2023 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Wraithlady

PollyWollyDoodle said:

@Wraithlady please tell us more. My overlocker (known as Pearl 🤣) has not gone wrong so far but I’d like to be prepared.  She only gets occasional use because despite going on a two day course I’m still a bit unsure of how to use her.  However, she was a secondhand purchase some years ago, so she owes me nothing.

HI, the problem is with the looper - apparently (according to the repairer) the design they nicked it from had the same flaw (can't remember the make) so the looper is prone to bending and, when it does, it can't really be fixed.

Think it's one of those 'luck of the draw' things - mine was about 6 -9 months old

Cherryfudge

@Laura_Elsewhere, are you moonlighting as one of the 'bear ladies' off the Repair Shop? (Joking, why would you need to when you can be yourself?)

The little waistcoat and trousers are way beyond my skills at  similar age, and they seem to have worn very well. How lovely for a family to have passed the teddy through various hands and he's still going. There's a lot to be said for 'a stitch in time'.

Cherryfudge

We don't often mention upholstery (is there a 'downholstery', I wonder?) but I'm hoping someone can guide me in the right direction please.

We have a double duet stool inherited from my parents - no idea where they got it but the seat was in rags and horribly dusty even after vacuuming. It smelled musty so I studied it and took a few photos then ripped all the top layer off. It was a brocade over a sort of melee of pulped fibre with oddments of actual fabric included. Proper recycling! Under that there's a hardboard layer. The padding was about 1cm thick, though I expect it was squashed over time, and the fabric was just folded under at the edges and nailed in place every few inches with braid to cover the border.

I've done a simple top layer with upholstery nails before, using a faux leather, so I'm not total inexperienced, but I'm stuck as to what materials to look for and where best to get them. A local shop has sheets of foam in various sizes but I'd have to get one cut down so I've not committed to it as yet. I have a pretty piece of fabric to use as a top layer and I think it's an appropriate weight.

Questions:
Is foam the right/best thing to pad it with?
If it is, do I need to shape the edges?
If not, what do I use and do I need to cover it with batting (or something) before adding the top layer?
(I am so ignorant - sorry! If I knew the search terms I'd feel I could look but I would rather talk to real people who can tell me where to start!)
Upholstery nails are available locally, but that means new holes into hard wood - so I'm havering between that and trying to replicate the folded edge with braid. Recommendations?
If I get braid, what do I ask for? The local shop doesn't seem to do a great line in early 2Oth Century styles and I don't think 'happy birthday' ribbon will quite work.

By the way, I'm not going for the faux leather again, it's not right for this particular piece.

Thanks in advance for any input!

PS. It's not the sort of seat where you have a frame that drops into place. It's all straight on to the hardboard.

Gem-gem

Cherryfudge said:

While looking for something else, I've found the Internet has various solutions for keeping Le Creuset pans going. There are Youtube videos for fixing chipped enamel, there are replacement handles, all sorts of things out there. I think the pans themselves might just go on forever.

I have a Le Creuset frying pan that I found in a charity shop for a tenner. The problem is it's all metal and super-conductive so DH is complaining that he burns himself trying to pick it up from the stove. The company sells 'handle gloves' and grips to put over the little handle opposite the main one (I don't know what its proper name is).

Mind you, I think if I get as far as getting my sewing machine out, some of those little handle grips would be a good starter project that could be made from felt or - better still - reclaimed fabric. That would be a way of using things that would otherwise just take up space, but no real loss if It went wrong. Also the necessary layering up would use more fabric.

Thanks for the heads up on the internet videos about Le Creuset pans. In my 20's I received two company awards and received £500 and £250 worth of points that you could use to get things from a catalogue. I purchased a three saucepans with handles, one casserole and one frying pan all Le Creuset along with four ramekins dishes and three serving dishes. Then when we got married my Mum bought us a large LC casserole pan. Then a couple of years ago, I purchased the large shallow cooking pan with a lid. Finally, my Dad gave me his two frying pans when he moved. 

Cherryfudge

What a fab collection, @Gem-gem! 

PollyWollyDoodle

@Cherryfudge your seat was stuffed with what I believe is called ‘shoddy’ - waste from weaving/fabric production.  

Foam is probably the easiest way to recover it, if you were going for authenticity you’d use upholstery wadding but I think foam will be ok. As you draw the fabric tight it will blend the edge down a bit. I’d use upholstery tacks, yes I know it’s been used before but you should be able to get another set of tacks in between the holes. Or could you it slightly outside the existing holes?  

Gimp is the technical term for the braid. J A Milton are good for upholstery supplies online.  I’m not an expert by the way, just done a bit of home upholstery although I did do a one-week course a few years ago. 

PipneyJane

Cherryfudge said:

While looking for something else, I've found the Internet has various solutions for keeping Le Creuset pans going. There are Youtube videos for fixing chipped enamel, there are replacement handles, all sorts of things out there. I think the pans themselves might just go on forever.

I have a Le Creuset frying pan that I found in a charity shop for a tenner. The problem is it's all metal and super-conductive so DH is complaining that he burns himself trying to pick it up from the stove. The company sells 'handle gloves' and grips to put over the little handle opposite the main one (I don't know what its proper name is).

Mind you, I think if I get as far as getting my sewing machine out, some of those little handle grips would be a good starter project that could be made from felt or - better still - reclaimed fabric. That would be a way of using things that would otherwise just take up space, but no real loss if It went wrong. Also the necessary layering up would use more fabric.

@Cherryfudge, they are called “Handle Gloves”.  I have several.  They’re really, really good and fit over frying pan handles from other makers.  My main frying pan is a Warner black-iron pan that I bought for less than £30 from John Lewis in the mid-1990’s.  It needs to be re-seasoned* occasionally, weighs a ton when full - so is far too heavy to lift one handed - but cooks like a dream AND the Le Creuset handle glove fits really well.  Tell your husband that “Rule One is don’t ever lift it when hot or full”.  (Rule 2 is, if it isn’t enamel, don’t soak it because it will ruin the cooking surface.)

@Laura_Elsewhere.  What is teddy’s name?  He is lovely and will be such a special present for your niece.

- Pip








* To season a black-iron pan:  lightly coat all surfaces with oil, place in the oven and cook at 150C for an hour.  Leave to cool overnight before removing it.

Cherryfudge

Thank you @PollyWollyDoodle, that's all the sorts of things I need to know to get me started! 

I think the upholstery tacks will look good: there aren't actually all that many holes in the wood as it had only been nailed at intervals.

skogar

Hello Cherryfudge,

I see that PollyWollyDoodle has beaten me to suggesting a look on JA Milton's website. It is a good one and in their hints and tips section they have some videos on how to do common projects which might be useful. Not all their products are as obvious as you would expect so it's worth looking for things in the search box if you don't see it and clicking on all products (all products still doesn't seem to find everything for me!).

Upholstery tacks are used for a lot of things that are not seen. An alternative to using decorative upholstery nails (only used where you can see them) is to use braid and gimp pins (which look like small upholstery tacks but you can get them in different colours). This would probably cause less damage than using decorative upholstery nails which are normally put in next to each other. It is also possible to buy a strip where you put in nails from time to time but it looks like a full line of nails. (Looks like it's called nail trim on JA Milton.)

Old furniture is pretty tough and although reupholstery does mean that you are putting a new set of holes in things it's interesting to see when stripping things back how little full reupholstery of say a drop in seat is done so the effect is less than you might think. Although often not loved by traditional upholsters use of staple guns can reduce the damage to the wood for out of sight.

The shoddy (similar to what I found in the 1920s dining chairs I've been doing) could be replaced by wool and cotton felt or wool felt, or by animal hair (stops it flattening as much) with wadding on top or foam. The felts would be the most similar to what it had originally but JA milton only have smaller amounts of the wool and cotton on their website.

If you only want small quantities of things then it can be worth having a look online on the bay or E or similar as some companies have quite high postage costs for small orders. Some of the suppliers like JA Milton also put some of their most common products on there. Another place you could try is your local upholsterer. Some will sell supplies to amateurs. May be worth an ask for things like braid.

Definitely no expert - I've only done a couple of drop in seat dining chairs.

thriftwizard

Oh goodness, go away for a week on serious war work & there's loads of catching up to do! But I've just surrendered another 5 coupons for a pair of "outdoor slippers"; whilst house, pet & garden sitting in south-west wales, I borrowed my son's fleece-lined "cloggies" to trot up & down their long garden to the veg beds, and realised they were just exactly what I need here, lightweight & waterproof. Although our garden's a much more moderate affair, I've "killed" several pairs of my beloved sheepskin slippers by wearing them outside when it's damp (I just can't be bothered, or even remember, to change into wellies or whatever) so in the long run, this should save me money!