DIY Chairs

Hello Everyone and happy spring time!

The husband and I have just moved into our new apartment right in the heart of beautiful historic Schaffhausen (post to follow soon). The location could not be more perfect, with the emerald green Rhein river and lots of lovely shops, cafes and bars right at our doorstep.
As Swiss apartments come completely unfurnished, I've set myself the challenge (I know, me and my challenges) to make, up-cycle and re-use as much of our furniture as possible. You can all look forward to a couple of DIY Home posts! Up first: chairs...
In Switzerland, there's lots of these handy second-hand shops called Brockenhäuser selling literally everything from used furniture to electric appliances, children's toys or musical equipment. They are usually run by charities like the Salvation Army and super cheap... (unless you go to Zurich, where hipsters have pushed prices up big time).

So for this project, I got a bunch of old, unremarkable-looking wooden chairs from our local Brockenhaus. I am hoping to give them a cool distressed look to match my grand vision of a retro-industrial-apartment.
If you like the result and want to try it yourself, all you need is:
- sanding paper
- an electric sander, if you can get your hands on one
- wood paint, primer and paint brushes

I sanded down the first chair, making sure to take off all the varnish and leaving the surfaced a bit roughened up, which will allow the paint to stick better. I used an electric sander for as much as possible - it makes your life so much easier - but the fine parts I had to do by hand using plain old sandpaper. If you're going to paint the chair later you don't need to sand it all down to an even finish, so don't worry if it looks patchy.

After sanding I wiped the chair down with a wet cloth, making sure to remove all the sawdust. I then based it with the primer. As there was no dark grey primer in the shops, I mixed black and white paint and added a little bit of water to create my own primer. You will probably have to base it twice, if not three times to cover the wood fully. Make sure to leave enough time to allow the paint to dry.

left: chair with dark grey primer, right: after applying light grey top coat

To achieve the vintage distressed look I used light grey paint and roughly painted over the now dark grey chair. I made sure to let the paint brush run dry, creating the brush pattern and leaving the dark grey to peak through. If I accidentally covered the dark-grey too much, I used a blunt knife to scrape off some of the light grey paint again.
And finished was my first retro dining room chair!

Before                                                                                                          After

I'm so pleased with the result and can't wait to get started on these guys... I'll update once they're all done...

Arists in Focus: Crafty Stitching

For my second Artists in Focus post I'm excited to introduce you to Nuala Maguire, the crafty face behind Bluebird and one of the artists for ReFound Belfast. Nuala is, among other things, a free-lance textile artist specialising in up-cycling. Years and years ago, she actually started out with a degree in footwear and accessory design, but never took up work in the fashion industry. Instead, she trained as a conservator and worked for the museum and heritage sector, something she still enjoys doing today. 

Crafts was always something she kept up on the side, but when Nuala moved back to Belfast she started to seriously look into it as a business. Setting up her own crafts business was difficult. "Making the things is the easy part", she comments, "it's the 'selling' that requires a different set of skills." The Market Start Up Program run by Belfast City Council was a huge help to her in getting her business on the way. The project, which is free of charge, helps those dedicated to opening their own food or crafts business by teaching them necessary skills, such as marketing and financial planning. The program made her realise how important it is to have a brand identity, a theme. And as part of it, she got to sell her wares at St. George's Market, a beautiful food an crafts market happening every week on Saturday and Sunday in Belfast. 

For Bluebird, she creates beautiful vintagy accessories and jewellery, such as purses, earrings or bangles inspired by the 1940s. Her inspiration for bluebird comes from the Mend and Make Do spirit of the Second World War, where things and materials were re-used and mended. Nuala can literally find a use for everything. Even the tiniest scraps of fabric she works into pretty pins and earrings. A best-seller are the bangles she creates out of old plastic knitting needles by bending them into shape. 

"I look at 'rubbish' as a material. I love finding worth in what people discard and turning it into something useful and beautiful. The down-side is, I can't throw anything out anymore! I literally cannot walk past a skip!"

When one of her friends was about to throw out over a hundred vinyl records, she took them and created brooches and necklaces out of them. The new material was interesting for her to work with. It was a challenge, something different. Word got around quickly, and now people constantly 'gift' her 'left-over materials'.

Her work for ReFound follows similar principles. As one of the Refound artists, she up-cycles and re-styles old furniture which is then sold at the beautiful ReFound boutique at the heart of Belfast's city centre. Although working on furniture, Nuala always manages to incorporate her textile skills. She hand-embroiders old lampshades with delicate little birds while also re-designing big chunky armchairs (complete with hand-knitted cover of course!). 

Nuala tells me that for her final project in her undergraduate, she actually re-cycled old tea towels to create Victorian boots. It didn't take off back then though, the up-cycled art. It didn't stick. "Maybe it was just too early", she muses. Thankfully it seems to be working now!

Nuala has been selling her products at a number of markets and festivals around Belfast. For the Maritime festival for instance, she created the cute nautically-themed buttons below. She's currently selling at the Black Box Bazaar. "I love selling at Markets. It's always a great buzz. They are a lot of time and effort though," she concedes. She couldn't manage one a week, she thinks. Also this would mean she would have to buy all the fabric and materials, which would kind of defeat the purpose of her re-cycled art. 

Working free-lance is not always easy. With the freedom of it also comes a great deal of insecurity. It's very organic, Nuala explains. There are bursts when she is drowning in work and then nothing happens for a few weeks. How does she deal with it? She laughs: "By being very good at time management and at 'not freaking-out'. I have a great support network. A lot of my friends are also free-lancers and that really helps." Networks are important not just for an occasional moral boost, but for artistic inspiration and learning. 

"I have learnt and benefited from other people so much. Fellow artisans and craftspeople have been a huge inspiration to me."

Nuala is part of Belfast Stich and Bitch, a local knitting circle (in case you're interested: they meet every Wednesday in the Starbucks behind Victoria Sq from 4.30ish!). She is also one of the volunteers helping with the Imagined Through Textiles Project. A partnership between ArtsEkta and Arts for All, this community textile project will create a number of tapestries based on the history of the ports and docks of Belfast, which will then be displayed in venues throughout the city. I can't wait to see the results!

When I ask Nuala why she is putting up with all the hassle and all the frustration of being a free-lance artist, she smiles and says:

"I'm a creator. I've always made things - it's who I am. If I no longer used my hands to make something, I would be miserable."

I guess craft just stole her heart...

Nuala Maguire also sells her creations online on her facebook page and - you'd be glad to know - she does bespoke orders too! So head on over and give her a big like!

A Brief Encounter

My challenge to buy only fair trade, second-hand or vintage has been going well so far, apart from one thing: underwear. If there is one area where the words "second-hand" or "used" sound most unappealing, it's this one. In fact, most second-hand shops don't sell underwear to begin with. So far I also haven't encountered any "vintage lingerie", so my solution has been just not to buy any... Unfortunately my underwear drawer is starting to look rather desolate. I need me some funky new panties!

Pants to Poverty

Pants to Poverty make fun and comfy looking fair trade underpants from organic cotton. The production of these pants supports over 5000 farmers in India as well as their local communities. The materials are grown on organic farms, which means no pesticides and chemicals. The pants are manufactured in carbon neutral faculties that pay their workers a real living wage, which means the pants are overall much more eco-friendly, sustainable and much fairer! Yet they are still affordable with prices starting from £13.

Petits Secrets
Petits Secrets Lingerie turns waste into beauty by selling environmentally friendly knickers that are hand crafted in the UK using up-cycled fabrics. Their designs are very girly and cute and they even have some bras and tops on offer. Petits Secrets lingerie can be purchased here or on their website. Their prices are in the region of £20 for a pair of knickers, so still good value!

R.A.W. Textiles

Textile artist Rio hand-dies natural fabrics, such as silks and organic bamboo, using natural dies including iron and pomegranate. Her fascination with historical undergarments has inspired her to create a number of sustainable underwear collections. Her creations are incredibly delicate and ethereal in their beauty.
Due to the amount of work going into them and they're one off nature, they are rather more expensive.

Do You Green

Do You Green are a French company that offer gorgeous luxury lingerie made from pine-trees! The renewable raw material is transformed into soft fabric and, according to the brand, has the "touch of cashmere". Apart from having a low ecological footprint, the material is also breathable and easy to care for. Do You Green's fabrics are mad and died in France and their varied range includes lingerie, nightwear and loungewear. They even have a men's section! The prices are surprisingly low, with bras from €37.

Nico Underwear
Based in Australia, Nico Underwear are the first underwear brand to achieve accreditation with Ethical Clothing Australia. Their pants and bras are made in Australia under ethical conditions and they aim to minimize their impact on the environment. The design aesthetic is funky, fresh and colourful. Pants sell from £17, bras from £35. They have some items on sale at the moment!



Life's not Fair but my Knickers are
The key to this one's in the name really... the brand sell cute and girly fair trade underwear at very affordable prices with underpants starting from £14. You can purchase pieces of their fairly dotty range here. I could not find a website for them and their facebook page seems to be long inactive. You can find out more about them on the blog DomesticSluttery (safe for work, trust me!). I just hope they're still around....


And last but not least... there is:

WhoMadeYourPants?

This is probably one of my favourites out of the bunch. Not only is WhoMadeYourPants? underwear made in Southampton, UK, but it is made by women who have had little opportunity in life. At WhoMadeYourPants the women can acquire skills, like making panties, marketing or finance, which will equip and benefit them in the long-term. Moreover the brand uses end of roll fabrics which reduces waist and makes the panties more sustainable. The pants sell for about £25 but all the profits are re-invested into the company.

As you can see there many different options for buying ethical and sustainable underwear and the ones I've listed here are only a taster of all the ethical underwear brands out there... Is your head spinning a bit? If you don't want to look in a million places for knickers that might suit you, then try this place. Saumarez is an ethical lingerie boutique that stocks some of the designers and labels mentioned here and many besides. Knowing that what you're going to buy from them is either ethical or sustainable makes life so much easier!

Do you know any other ethical or sustainable underwear brands? Where do you get yours?

Make Do and Mend: How to revamp your old clothes

Original cover of the "Make do and Mend" 

booklet first published in 1943 by His 

Majesty's stationery office

This week on the blog we are trying our hand at some DIY clothes altering! If you're like me, then you have lots of clothes clogging up your wardrobe that never see the light of day... but rather than throw them away the next time you clean our your wardrobe or move house, why not turn them into something useful and wearable? It's all part of a more sustainable way of living, and it also saves money! So for this blog I was inspired by the old war time slogan to Make do and Mend.
I didn't quite do it on my own though, I have to admit. Luckily, the lovely Emma from Recycle Boutique NI was hosting a pop up shop and DIY fashion workshop in Cafe Wah in Belfast. So apart from getting expert advice, I was also fueled with excellent and incredibly cheap coffee!
Recycle Boutique Northern Ireland is a great initiative that helps to reduce waist by re-selling and re-cycling your old clothes. Emma will take on your once-loved garments and sell them on at her pop up shop events or recycle them into something new and exciting. And here's the best bit: 50% of the profits from your clothes go directly into your pocket!

Here's the dress I decided to upcycle. I bought this dress a few years ago in Dunnes, but I very rarely wore it. It was just too much powder pink all at once. So I decided to turn it into a skirt.

What I used:

All I needed for this revamp was:

- elastic band

- white thread & needle

- pins

- scissors

- use of a sowing machine

- cream elastic lace

What I did:

I simply cut off the top half of the dress above the waist line, making sure to leave enough room for a hem. I then measured and cut off a strap of elastic band to be fit inside the new top hem and pinned it in place. Next I sowed on the elastic band (not having the hem folded over yet). Big thanks to Emma for letting me use her sewing machine! Unfortunately my sewing skills proved a little rusty and the stitching turned out rather wonky... I then pulled the rest of the fabric over the elastic, pinned it and stitched it to form the hem. 

To cover up the wonky stitching on the hem I got some elastic cream lace and hand stitched it over the hem. And voila: one dress turned into a skirt with elastic waistband, that I can now combine with a variety of different tops and colours! Like this white blouse for instance:

To link in with creativity month Recycle Boutique NI are hosting some more free DIY fashion workshop throughout March. Check their facebook or follow them on twitter to find out more.

But let's not stop there. Here are some more great recycle and DIY fashion tips...

Don't know what to do with that pair of white pants you never wear? My beautiful and very creative friend Emily decided to give hers some funk by printing diamond shaped polka dots on them. Go over to Emily's Blog From China Village to find out how she did it!

Emily wearing her funky polka dot pants

Got a bunch of old T-shirts lying around? Head over to Brit + Co to learn how to turn them into these awesome tote bags:

And if you really just have unusable clothes and scraps of fabric left over, why not try and make them into a cute heart shape garland? It's dead easy, check out this article to find out everything you need to know.

DIY garland by Kirstie Allsopp

Do you feel inspired? I certainly do! I had a great time at the recycle workshop... Although I doubt that mending and making do was as much fun during World War II as it is today... in case you're interested, you can find some fascinating memories of what it was like on BBC's website.

Esthetica @ London Fashion Week

With London Fashion Week just over, let's have a taste of what is going on in the high-end fashion world regarding fairtrade and sustainable fashion. Founded by the British Fashion Council, Esthetica has been promoting eco-friendly, sustainable and ethical fashion at London Fashion week for six years now. This year 14 cutting-edge designers have been showing their work at Esthetica. All designers wanting to show at esthetica must adhere to at least one of the three Esthetica principles of fairtrade, ethical practices and using organic or recycled materials.

Image by Goodone

Goodone are one of the labels that has shown their work at the Esthetica fashion fair at London Fashion week this year. The lable produces easy, wear-able pieces "with a humorous twist," and specialises in up-cycling. The label combines new British and sustainable fabrics with reclaimed textiles. In their 2013 Autumn/Winter collection for instance they re-imagined traditional Aran knitted jumpers, which you can have a look at here.

Designer Liora Lasselle was the winner of this years Esthetica/Veolia Resource competition. Veolia is the UK's leading recycle and waste management company. You may know the name from having seen it on public transport or high-vis jackets. The aim of the competition is to find a fashion student to develop creative and sustainable solutions in fashion. The gorgeous video below shows the Liora Lasselle Wig and Triangle collection designed re-using high-end textile waste such as vintage lace and upcycling old high-vis jackets from Veolia.

The North Circular is another of the design labels that showed at Esthetica this year. The North Circular creates beautiful and modern knitwear and it's all hand-made in the UK, from the sheep to the knitting. Using the wool of Wensleydale Longwool sheep, their pieces are knitted by lovely mums and grannies from around the UK, such as Gran Eileen. The label is so personal, it will even tell you who knitted your garment. Find out more about them by watching the video below.

image by the North Circular

Another favourite of mine is Beautiful Soul. I especially love their feminine and elegant dresses in gorgeous bold prints. Beautiful Soul uses luxurious, high-quality British-made and sustainable fabrics in their collections. Watch the video to see just how lovely the results are:

Did you visit or follow London Fashion Week? What was your favourite moment/ designer/ piece?

Old Made New at ReFound Belfast

This week we step inside the curious universe of ReFound Belfast, a world filled with the long-forgotten remnants of lives past. Here the worn-out, the replaced, the once much loved but now neglected pieces of our lives find a new home and gain new life. At ReFound the discarded is precious and the out-dated holds potential. Daily, ugly furniture ducklings are turned into beautiful swans of interior design. And this is what it looks like, tadaaah:

#187 by artist Christine Trueman

It all started when Jill O'Neill, founder and driving force behind ReFound, returned to Belfast in 2007. Having lived and worked in places as diverse and exciting as Glasgow, New York and San Francisco, O'Neill had become fascinated by the "art of living" that she experienced abroad, the scavenging for unique pieces, the designing of your home to create something unique. Returned to Northern Ireland, O'Neill wanted to employ the same ethos of moving in and starting afresh to her new home here, but was at a loss as to where to look for the pieces. And so the idea of ReFound slowly took shape. 

Attracted by the journey of ordinary objects, I was inspired to create a space where these objects gained new life as part of the next stage of their journey. 

Jill O'Neill 

Left: Dresser by Lulabelle's House. Right: Table & Stool by Anushiya Sunda

ReFound works with local artists and designers recycling used furniture to create chic, one-of-a-kind pieces pieces which are then sold on the ReFound website, as well as in the ReFound House, their permanent retail venue in Belfast. With considerable experience in publishing and marketing, O'Neill takes care of the business side of things, while the artists are free to create - it's win-win. Although, O'Neill confesses that it can be hard to get the business-art balance right. There's always the question: how commercial should you be? "But then again" she muses, "it's about providing alternative avenues for the artists to make money." Something that is crucial in the current economic climate, when not many people are investing in art.

Above: table by Anastasija Andrejeva. Below: Telephone Table by Katie Brown Textiles

The permanent home of ReFound, the ReFound House, however, is much more than just a shop. It's a hub for 'sustainable creativity' and doubles as a studio, exhibition space and venue. Apart from furniture you'll also get beautiful home accessories at ReFound, such as these crafty birds by Hey! Homewrecker... 

Or this cute plate-art by refound designer Rachel Dickson.

For 2013 ReFound has many exciting plans, such a working to achieve a more cohesive look via a smaller artist collective and increasing the access to their space by hosting a number of creative events and collaborations. So lots of exciting stuff to look out for! ReFound also want to move further into the territory of online sales, which is great news for everyone living abroad! Lastly, ReFound will focus on the 'Repurposing' of objects as well as simply restyling them. This means that at ReFound you will soon be able to buy shelves made out of chairs, tables made out of wardrobes and benches made out of toilet seats (okay, maybe not that one).

Top Left: Tabletop animals by DavidCreative, bottom left: variety of cushionss by Larissa Watson, Goddess & Swift, Cassie Blinkey Olive Art & TeddyBaby. On the right: the Refound Suitcase shelf

The ReFound building is open every Thursday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5.30pm, but you can go look at their gorgeous furniture online on their website 24/7.

Alright, shall we look at another Before-After? Okay? Okay!

#197 by Mandie Lowry

The Untiques Roadshow: Fashion Extravaganza at the Black Box Belfast

Did you know that last week was European Waste Reduction Week? Well neither did I. It's a Europe wide initiative to encourage people to reduce waste and support their local environment. As part of it, Belfast City Council organized a whole host of events all to do with waste reduction, entitled the "Untiques Roadshow".
Why the name? It is obviously a play on the name of the well-known TV programme "Antiques Roadshow", but what is meant by Untique? As Jill O'Neill of Refound (an awesome local initiative - Blog to follow!) explains in this little video here, Untique describes the stuff we own that we feel is worthless. So unlike Antiques, which are very valuable, Untiques are the things that are collecting dust in our attic. Yet, as Jill points out, these may be exactly the things that mean something to someone else or that can be made brand spanking new by giving them a little revamp. This is in a nutshell what the Untiques Roadshow was all about, to "unveil the hidden value of unloved and unwanted things".
So on Saturday I headed along to the Untiques Roadshow Fashion Show-case at the Black Box, a cool Belfast arts venue. Here, fashion experts were ready and all geared up with sowing machines, sequins, beads, buttons and more to revamp, or upcycle as it is called, your last season's clothes and make them good as new.

Rosie McReynolds showing off her work

Among them was local designer Rosie McReynolds, who sells her creations at PinUp Belfast. I've captured Rosie adding some bling to a plain charity shop jumper. She also told me that she has always had a love of recycling fashion and is inspired by high fashion designs of the likes of Maison Martin Margelia.
 Rosie also created this gorgeous bag. It is made out of an old men's tweed jacket. If you look closely, you can see the three sleeve buttons on the side!

The Jacket Bag by Rosie McReynolds

The event culminated in a Fashion Show of the designers' works. They were either entirely new creations or upcycled Vintage and Second-hand garments. The show included everything from ballgowns to patchwork Jeans and was accompanied by dark and groovy live music of the Sons and Robert Mitchum.

To start out the catwalk the models showed off some of the funky designs by Belfast Rain.

These creations are made from recycled tents. How cool is that! Belfast Rain produce skirts, hats and bags

and you can check them out here. (Apologies for the rather awful pictures. I had a small camera malfunction: smoke coming out of your flash - NOT a good sign!) 

Here are some more of the excellent pieces on display:

Design by Marie Nancarrow & Unify Studio, Photograph by Michael Kerr

The scarves in this design are made from jersey tops and the old jeans were revamped by fraying away and adding patches designer Marie Nancarrow found around the house. 

Design by Anna-Marie Henderson, Photograph by Michael Kerr

Design by That Vintage Vibe, Photograph by Michael Kerr

Both of the above designs are by Anna-Marie Henderson, owner of Pin.Up Boutique.

Design by Deborah Berne, Pin.Up, Photograph by Michael Kerr

This men's shirt was restyled using leather panels on the shoulders. Also, I don't know if you can see them, but all the female models were wearing gorgeous head-pieces created by My Little Hat Box.

Altogether the event was a great success and very inspiring! Sewing machine is definitely going on the Christmas Wish list!