The Guerrilla Upholsterer in 'Do The Bus Stop'

Here's a brand new daft guerrilla upholstery video

And a link to a better quality version with possible adverts

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2gc4oz_the-guerrilla-upholsterer-in-do-the-bus-stop_creation

Victorian Armchair in Bute tweed

An 1860's open-arm chair traditionally reupholstered and covered in Bute tweed.

This contemporary fabric works really well on such a traditional chair. I like to use strong semi-plain fabrics on traditional furniture in colours that echo the flamboyance of the velvets, etc that would have been used on the originals. The strong colours in the Bute tweed range are perfect.

I only wish I had the patience and equipment to photograph furniture and fabric properly because this fabric is actually this colour:

I love the sweep of the back of the chair.

This has been reupholstered using traditional methods as outlined in this one-minute film - it actually took 30+ hours.

Riverside Bench at Abermarlais, Dyfed.

Upholstered bench in the woods by the River Marlais near Llangadog.

The bench was rotten on top and broken to one side so I upholstered a piece of discarded wood in green vinyl (100% waterproof) and fixed with upholstery nails. This was then screwed in to the existing bench top. So now you can have a comfortable sit-down when walking the dog.

I added some ducks (Indian Runners of course)  - appropriate for the river location.

Well, someone's got to do it.

Parker Knoll Armchair in Sanderson fabric

Here's a 1990's Parker Knoll 720 reupholstered in Sanderson Trilby Malachite fabric.

The Parker Knoll 720 is probably familiar to every reupholsterer in Britain - for everyone else, have a look in your grandmother's house, there's probably one in the living room.

Recognise it? They retail at around £1000 new but if you find one second hand (look for the fire certs underneath to save money on the reupholstery) I can re-do it for about £500. Made by hand and cheaper than DFS.

What are you waiting for?

This was a commission.

Footstool in Melin Tregwynt wool

Here's a nice one in Melin Tregwynt Luna 100% wool.

Despite appearances in this photo, the stool does have four legs...

This was a commission.

Small armchair in Welsh wool

Small oak armchair reupholstered in Welsh wool plaid by Cambrian Mill in West Wales.

This chair was rescued from a skip by the customer and was in a poor state. It's a 'small armchair' but really amounts to a decorative item or for use by kids/teddy bears. The fabric was bought by the customer many years ago from Cambrian Mill in Llanywrtyd Wells. It is nowhere near upholstery weight but fine for use on a chair of this size/use. Fabric of this weight (not much heavier than a shirt) is not easy to line up - this took a lot longer than anticipated.

Worth it though eh?

This was a commission.

Victorian piano stool in Welsh wool

Victorian rosewood adjustable piano stool reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt St. David's Cross doublecloth.

Really nice.

This was a commission.

Bus Stop Chair at Kittle, Gower.

A 1970's bedroom chair saved from landfill, now available to bus travellers on the B4436 at Kittle on the Gower Peninsula.

This chair was remaindered at auction and heading for landfill before my wife intercepted it and brought it to me. It was in very good condition and would have gone to a charity but without fire certificates these things cannot be re-sold (because apparently they spontaneously combust).

As it was in excellent condition I decided rather than reupholster it, I'd simply adorn it.

I added a posh fringe to the base (ripped from another armchair) and wrote Take The Weight Off Your Feet in upholstery nails.

Rather than the usual plastic toy, I stitched on an arm from Wile E. Coyote (Looney Tunes) that my dog had been slowly ripping to death over the past year.

I also found a neat way to make my mark with a staple gun.

And why not eh?

Two seater sofa in Melin Tregwynt wool

An early 20th Century two-seater settee reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt smei-plain Aqua 100% Welsh wool.

A regular customer brought this scroll-armed, feather-cushioned number into the workshop in pieces, it leaves looking very different.

It's the second time in recent weeks I've been able to use this excellent new fabric by Melin Tregynt.

I wish I owned this.

Very tasty.


This was a commission.

Footstool in Welsh wool

Here's a neat little footstool covered in a smart Jacob's wool fabric woven at Cambrian Mill Llanwrtyd Wells.

As a self-confessed Welsh wool nut, this fabric was a very exciting find for me. It was made as a labour of love by Kay Coldrick who keeps a flock of Jacob sheep  at her farm in Tirabad and wanted to make some fabric from their wool. Due to the way wool is processed (collected, sold, washed, spun, woven all by different people) this is a task that you have to be very determined to carry through, not least the tricky business of shaving one of these:

Although quite thin and not suitable for upholstery of large items, the fabric is very rich in texture and comes in five monochrome designs based on traditional patterns from the mill.

This is a short run edition, so if you'd like some of this get in touch quickly, it won't be around for long.

This stool is £75

Milking Stools

Milking stool in Bute Ramshead fabric - £45

Milking stool in Melin Tregwynt Luna fabric - £65

The term 'three-legged elegance' might be applied to these, but more likely 'cute' or 'adorable' - all attributes regularly bestowed upon my dog Lewis:

Equally applicable to each would be 'bordering on daft.'


(Actual cow-milking on these stools not recommended)

Piano stool in Welsh wool

Late 19th Century (?) turned beech piano stool reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt Luna Plum 100% lambswool.

I've had this in my showroom for a couple of weeks waiting for a customer to pick it up and had three offers on it from other customers. So if you see one, buy it - they're obviously in demand.

Something of the Welsh stick chair about it I think - great curve on the legs and great spindle rack to hold sheet music.

This was a commission.

Benches in Welsh wool

Two oak benches reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt St. David's Cross 100% wool

An early 20th Century stained oak bench traditionally reupholstered with real horse hair.

This may have been a table once, it's certainly been cut down at some point, so what else it could have been I really don't know. Could now be a very handsome double piano stool.

If you've seen me at any fairs this summer, this is the bench I was making. Can now be yours for £295.

A smaller stool/bench in natural oak, reupholstered in St.David's Cross spice Welsh wool.

Yours for £150

Bus Stop Chair at Slack Bottom, Heptonstall

A chair donated by the Farmer family after I upgraded their dining chairs. Now available for weary bus travellers on Smithwell Lane at Slack Bottom.

The chair has been reupholstered in a piece of a discarded painting by my excellent wife, Julie Ann Sheridan.  It's acrylic on canvas, so fully waterproof - a good job because the bus stop looks far from water tight.

The painting was an unused study for a series of paintings of fungi. This one was of  Marching Soldier fungus, so what better to accompany them than a plastic (Kelloggs 1970's) marching band guardsman?

Many thanks to young Annie Farmer for your help with design and reupholstery of this chair.

Victorian Campaign Chair in Vintage Moquette

A Victorian ash reclining and folding Campaign chair reupholstered in a vintage moquette.

A tricky job this - this is basically a deckchair with extra positions so it's not easy to give it a padded, upholstered seat without it getting wrinkled when in the upright position.

With lots of hand-stitching and adjustments it is possible though. And now I know how to do it, it will take me half the time in future.

Great fabric.

This was a commission.

Wingback Armchair in Welsh Wool

A 1970's 'High Wycombe' armchair reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt Mondo Aqua 100% wool.

This fabric is very well known in Wales and is referred to by most people as 'the spots'. It's quite a challenge to get everything to line up on a chair with so many curves but it's worth it, don't you think?

This was a commission

Edwardian Inlaid Armchair in Welsh wool

An early 20th Century open armchair in rosewood - reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt St. David's Cross 100% lambswool.

I use this fabric often as it's very complimentary with any darker wood furniture, even very busy chairs like this one. It's not strictly an upholstery weight fabric but it's fine for smaller items that are not in everyday use. This customer had this one done to accompany a similar chair she bought from me in the same fabric (seen here) so has created something of a mismatched pair. With a couple of cushions in the same fabric the room looks quite splendid.

Why not do something similar yourself?

This was a commission.

Bus Stop Chair at Houghton, Pembrokeshire.

A chair I saved from the local tip, now available for bus travellers on the A477 at Houghton, Pembs.

I fixed the back spindles and added a cushion to, you know, add comfort.

I modified a cushion that I stripped from another chair and tried to jazz it up a bit with some stitching, a button and a red marker pen. I'd say this was about 5% successful - let's face it, it isn't very exciting is it? (In my defence I was somewhat inebriated while doing this).

So I added a fantastic Mr. Strawberry Pencil-top to make up for the blandness.

Great shoes he's got eh? Really good shoes.