SUSTAINABLE CRAFTSUpcycling with fibre crafts like crochet to bring new life to tired and forgotten objects and clothing. |
upcycled GRANNY SQUARE armchair
April's Crochet Armchair
Our living room at home isn't the biggest and after temporarily evicting the huge armchair we had to match our sofa so we could put up the Christmas tree I soon realised I liked the space and fancied something new once the tree came down. I convinced hubby to let me purchase a cheepy, secondhand chair from Facebook Marketplace so I could restore it into a statement piece of furniture. He wasn't convinced but humored me. He wanted a specific Ikea chair but I made him wait.
I hunted down a total bargain £10 chair from down the road and set about choosing yarns and designing. After almost two years in the making and two actual chairs, my armchair was complete. It was a stop start project and the children ended up destroying the original chair but its been a total love affair.
Taking a piece of furniture destined for the scrap heap and transforming it into a thing of beauty feels incredible and it has sparked so much joy I plan on doing many more upcycling projects in the future. (I just need a bigger house with a garage first!)
COST: £120*
A bargain for a unique, one of a kind statement piece of furniture, wouldn't you agree?!
* Please note that these are my material cost only, I have not costed time spent making. If you would like to commission me to create a statement piece of furniture of this scale, note final cost will be considerable more due to the making time required.
I hunted down a total bargain £10 chair from down the road and set about choosing yarns and designing. After almost two years in the making and two actual chairs, my armchair was complete. It was a stop start project and the children ended up destroying the original chair but its been a total love affair.
Taking a piece of furniture destined for the scrap heap and transforming it into a thing of beauty feels incredible and it has sparked so much joy I plan on doing many more upcycling projects in the future. (I just need a bigger house with a garage first!)
COST: £120*
- Original chair sourced from Facebook Marketplace - £10
- New chair again sourced from Facebook Marketplace - £35
- Yarn - £75
- Hundreds of hours making time - too many to calculate!
A bargain for a unique, one of a kind statement piece of furniture, wouldn't you agree?!
* Please note that these are my material cost only, I have not costed time spent making. If you would like to commission me to create a statement piece of furniture of this scale, note final cost will be considerable more due to the making time required.
INTARSIA CROCHET VANITY STOOL
Dressing Table Stool
This cute little dressing table stool was an upcycle commission project I completed at the beginning of 2021. I was provided with a swatch of wall paper and given the brief 'anything goes!'
The base of the stool had recently been restored by the owner but the tired and worn cotton upholstery on the top required a new fabric cushion. The client wanted a piece that would coordinate with her new room decor and wanted something unique but practical, this meant a removable cover that could be machine washable.
Using King Cole Bamboo Cotton in Grey (552), Cream (583) and Pale Green (1645) I used my favourite technique, intarsia crochet (also known as tapestry crochet, fair isle crochet or crochet colourwork - it's all about how you carry your yarns. Watch Video) I designed an organic pattern that complimented the blue and white wall paper supplied by the client. To finish the stool cover, I added an elastic fastening around the bottom edge making the cover easy to remove for washing.
COST: £15.50*
* Please note that these are my material cost only, I have not costed time spent making or client briefing times. If you would like to commission me to create a statement piece of furniture of this scale, note final cost will be considerable more due to the making time required.
** Yarn purchased from Knit Nottingham
The base of the stool had recently been restored by the owner but the tired and worn cotton upholstery on the top required a new fabric cushion. The client wanted a piece that would coordinate with her new room decor and wanted something unique but practical, this meant a removable cover that could be machine washable.
Using King Cole Bamboo Cotton in Grey (552), Cream (583) and Pale Green (1645) I used my favourite technique, intarsia crochet (also known as tapestry crochet, fair isle crochet or crochet colourwork - it's all about how you carry your yarns. Watch Video) I designed an organic pattern that complimented the blue and white wall paper supplied by the client. To finish the stool cover, I added an elastic fastening around the bottom edge making the cover easy to remove for washing.
COST: £15.50*
- Stool - Clients own
- Yarn** (£4.50 x 3) - £13.50
- Elastic - £2
- Production time - 8+ hours
* Please note that these are my material cost only, I have not costed time spent making or client briefing times. If you would like to commission me to create a statement piece of furniture of this scale, note final cost will be considerable more due to the making time required.
** Yarn purchased from Knit Nottingham
JUST FOR FUN PROJECTS
Clothing Projects - Slow Fashion
Here are just a few of the things I've upcycled or practiced my visible mending skills on so far. I have a huge stash of old clothes, mainly the childrens clothing that they have out grown but that are still in fab condition, that I can't wait to get revamping. This section will evolve and grow with snippets of my wips and finished projects so do pop back to see my adventures with slow fashion.
