Summer in the Attic : August & September

Little stools ready to be sent to the Harley Gallery

for their 50:50 makers exhibition

We were on the front of the Helfa Gelf Brochure...

...and had an action shot on the poster! 

Happy customers buying their first Laura's Attic stool.

After the Royal visit, I went back to the studio to create a couple of new pieces for the Harley Gallery who were having a showcase of makers work in their craft shop. I hope they have new homes now! 

Then it was all go, getting ready for Helfa Gelf whilst finishing off a couple of large commissions and organising cake orders with Birch Bakes of blog: ive got knits Who made these absolutely amazing cake toppers for the delish cakes she made. 

Cake Bunting! Yes!

We had about 150 ish people visit the Attic in September. We did a lot of chatting, a lot of cake eating and a lot of talking about chairs. It was fantastic! In case you didn't manage to make it and would like a visit, we'll be hosting a very special Christmas Shopping Open Weekend on Saturday the 15th December.

If you'd like to hear more about the goings on at the Attic including Workshop dates, new stock and open dates put yourself on the mailing list for details at my website link here: Laura's Attic 

or drop me a line with your address for postal mailouts:  info@laurasattic.co.uk

Meeting Prince Charles : July

St Asaph Cathedral in North Wales

My display inside the Cathedral

a bit nervous! with my new dress on.

hello Charlie! Look at my chairs!

We met, we chatted, he's lovely. Camilla went straight for the guy with tattoos next to me. I actually hadn't realised how far-reaching the work of the Princes Trust is. They help all sorts of youngsters get back into work, get trained up, or even just help them concentrate on their schooling. And they helped me to get a loan to retrain in upholstery, which is essential to my business. If you know someone who might need a helping hand, have a little look here: http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/

Cath Kidston Tapestry Chair

Applying the Hessian and ties

The chair before...

Horsehair layer

 

Finished chair in the studio with little blue chair 

The finished chair with Cath Kidston Tapestry seat.

Last week I finished this really lovely little tapestry covered chair, and forgot to blog about it! I just wanted to show you how a little chair can have a big personality. I cleaned and treated the wood, mended the wobbly joints, and gave it new webbing and stuffing. The tapestry had been done by the customer, and was a pattern from one of the Cath Kidston stitch books. The trim was from John Lewis and matched the wool colour perfectly. 

The one thing I would recommend if you are going to do a tapestry is to use a standing or handheld frame - this stops the canvas from becoming stretched out of shape by your hands. (And makes it much easier to apply to a chair if it's all square.) 

Tapestry can be a lot more fun than pictures of kittens in baskets (although if kittens in baskets is your thing - go for it!) I wanted to see if I could find a tapestry I would like to do and came across the amazing work of Charley Harper  Have a look at more of his beautiful illustrations turned into tapestries on the Purl Bee craft blog.  Imagine those beauties on a chair! 

Blanket Boxes in Brights

Before....

...and After!   Ta Dah! 

Right at home in the Attic

Ready to fill with stuff! 

A Lloyd Loom restoration, Attic style! The paint colours are Hibiscus by Habitat and Chartreuse by Sanctuary at Homebase. The fabrics are from  Fabric Rehab. Perfect to stash away all those toys and books in a child's room or brighten up the corner of your kitchen, bedroom or office. Get in touch if you have something similar you'd like revamping: Drop us a line at info@laurasattic.co.uk.

Nursery Rocking Chair

Nursery Rocking chair in Duck egg Spot Fabric

Piped box cushion with invisible zipper & bow ties

Arm padding with white enamel studs

This weeks commission was a customisation of an old rocking chair. The chair was ready painted by the customer for me to add the arm pads and make a box cushion - such a good idea, and perfect for a nursery.
It was a bit tricky getting the Enamel studs in the correct place and there were quite a few wasted --grrr! But  very happy with the overall finish and cant wait to see how it looks in the Nursery with Mummy and the little one (due in a week) in the chair.

wonky tacks 

Slipper Chair ReVamp

This was an old Laura Ashley bedroom chair that was looking a bit 90's and in need of some attention. The old fabric was stripped off, and replaced with a beautiful pink chenille spot and purple velvet fabric. Each of the buttons on the back is a different fabric, the piping is patterned on the back and the silver show tacks add a modern finishing touch.

Highdays and Holidays

The past two weeks have gone something like this: 

Heatwave! Pack house up, load van, unload van, move into new house,work on an armchair, friends' Wedding, Jubilee BBQ, another BBQ, (where my parents met his parents!) Visit a magical chapel,  Steam train ride in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Drive round lake Bala and Vyrnwy, pack for camping, go camping, RAIN! Get washed away, dry out, meet all our friends in Snowdonia for his 30th, go for a walk, get merry round the campfire, go climbing, come home, unpack......and breathe. Somewhere in all of this I have managed to design T shirts for the trip (made by the lovely folk at Loglike), make 2 curries, and eat a lot of meringue. 

Sparkly Jimmy Choo Wedding Shoes!

Magical Chapel otherwise known as Llangar

Patriotic Meringue

Wedding centre pieces - Vintage vases and meadow flowers

 T Shirts designed by moi. 

Camping!