Victorian Nursing Chair - Stage 4

Ok…. I have been doing some tricky stuff!! - and I have been very busy... sorry, neglecting my blog!
I have stuffed the seat!! Woo hoo get me!

It was quite hard work. And I think I might have over stuffed it! I watched the DVD my teacher gave me after I did the actual stuffing.. and I got it half right! I don’t think I have to change anything I have done, except cut and snip the corners better than I already have… and maybe make a bit more of a roll at the front…. and re-tack the front??

Anyway… from what I have done on my own.. I’m chuffed!

I sewed in bridal stitches all over the seat section. This involves creating a loose stitch big enough to fit your fingers into (see picture) this then forms the base that I can then tuck the horse hair under.

So I spent a good half hour tucking hair through and adding quite a bit more on top.. I thought I may have over done it.. I then put the Hessian over it and pulled it all down firm and tight! Tacked it all in place and then set about securing it!

You do this weird stitch down through the top Hessian through the horse hair and then as you feel it pop out of the bottom you then go straight back up and secure at the top. And you have to do this over the cop about 15cm from the edge. All the way round making sure you flatten it and tighten it by hitting with the flat of your palm.

Once I had this is place I went about creating the roll round the edges. You un-tack one of the temporary edges and create a roll… really difficult to explain but you stuff more horse hair (yes even more!!) under the stuff all ready there and then tuck the Hessian under all of it creating a roll and then tack this to the very edge of the frame…. You do this all the way round and especially the front. I think I may have not put enough in now… the more you work it the flatter it gets and I think I am going to need more hair!!

Once all this was done… I was knackered! But hey… it’s all good fun… see the next blog for blind stitching the front and creating the front roll!! For more pictures and for a look at my life in genreal visit www.flickr.com/photos/abstar

see Ya'll next time...

Washing Horse Hair - 1st April 2007

Sorry… really sorry, I have been ignoring you and not blogged for a couple of weeks, but I do have good reasons…!

My lessons have finished for this term so I have not had as much time to update the blog, but… and it’s a big butt, I have still being working on my chair! (most important)

I did the horrible task of washing the Horse hair! Ewwww… it was smelly and dusty!

I picked a really nice day, out in the back garden. I filled up two bucket things (plastic carrying things you get from garden centers) with hot soapy water and started to wash the hair. I washed in one and drained in the other… it ended up really really soft, and I could tease it all apart easily and pull out all the crap that was in it.

I washed it a couple of times and had to carry the water out to the drain in the drive… (chiropractor that week-extra thirty five quid) the water that came out of it was DISCUSTING!! I couldn’t believe how much dirt and filth came out.. but then again I have no idea how old that hair was.. it could be 100years old!! (and had a 1000 bums on it! He he)

I left the hair out on my garden table to dry in the sun… I had to turn it a couple of times to dry the underside, but it dried really quickly (hardly had any time to read my book) and then I bagged it up and put it in the garage waiting for the chair!

Next stage, applying the hair… sooo excited!

Check out all my photos at www.flickr.com/photos/abstar/sets

see ya'll later!