not!).  So I offered up the blue beauties (and some orange and white pillows I had found and cleaned) and everyone was happy.

Look at this lovely setup!

Sitting pretty on a new covered porch.

Happy freestyling. Don't be afraid to take something, clean it or fix it up, and then offer it back up to the world as an act of kindness - someone will ALWAYS want it.