Amazing infographic on carbon impact

from article here:

https://phys.org/news/2017-07-effective-individual-tackle-climate-discussed.html

Dream about missiles

When I awoke this morning, my head was full of dreams.

The last one was the most disturbing - and is the one I am sharing here.

I arrived back at my family home, the Jones home.  There were open gardens everywhere with seeds and good foods planted in long furrows in black soil.  I saw a closeup of the beautiful seeds in their groove in the soil, full of life.  Shane was there, planting.  My father was working in the gardens as well, on the other side - there was of a low barrier which ran along the centre of the gardens.   It had a roof or canopy overtop.  There were many rectangular gardens full of soil.

Partly obscured by the barrier wall, I saw two objects which we could not plant.  I could not figure out what to do with them.  They did not belong in the soil.  They did not belong anywhere.  When I held one of them straight up that was closest to me, on the right of the wall, I could see by its shape it was a deadly missile.  It was almost as tall almost as me.  It looked like a long pole with an angular shaped spade at the end, all of a grey manmade material.  It was an unnatural shaft that did not belong in the ground.  The other one looked like a space rocket or shuttle.

I wanted to ask my Dad about it, but he got angry at me for mentioning this.  I then got upset and asked why I was always in trouble for mentioning something that was truly there - was just speaking of it.  My mother explained he would be angry at anyone that mentioned it, not just me.  There was also a big feeling of his work around him at this time - his work with early computers.  When he was angry - I could see one of the garden plots was hollow and full of disks, computer things.

It was like a secret - this deadly power that did not belong anywhere.

Zero waste meat shopping - also the European and oldschool way

Feeling so much better now I am following changes I had made earlier and then weakened from during my tired professional mom phase.

Invested in good glass containers too - so these are reusable and very hardy, also won't get stained by meat blood etc - sterilisable.  The lids are a hardy plastic.  These are called Luminarc Keep N Box, from the Warehouse (NZ).   Smaller ones $8 larger $12.  We keep it simple by using these containers only for meat.  

The wonderful idea is to go to a butchers shop (or meat counter in a grocery store where they use a scale) and refill these reusable containers INSTEAD of throwing out polystyrene meat package every single time we consume meat.  Sams Butchery is happy to tare the scale to zero with containers on and bingo sorted.

Then put into freezer.

  
for more ideas

Lifegiver - and the power of time

 

I wanted to post on the subject of working as a parent long ago - but something kept me from doing it.  I wanted to post a photo of a totally exhausted looking mom, black under the eyes - but I am glad I have had the full circle of the experience before sharing it.

When I first started working full-time, with two children, then 8 and 10, I first experienced the thrill of first fear of the challenge, then happiness at success when I did well.  At first I had a lot of stored energy and "hunger" (as they say in MMA).  I gave all my time and energy to my work to make sure I succeeded.  I felt great relief after years of looking for a "proper" job that I was fulfilling my potential after years of education and temporary jobs, building up my skills from home.  For the first time I was providing my own financial contribution to the family.  And, I was growing very quickly in the area of my future dreams (illustration).

But as time went on, I experienced some extreme tiredness at times - when you are working 110%  work and also at home to cook dinner (starting at 7pm) and keeping up with housework on the weekend - and then the guilt creeping in...

At first I did do it all, and well, but eventually my family relationships started to take strain as I spent all available time either at work.  My husband, the most independent one came last.  Definitely no time for friends and helping out in the community.  My family's home in time became more and more dingy and dark, with no Lifegiver giving it new spirit.



I discovered what being time-poor and financially better off was really like - not very glamorous.  Like having a great meal before you, but with no time to eat it.  Wasteful.  I bought quicker, more packaging intense foods (before I had spent heaps of time buying lower packaging / locally sourced food as possible  (e.g. bringing my own containers to whole food stores, my own containers to a butcher who can fill and weigh instead of buying meat in polystyrene trays at the grocery store).  Now that there was little time I sailed past the grocery store on the way home,  grabbing a few expensive things in a rush.  In those moments the needs of my family's survival in that time-poor environment broke my resolve to live better for the future.

I learned for the first time why many families don't take the time to think and make choices that preserve the environment.  Even when you are educated and aware, having no time (being in survival mode) wears you out so you just can't.

No energy to swim against the current, to find new paths - as I always had.  Energy to think..energy to fight.

I am so glad I know this now - the most difficult challenge of all - the choice of balance between making money for your family, and raising one.

In the end, in short - I took a vacation to see family, gathered energy and came back resolved to change my situation before I got worn down again.  I negotiated a more family friendly workweek (only had that courage as I was willing to take any job that allowed me to have more and time with family - even if it was a demotion).

To my surprise my work was accommodating.  I was then able to return my family to a healthy and fun balance when I was able to put my energy back into it (and my husband and I both had a newfound respect for the role of a mother in a family - Lifegiver, I call it).

I also realised the importance of time in people's choices of whether to spend their energy on conserving environment - whether they went out of their way to make new patterns, or to become more aware.  In a way a society which keeps people really busy protects itself from change - people don't have time to think - or grow gardens!  Or whatever...

Life works in mysterious ways. Although I will always feel sadness over any missed time sharing my children's magic childhood years - I am glad I have learned a key hurdle to people being able to make choices beyond everyday survival.  That is, to live in a way, which is (I think a very powerful word - which cannot be overused), sustainably...  for people to really fight for change - in their habits, in our choices, for our society to change we must first fight for balance and space to do so.

Two days ago with mischief I brought two little reusable containers to Sam's Butcher in Silverdale, and as the lady weighed the meat in them and I avoided buying two polystyrene (styrofoam) containers - my heart was ever so light.

These various interactions are small, but they are everyone - and everywhere.

I sincerely wish everyone luck in fighting for some of that golden precious time - life giving space.

The knitted bunny - a few knitting projects

A civilised bunny for a good person at my workplace (well, for her daughter).  you can take the clothes off - and put them on.  There is a special t-shirt under there too.  The jeans have pockets (and a tail-hole).  I wanted it to be fine enough for the recipient.

This has been the result of a long process of making and redesigning - the third bunny.


ATTEMPT 1:
The first bunny was too goofy for the recipient - as I used rainbow wool for the actual bunny (in the final bunny was just used for jumper arms).  I gave this bunny for a super cute awesome girl I met where we bought our Netherland Dwarf bunnies for Troy and Lucan.  Pure spirit able to appreciate the bunny. 

ATTEMPT 2:

I really liked this one - what happened was, the pattern (by Clare Garland) was a bit tricky - I lost where I was in the pattern - and actually the head was on backwards.  I was able to alter it into something else - cool - a sloth.  He was really a character guy - so I sent it to a little character niece - the very creative Breanna who lives in North Carolina.  I ended up knitting him a little jumper for when he needs that cuteness of ears.  Mistakes can be great!  And all the learning I did along the way - made me able to find the pattern easy in the end (as long as I don't drift off - it is tedious to follow a pattern!) 



Fun with silhouette fabric dyes (often used in Rarotonga)

After helping Phoebe dye her sheet - I experimented with the Silhouette dyes myself - they are a heatset dye that they use in Rarotonga - where the sun is hot (and here). You can place something on the fabric and it will be lighter where the object outine was - as the sun will help the dye take up more.

I placed branches and an outline of a branch was left -(my favourite) - even as the shadow moved along.

I placed leaves and the outline was left. The hands I did also dryb...rush around a hand stencil to make the outline stronger (I used a stencil as a child would not want to hold their hands still for hours) but the top leaf outline in the photo shows the effect of sun alone. Also some material I had scrunched up and left have wrinkle effects.

It was so fun!

The photos show the dyeing process (after this for Phoebe we cut out a P from upholstery fabric to create a P after the sheet was saturated), and the squares are for a quilted toybox cover I am making from the dyed cotton fabric.

Very cool to make hand stencils from your child hands and date it - I did this for Troy, Phoebe and Georgie.

Learning how to grow a natural, beautiful little garden with plants that attract good insects, crop rotation

I love growing a veggie garden - creating new life, connecting to nature - the cool magic in the garden (and bugs, smells, life). But then when the veggies are produced, it's almost an afterthought and I often don't know what to do with it.  Especially now that I am working full-time - there is only time to have a small, manageable patch.

I learning now to grow what I am going to use, keep it on the right scale - and to plant flowers and things which attract bees and insects which eat pests...like ladybugs. It is so fun! And I am keeping it very small scale so it's just ...fun to go out and snip spinach for a sandwich or dinner or whatever - or kale. Mint repels cabbage butterfly. Marigolds repel pests.

Chillies are easy to grow - and make into sauces and things, so I always grow them now.
Tomatoes shouldn't be planted too closely together AND a tip from my kiwi friend Bridget - never water the leaves, it causes mold and rotting - in this warm humid climate.

I am also cutting away any leaf right away with that white spotty fungus on it (powdery mildew) like courgette leaves - and pumpkin leaves. Then it doesn't spread. Nothing is worse than the wastefulness of suffering, pest ridden life when you are gardening!

I am also practicing crop rotation (prevents disease spreading, and different plants take different nutrients) never planting same type of plant twice, rotating through all 4 types of plants. Although - I started with the best of intentions with sections - but now there are just all these spots I am rotating - a little bit too random. Will need to plan a bit better next time.

Categories you need to rotate:

Group 1: Plants grown for LEAVES OR FLOWERS, such as: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce...

Group 2: Plants grown for FRUITS such as: tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin, corn, cucumber, potatoes (are you not a root?!! oops learn something new every day)

Group 3: Plants grown for ROOTS such as: carrots, onions, beets

Group 4: Legumes that FEED THE SOIL such as: beans, peas,over crops (such as alfalfa or clover)
I am enjoying my small scale, productive, beautiful, little bit of nature. Learning what conditions the plants thrive.

I have also planted a heap of seedlings of plants that attract bees and beneficial insects (a mix from a special gardening lady at our raft race community day). And comfrey - it's deep root system means that leaves added to compost put minerals in there.

 

Rewrite the Rules - Ted Turner on Oprah's Master Class

Rewrite the Rules

These links are to Ted Turner's interview on Oprah Winfrey's Master Class series.  (He is the innovative person who started up CNN, the first 24 hour news channel.) 

The link is not allowing embedding so here they are. 

On Youtube, at 4.5 minutes in, "Rewrite the Rules":
https://youtu.be/e-gd3FTfYnQ?t=4m30s

On his website:
http://www.tedturner.com/2012/01/ted-turner-on-oprahs-master-class-own-part-3/


Fulltext coming soon - I love this clip of Ted Turner's thoughts.  Especially from 4.5 minutes in - about looking after planet Earth.

 i.e. He doesn't poison insects on his lands:  "When you kill insects, you are damaging the ecosystem very badly."  He has allowed natural predators to move back in, and on his extensive lands is allowing it to be natural again.

He feels as I felt, sadness about losing all the buffalo - when he found out - as I did.  He is a thinker.  I feel like we are very similar souls.

Here are his 10 Voluntary initiatives, "a new set of rules to play by" to replace the 10 Commandments. 

1. I promise to care for planet earth and all living things thereon, especially my fellow human beings

2. I promise to treat all persons everywhere with dignity, respect and friendliness

3. I promise to have no more than one or two children

4. I promise to use my best efforts to help save what is left of our natural world in its undisturbed state and to restore degraded areas

5. I promise to use as little of our non-renewable resources as possible

6. I promise to minimize my use of toxic chemicals, pesticides and other poisons and to encourage others to do the same

7. I promise to contribute to those less fortunate, to help them become self-sufficient and enjoy the benefits of a decent life including clean air, and water, adequate food, health care, housing, education and individual rights

8. I reject the use of force, in particular military force, and I support United Nations arbitration of international disputes

9. I support doing everything we can to reduce the dangers from nuclear biological or chemical weapons and ultimately the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction

10. I support the United Nations and its efforts to improve the conditions of the planet

11. I support clean renewable energy and a rapid move to eliminate carbon emissions

Feedback to my company about Enviro Day events it holds

Feeling refocused lately on matters such as this - sludgey efforts of many to become more sustainable.  Recently all the employees were asked for ideas about our company holding their Earth Day or Environmental events.  This is what I said:

I like the idea of the quiz.

1.     I think a huge part of eco living is the time we have to devote towards these things.  Especially with terrible traffic congestion problems of Auckland  The more we can have flexible working arrangements, the more we have time to care and put energy and thought in (instead of being too worn out to do so).  Things like going to bulk food stores, recycling properly, all a challenge if working full time.

2.     Improving transport would be an awesome thing for Downer to cooperate with.  Subsidised public transport, building a path out to that train station behind Kerrs Rd, promoting travelling less.

 

Those are obviously ideas for the environment, not for Downer’s events. But how can we promote those ends through the events?  Otherwise it’s just pointless having the events. 

I found the photo competition to be totally irrelevant to the environment, as it was judged upon photographic merit.  It has to be judged for sustainability value – either in documenting actions / or in new awareness about sustainability.

How about rewarding IDEAS on how either employees, or Downer, can become more sustainable?  And publishing the best ones?  Like that box competition but for enviro.

Why not teach about the areas which we are currently unsustainable – carbon pollution: transport of selves, buying local; zero waste: info/trips how to waste less, places to buy cool zero waste equipment like sandwich wrappers, or stainless steel, buying less crap, home gardens – education on why? Like plastic in oceans/

Etc etc

This all has to be fun and cool or it’s a no go.  There are really cool reusable nappies out there – really healthy, better alternatives for everything.  I think a Downer tips email which was done in a fun, loving, nonjudgemental way would be the best idea ever.

 

Nonavee Dale
Graphic Designer - Projects, Downer
New Zealand

Zebra Art for Vincent

When learning to make zebras on this trip - when I saw real zebras with their vivid stripes - that looked painted on, they were so distinct - I wanted to scrap the idea of using the print I had been using. Each stripe aligned to the zebra's body in a certain way.  I was taken with the essence of this.

I didn't get a chance to paint a landscape with zebras as I had wanted - Shane's visiting family was more important on the trip. But I did get a chance to make a zebra out of white cloth, and then paint each stripe... along the body as I had wanted.  The hair was set right into the seam along the back of the head as alternating bunches of white yarn, black yarn, white yarn, black - as their hair is.

It was no longer soft - with acrylic paint used - but it was art - although nothing close to the beauty of a real zebra, it was a reflection made with imperfection of human hands, but out of love, to encourage the spirit of a wonderful person who fell ill while I was there.

Vincent - Shane's mother Elaine's, husband - holding a zebra made by me in the night - and a giraffe model cut out by Troy - for the purpose of giving someone else strength.

 

Song of the Sea animation, folk tale of the selkies retold and animated by Tomm Moore

I am in love with this magical animation.  Song of the Sea is not just a fairy tale but reflects the truth of the world.

 I love how recently animations have been used to bring back and teach people about the ways and stories of the past - like the Book of Life - of the ways of Mexican culture.

This tale is true. To sing and remember songs and stories will awaken the frozen spirit of the world, which had almost turned to stone completely.

Knitted flower for Kayla's hair - with pattern

One project that happened before the stegasaurus was completed - when I was knitting this toy the pattern asked me to do a "picot" while I was in the Kruger Park and I had no idea what it meant, and didn't have access to the internet. Turns out it's making a chain using knitting - it was to make some spikes coming out of the stegosaurus's tail. While at Earl's, his daughter Kayla was going to a "hippie-related" themed party. To make a knitted flower to wear in her hair, I was able to use this technique to do the centre stamen thingies - but already knew how to make flower petals. Pattern below.

You knit these petals separately, and using the tails of yarn, sew the petals together. But first, after knitting them you singe the backs of each petal with the iron - to control them and shape them better. Easy to make any size but write down and follow a pattern so all petals are identical.

 

Knitted flower - to knit 1 petal:

Cast on 3 stitches

Row 1: K3
Row 2: P3
Row 3: K1, M1, K1, M1, K1
Row 4: P5
Row 5: K5
Row 6: P5
Row 7: K1, M1, K3, M1, K1
Row 8: P7
Row 9: K1, M1, K5, M1, K1
Row 10: P9
Row 11: K9
Row 12: P9
Row 13: K9
Row 14: P9
Row 15: K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1
Row 16: P7
Row 17: K7
Row 18: P7
Row 19: K2, K2tog, K3
Row 20: P6
Row 21: K6
Row 22: P1, P2tog, P2tog, P1
Row 23: K4
Row 24: P1, P2tog, P1

Using needle pass wool through all three stitches and tie off.

Make 4 more, sew all three together, add picot chains in the centre in contrasting colour, and sew onto a hair barrett or clip.

Note: as petals were flat and unrealistic, I passed a piece of wool through all petals to draw them curved in the centre and tied off.

If you want stamens, look up how to a picot stitch (like a casting and creating a chain).

Knitting a stegosaurus for James

 



First knitted Stegasaurus - from the patterns by Clare Garland, "Knit and Purl Pets" (she lives in England), for my mate from work's little boy, James.

I love the plates design - these are brilliant. They are so thick (made up from two sets of two plates which force a disc shape through the thickness) and after I finally figured it out, am going to use it to make dragons. However I am not a fan of the way she does the legs. I prefer my freestyle - leave a button hole, reinsert needles and knit on in the round. I never know what it will look like - and this stegasaurus's legs are not the same length!

Next ones (I have promised 2 more, for friends' children) I will use her plates and my feet - and perhaps make a dragon, combining the Loch Ness plesiosaur shape and the scales?

For the sticky out bits on the tail - I learned how to do a picot stitch, basically a chain.  Which I then used to knit a flower (stamens) for a family friend's daughter's hair.

For the scales I had to yarn over needle, and to practice a few times before I knew where I was going with the pattern.

Zebras with wings (and unicorn pegasuses)

On holiday, I got to make unicorn toys for my daughter, and for a niece I had promised one to, long ago.  I took with me a pattern, but then modified it until I liked the face better.  You can see the first shape in the first zebra (black hair smaller one, Eve) - my modifications in the second (white hair larger, Troy named her Ash).

Later I made wings for the unicorn - and stuffed them, and sewed through the wings so it had a quilted effect.  Troy loved them and begged me for wings for her zebras.

I will post the pattern I made sometime soon!  Kids love unicorns.

I also made her some zebra pants to match her toys.  I love holidays...

The white mane is a knitted piece that uses eyelash wool which is then stitched into the seam - so basically like a plush toy fur texture in a strip.  The horn on the unicorn Pegasus was a piece of leather rolled into a cone.  But I also make them using ram shell horns.

I said no to Troy about giving her zebras horns.

Shawl for Savannah - first lace pattern

Finally got to do projects with my time - being on holiday - that I had promised long ago. First one - Savannah chose this wool over a year ago. Not enough in the ball to make the full shawl - but a very useful, soft wrap - with my first lace pattern edge.

Kids Craft Activities - Make your own creature out of cloth (sewing machine activity)

Kids sewing machine activity - the magic of making something where there was nothing before. And quickly too!

My first cloth animal when I was a kid was a simple whale shape - half black and half white cloth, a killer whale or orca. The fins were just cut out flaps of cloth.

Troy's fishes
(her design)

This activity does need guidance but they can use machine, stuff it, design it from the outset - pick materials, choose eyes, draw it pin it etc. I would help sew the tail on. It's a stepping ladder - once they discover the joy of making, they will be hooked and grow skill. It doesn't need to be laborious.

 

 

 

Lucan's megalodon

 

Lucan said, please will you make me a megalodon! (Very very gigantic shark from dinosaur times.).

 

Okayyyyy I said.

Lucan did not sew or design this, except I did have him sew the tail on the machine. He loved it. He was worried he would sew over his fingers but soon was starting stopping doing sharp turns (needle rolled down foot up) like a pro.

Sewing machines are easier for kids to use than sewing by hand...

If you notice something missing it's the dorsal fin. Forgot to save fabric for it! But he told me he prefers it that way. Easier to hug?



After doing this with Troy and Lucan, I designed, with Troy's feedback, sew your own colourful fish kits and held my first kids craft class at our community's new hall.  It was hectic, but great.

For this activity I precut and pinned the fish in such a way that all the kid had to do was sew round the shape, sewing over the fins, fastening them same time.  When you turned the fish right side out, it had fins (though flat).

Upholstery Bootcamp Weekend

My friend Eilidh (said Ay-Lee) sent me a text one day - she had bought some old  manky chairs on a  impulse while having drinks at the pub.  Was I able to help her reupholster them?  They smelled like old people's wee! she moaned, and wasn't sure she should have taken them on. 
Sure, I said. That sounds fun. 
But I didn't really have the time (or energy) needed until more than a month later, after a holiday.

Later...

Eilidh and I made a date to fix the chairs.

Did we know what we were doing?  No.  That's what made it so fun!

We problem solved all the way, and felt really proud of what we'd accomplished by the end - as a team it was easier than tackling such a thing oneselves.

One huge thing I can say about projects - they create great good energy in your life, and those around you too.

the smelly chairs

As the weekend rolled up, my (sometimes grumpy) husband Shane said it would take all day and night and he might just book himself into a hotel.  Of course I said, nah, we'll be done by the end of the day.  Eilidh sent me photos of the chairs as the weekend came closer.  They were apparently from the 1920s.   

I looked at the photos.  They didn't look like chairs that would be done by 5pm.  Eilidh started worrying about what she was asking us to taken on, and told me, "one of them is broken in half"! 

Hmmm.

1

research

I googled the method a little, then knew I was looking for upholstery foam  Fabric would be a lot easier to find.   And now I knew what the chairs looked like, I could begin to guess on amounts.  Eilidh looked on pinterest for inspiration, and was wondering how we would figure out how to do this.  "We'll just follow in their steps", I said - meaning see how they put it together as we took it apart.

2

 foam

I then supported my friend by researching from work where the best place to get foam was.  I was also driving around looking at op shops (Savemart) at the chance of scoring a secondhand foam mattress (no go), and material, even old blankets for covering them  (no go, she should spend the choose herself, and also spend money on that special part, if any).

I lived in an industrial area that had lots of factory stores, so looked up upholstery stores in my area.   Dunlop, the maker of the foam, had a caution on their website search engine TRADE ONLY.  Too intense for two ladies doing up two chairs.  I next phoned one of their distributors, a marine upholstery and fabric shop in my area called Reid and Twiname.  You could get various thicknesses and prices but it seemed like too huge of a piece that they sold (2m by 2m). 

Then I went to Spotlight - which was dismal for upholstery foam, a few cushion sized thin layers packaged in plastic bags each marked CUSHION FOAM, $20.  Got a tip from a Spotlight employee about a place called Para Rubber which cut the foam to size.  I phoned them up - they did cut foam to size, but you paid for it by the square meter and it wasn't cheap. 

The best was the marine upholstery distributor, Reid and Twiname - Eilidh agreed to pay for the medium thickness (25 mm for $80)  and having seen the chairs, I didn't think it was an excessive amount!  If it was too thin, we could layer it.  I also had some useless sleeping bag foam to contribute - so this was, in my opinion - the start to the success of the project.  Investing in the right material for the job, I mean.

The shop also turned out to be only 1 block from my work - which was in an industrial area.  The salesman was really nice and gave me a discount for no reason, so it was about $60.    It was really fun checking out the bits and piece the boat upholstery shop sold too - grommets, glues, vinyls for outdoor furniture, foot grippy mat... buckles - you never know when you'll need something like that.   I put a gigantic roll of foam in my car for her to pay me back. 

3

the project

Eilidh stayed over Friday night, we just had drinks and kicked back, with Shane.  Eilidh read an amazing Scottish story to Troy and Lucan, which was really cool - in her Scottish accent and all, about Robert the Bruce, who never gave up protecting his country from invasion.    6 times he failed in battle against the English.  He was staying in a cave, feeling hopeless when he observed a spider weaving her web.  She threw her silk thread rope across the cave several times, failing each time.  6 times she failed, but on the seventh, she succeeded.  Robert the Bruce observed that she didn't give up, and wove her web in the end.  He gathered his troops and went to battle, and the 7th time he succeeded.

10 am
Saturday

Nonavee's house

Saturday morning we started.  I gathered every possible tool that could have been of use, and organised them on a table for use to use.  Shane was enjoying having Eilidh around, and so decided to be super supportive,  had cleaned us a workspace in the garage, and took Troy and Lucan for a drive so we could concentrate. 


We did not use the crowbar.  We did use:

• craft knife
• scissors
• multi-screwdriver with various ends (we needed a good flathead screwdriver for all the old style flathead screws)
•  a large good file
• needle-nosed pliars
• heavy duty pliars
• electric drill with full assortment of bits
• 2 hammers
• metal thingy with a flat wide metal end that we were able to drive with a hammer and get the flat under the edges of old rusty metal upholstery tacks to chip off heads, or help to pull them out 
• white PVA glue
• staple gun!  (or you could use upholstery tacks)
• very rough sandpaper, a belt from a belt sander that we used by hand to get the varnish off (palm sander would have been great too)
• Several large rubbish bags for all the disgusting broken down old upholstery after you rip it out!
• handbroom and pan
• vaccuum
• a camera (on our phones)
• Even a jigsaw, for when I had to remake the two wood corner shapes that I had ripped out instead of unscrewing (but if you are not careless, as I was you probably won’t need it)
• music (on our phones)
• tea (for us)
• linseed oil

Braving removing the manky old disintegrated upholstery, and taking the chairs apart.  We kept some sample tacks in a plastic container - and all the screws. All were rusty on the surface - but for next time, keep all till you're done.  The old tacks were cool - like pure sharp wedges of iron, brittle and almost seemed handmade as you could see several sides  - compared to the mass produced perfect ones of today.

Strange stuff underneath - it was wiry, like hair - but possibly rubber fibres? 
Don't think plastic was invented yet.

12 pm

 Every spring was well fastened at the bottom - and we didn't make ridiculous work for ourselves by trying to remove just to get rid of the old fabric trapped between the wood and the bottom (see photo below).  However we did remove the top burlap stuff, cutting the springs free.   Later we placed new cotton calico over them where the burlap was (above), and sewed them to the cloth just the same - in 3 places on the top of each spring.

Looked like cotton waste made into a stuffing.

  

Great moment!  The pulling of the frame completely out of the chair.  We have done it.

Ew!  Think this foam is from the 1920s.  The yellow part was actually crumbling into powder.

The curved armchair piece (upholstery fabric and foam fasten onto and is removable) was delaminating (spliting into layers) so I put white glue in it, and set it this way to dry with hammer so both ends were compressed!  

4:30 pm

Eilidh hand sanded the wood frame for hours (finding red Rimu wood) - although arms were a different kind of wood

All the parts to the chairs, after upholstery removed and chairs taken apart

 

 

 

 9 pm

 

 

Eilidh had found the perfect chairs - even the one that was in pieces had only a few dowels to drill out, and replace.  Some new dowels, glue, and hammer it together - sand away hammer marks. 

 

 

We were glad for Shane's skilled help - he helped up remove a screw that was broken off into the only screwhole used to attach arms to the chair - and then made perfect dowels for attaching to rest of frame (we didn't have the right size dowels, so we were filing down the sides of some fatter dowel pieces with our big file, until they were the right size)

12:30 am - 6 am

Sunday

It would have been lovely to stop here and do the stapling fabric to the frames another day - but this weekend was the only time I had to give to this project.  So we worked through the night.  This was where music, and sneaking up without waking the family to get some tea, was crucial to keep us going.  We still only got them 95 percent before she left in the morning round 6 am, but enough was sewn or pinned so Eilidh had a path.  And some Inuit sewing inspiration (non-fussy, basic and simple, functional - not overcomplicating with fancy stitch styles).  I like thinking of the Inuit and how they made the clothes of their hunters, their own needles out of bone - resourceful.

2:30 pm Sunday

Eilidh's house

(after some sleep she is still into finishing the project!  Impressed.)

Eilidh texts me a photo of the amazing tool, the electric screwdriver we did not have...wonderful thing look at that - it is a drill with an attachment

 The linseed oil reveals the beauty of the wood

Super cool!  (Be

 

 

 

Lessons learned from

upholstery bootcamp weekend

Eilidh

 I learned to...

1.  Save the old tacks

2.  Have all tools ready before u start including an electric sander, sand paper of all varieties and a decent staple gun staples fabric and foam!

3.  Check where all old screws are to detach parts of chair

4.  Replace mangy stuff but make use of stuff that can be re-used

5.  Mixing the sawdust with the glue makes great filler

6.  Use a good screw driver

7.  Get all technical drilling screwing sanding varnishing done before fabric

8.  Think about where the screws are before putting stuff like the back straps in the way of them

9.  When something looks wrong or has went wrong spend the time going back to fix no matter how tired you are or how much you'd rather move on! When things go wrong, fix and move on.

10. Sweep and tidy up between phases

11. Have a sister to help you.

Nonavee

1.   Look before you rip

I couldn’t figure out how to remove the seat frames that sat in the chairs, so I just pulled the first one out and destroyed the corner pieces the seat was attached to at the front – when I could have just removed 2 screws! As it was, I had to measure and cut two new pieces in replacement!

2.   Most of process upholstering does not involve upholstering.

Most of the time is spent removing screws and tacks, repairing, sanding. Then a small amount of time cutting foam, cloth, stapling cloth, re-attaching, sewing.

3.   Careful how deeply you drill!

I drilled through the most special parts, the arms, while drilling out broken off dowels from their holes. The good and bad side about a creative go for it type person.

4.   Electric equipment is a good thing. 

Like electric screwdrivers, electric palm sanders.  Sore hands, wrists! Takes more time to do it by hand too.

5.  I have learned this lesson over and over again my whole life.  Working with others is actually fun – the most fun you can have with others – and the most real too.

Things we did right when re-upholstering for the first time (not knowing what we were doing).

 

 

Sign-on from supportive partners
– who knew what to expect, took the kids off for a drive while we concentrated and figured out how to take upholstery off chairs and fix them too (one was in pieces).  (And who even contributed help later.)

 

We had lots of tools

 – so we were able to find ones we needed to solve our problems.

 

We didn’t waste our time and energy in our decisions – so we could finish in good speed. 

 We did want the finish to be of a high quality, but if it would cause more problems than it was worth, we didn’t do it.  Like not removing the springs which from the base.  We also just hammered in various tacks that were hard to get out. But we did pull out every bit of nasty upholstery hair, and we did the best we could.

 

Most importantly – do it with people who care about you more than the chairs! Who are understanding when you screw a big hole through their feature piece of their antique find?  

 

Don't worry - you will be making mistakes!