Monday 21 January 2008

Chaise of Dreams - Part 3

I know... here are the apologies again!

Sorry sorry sorry..
It’s been far too long I know! Anyway, here is the update! I think last time I was just marking out the buttons in the second layer of coir
Well from this point onwards you place over the top of this some of that lush cotton wadding! (oh I love that stuff) and you make holes in that so you can see where the buttons are going to go...
You have to feed the buttons though using your double pointed needle with the both ends of the button tread through the eye... (oh yeah... check the skanky nail!!)
You push them through the Calico and then down the hole you have created and out the back -working from the centre outwards..
You have to tie a strange slipping and self tightening knot on the back... pity I didn’t take any photos really as when you describe it, it sounds bonkers! Both ends come towards you with the right hand piece shorter - this piece goes over the top of the left.. round the back and over the top and through its own loop but within the left hand piece.. see it sounds bonkers but it’s actually really easy!
You then put a piece of rolled up fabric in the space and slide the knot up to tighten the button... The Calico has been marked up to points where the buttons should roughly go... but when you start to put them in place you realise (quite quickly) that the lines are a rough guide! and you have to work by feel and eye a lot! you have to re-work a lot of the buttons and get them all equal distance.. plus get the fabric taught in-between... You should end up with a nicely stuffed and taught back... like this!
From this point onwards though I started getting into trouble! I had over stuffed quite considerably the back roll.... you can see from this photo how puffy it all is... when I tried to tighten the back it seamed to be an impossible task... and I reworked it about 4-5times until I realised (Jan told me!) that I should take out some stuffing and see what happens... so I took out some.. and then some more.. and then some more... until it was smooth and even...
I realised after I had finished that I had taken out enough of the coir stuffing to completely do the arm!!!

Once the back roll was in place I started working on the pleats around the sides.. cutting and folding all the way round until you have the perfect flat side





















From this point onwards there wasn’t much else that was of any difficulty.. the arm was stuffed and the same types of plates were applied to the end scroll








The Seat are had it's second stuffing too.. complete with corner pleates!


Once all the Calico was on I stood back and was quite amazed by my own handy work (even though I do say so myself)

I am currently working on the top fabric and I will show you some pictures soon...

Don’t forget for sneaky previews go to
www.flickr.com/photos/abstar