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Saturday, April 25, 2009

One Thing Leads to Another.....

This morning I hit a garage sale on the way home and bought this for 4.00..... The last sewing chest like this that I saw at the antique mall was 40.00. I didn't buy that one. How could I pass this one up? The legs were just a little wobbly, but tightening the screws did the trick. When I turned it upside down I found "Poland" printed on the bottom. It was probably meant to be. Walter's grandmother was from Poland and she worked as a seamstress!

Anyway, that got me to thinking about how they used to do things and how we are slowly coming around to the same ideas once again.

One of my favorite sayings has always been the old Pennsylvania Dutch one that goes "Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do or do without." From that, the thought process turned to what I was going to do today in miniature.

I went into the clean workroom and rummaged around a bit. I remembered the French blog from the other day. I knew that I didn't have any perforated paper, but I did have #14 plastic canvas. It's kind of the modern version. I took some out and started cutting. It worked. It was a bit thicker than the paper and had to be cut with an exacto. That lead to trying the same thing on some interlock linen needlepoint canvas that I bought for less than nothing on sale years ago. I didn't like working with it much because it was so rough on my hands. It also worked.


OK. So I proved that it could be done. No further need to mess with that. I did have a lot of the canvas and it seemed ashamed not to do something with it.

Next I dug around and found an old balsa seat form for a chair. Hmmmmmm.......Chair seat? Linen canvas? Logic dictated that I try to make a chair. A beach chair came to mind.

I padded and upholstered the seat. Then I cut a strip of canvas at chair height.(1 1/2") I glued that around the edge of the seat with a seam at the back that overlapped about a quarter of an inch.

I took another piece of canvas and wrapped it around the chair on the back and sides and cut it to size. Then I rounded the back and left the sides in a long strip. First I curled the flaps for arms. They didn't quite look right. I did a sharp fold. That was better. Then I folded it again. This time I formed a triangle on the top and the front stuck out some. I cut that part off even with the inside of the chair arm. It needed an edge. I got out some linen cord and glued a strip around the back and around the front of the arms. I wrapped and glued the same cord around the seat four times. It needed more, so I did the same around the bottom and around the edges of the arms and back. It looked kind of like a resort deck chair.

When I was finished, Spike claimed it as his. Tessie wasn't fast enough for once. He used his growler voice to let her know that he wanted it. Knowing how she does things, I am sure that she will talk him out of it. She turned around to me and crooned......"If we only had a beach......." It was kind of to the tune of "If I only had a brain."

I am NOT going to build a beach. No matter how much she wheedles and whines!


See you tomorrow.

12 comments:

Sandy said...

What a fabulous find at the garage sale! I've seen them go for a pretty penny at auctions.

Really cute chair you created. I love that the dog claimed it! My cat would have if she had seen it first.

Debbie said...

Casey my Nan used to have one of those sewing boxes. What a bargain!
Spike looks very at home on his new chair..

MiniKat said...

I"m jealous of the sewing box! You are so lucky to have found one. :-)

The chair is fantastic! I wish you had taken pictures of the process.

Caseymini said...

Kat, that chair was strictly experimental. If I do more I will better document the procedure. I am thinking side table to go with it now.

A. Wright said...

$4.00! now that is a find.

The chair is great, I'm suprised he beat Tessie to it, or anything for that matter. :)

Mary said...

You are so so fast at making things--very crafty indeed! And what a great garage sale find.

nikkinikkinikki72 said...

I think i need to move to the states and come accross garage sales. People never do this here and tend to just take it to the dump. Your not even allowed to bring home treasures you find at the dump. The men that run them say you can't take them home for health and safety reasons. Daft i know but not arguing with big men.
You never fail to amaze me with everything you make and you always finish them too. Unlike myself i start things, and never finish them... lol
Lovely chair and spike looks right at home sitting there. Tessie made me laugh so much in your earlier post sewing next to spike and moaning her needle was too big... oh lol.
Nikki x

rosanna said...

Casey, you are so fast! and you have so many ideas. I envy your brain and your hands too.The sewing chest is very good. In Italy we do not have garage sales but in the last years there has been a flourishing of "shops" where you can take your unwanted objects and sell them and buy of course. They are very cheap and sometimes you can be so lucky to find what you want. NOT that cheap any way.

Caseymini said...

Nikki, Do they not have car boot sales in your area? My friend down in the Portsmouth area helps run one every Sunday. Maybe you could find something like that where you live. Do you have thrift shops there? They are also a good source for things like the sewing chest.

nikkinikkinikki72 said...

Hi Casey. We have second hand shops but the ones near me are full of stuff i don't want. Plus even though they are meant to be cheap they are still over priced.
We have car boot sales and you can pick up bargains there, but you have to be up early. Being a night owl means i'm never up early. I keep meaning to go to one thats massive and just a few miles away, but i dont drive and so have to get my husband to take me, which then means the kids too. Can't leave them all at home together because they fight like cat and dog.
But i shall make it a point to go to one this summer and shall let you know of the bargains i may find.

Unknown said...

The sewing box is very beautiful,
lucky you have found it!

And the chair is also beautiful,I think Tessie will figure out a way to get her own beach,haha?

Katie said...

lol...you know you'll build a bench....lol Your new sewing box is too cool...and for only $4!! Lucky you!! And your chair....your so dang on creative! Spike looks right at home in it!!!