1960's Swivel Wingback Armchair in Melin Tregwynt wool

A 1960's wingback armchair with swivel-and-rock mechanism reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt Mondo Rose 100% wool fabric

This was looking pretty much ready for the dump in a green moquette and a sort of ginger-brown stain on the woodwork, but look at it now.

We sanded down the woodwork (thanks Sam my work experience boy) and reupholstered it in the iconic 'spots' fabric by Melin Tregwynt. This is the last of this particular colourway from them as this fabric design is being discontinued, so if you want a chair done in 'the spots' you better get in here quick - only Natural and Sage colourways still available. To be very honest I won't really miss lining up the pattern - this chair took ages to get right...

I will miss the fabric though, lovely stuff innit. But as we know 'change is good' and Melin Tregwynt are brave to discontinue something that has has become iconic for themT to quote Warhol, "They always say time changes things but you actually have to change them yourself".

Or something.

This was a commission.



This was a commission.

Bus Stop Chair on the B4319 near Merrion, Pembrokeshire

This chair now available for bus travellers heading up to St. Twynnell's, Pembs.

This bus stop is very close to the Castlemartin military firing range and about as close as I could get to leave this chair without causing a security alert.

You see I did the chair with soldiers in mind - it's covered in a applique tweed camouflage (French woodland pattern) I made from offcuts of British tweed from Melin Tregwynt, Bute and Camira fabrics.

I really have a thing for camouflage. It's slightly ironic as I am a confirmed pacifist and know of no situation where war is justified. It's a probably hiding thing - I love hiding, it's a great pastime, you should try it.

Anyway I also have a thing about toy soldiers as you probably already know. And where better to display some toy soldiers near the very place where soldiers come to 'play'. So there's some in the little draw on the side of the chair.

So if you're waiting for a bus or just being diverted from the coastal path because the firing range is active, you can have a little play with the soldiers, in fact, if they're firing you won't even need to do your own sound effects.

And why not eh?

Box Pouffe in Eleanor Pritchard fabric

A large box pouffe reupholstered in Eleanor Pritchard Heathfield fabric

I probably go on about it too much but this is just about the best fabric an upholsterer can work with. It's a doublecloth harking back to the Welsh tradition but woven in Scotland in the tightest weave you've ever seen.

Hand stitching it (above) almost gives a machine stitch finish. And above all it's just beautiful.

It's one thing to reupholster furniture in bright colours and prints and all that but another thing altogether to use this. There I've said it - use this.

This was a commission.

Parker Knoll wingback armchair in vintage Melin Tregwynt wool

A 1950's Parker Knoll 720 armchair reupholstered in vintage Melin Tegwynt 100% wool

This fabric was sold to me by someone who bought it from Melin Tregwynt 'sometime in the 1970's' and it certainly has the typical colours of yarn they use. But it's not like the fabrics they weave today - this is FLUFFY.

And you can't beat a fluffy armchair now can you? Really, really comfortable.

So come on woolen fabric manufacturers, let's have some new FLUFFY fabric.

This was a commission.

Milking Stools

Here's a few more of my milking stools that might take your fancy - all for sale.

Handmade ash stool in vintage Welsh wool - £50

Painted stool in Bute Ramshead fabric - £35

Handmade ash stool in Melin Tregwynt fabric - £50

All hand stitched to piped edge and, you know, total quality.

Call or email if you'd like one - details up there in the 'About' section

Child's Chair in Melin Tregwynt wool fabric

Late 19th Century child's chair reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt St.David's Cross 100% wool

This was originally a rush seat which I replaced with webbing and upholstery. Rush seating has tapered rails to cater for the double weave required at the corners. This makes the corners very difficult to anchor when upholstering so I used some upholstery buttons and secured them underneath.

I've never seen this before but I think it gives a smart finish and adds a little detail which can't be a bad thing eh?

Child's chairs make great gifts and I can often find a small offcut from another project to cover with, making it very inexpensive. Got a little chair in the loft? Then what are you waiting for?

This was a commission

Victorian Iron-back Chair in Pentwyn Tweed

A Victorian iron-back armchair reupholstered in a new colourway of Pentwyn tweed

I chose to shallow-button the back because deep-buttoning greatly distorts the plain pattern. Shallow buttoning 'pinches' the pattern without altering the line of the checks too much.

Nice eh?

This was a commission.

Parker Knoll armchair in Melin Tregwynt wool

A 1960's Parker Knoll armchair reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt Mondo Rose 100% wool fabric from Wales

Join the dots...

This was a commission

Edwardian wingback armchair in Bute tweed

Early 1900's wingback armchair reupholstered in 100% wool tweed by Bute Fabrics

 

One of the best fabrics on the market, turns a very ordinary armchair into something extraordinary every time. Total class.

This was a commission

Armchair in Melin Tregwynt wool fabric

A 1990's Laura Ashley armchair reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt semi-plain gold 100% wool.

And very nice too

This was a commission

French Bedroom Chair in Melin Tregwynt fabric

A reproduction French-style bedroom char reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt Mondo Rose fabric

Produced for French/Welsh townhouse Maison Galles in Cardiff - I reckon we nailed the French/Welsh  aesthetic here don't you?

This was a commission

Art Deco Armchair in Bute Tweed

A home-made mahogany Art Deco armchair reupholstered in Bute tweed

Another of those projects that I really don't want to give back, this is a real beauty. Lovingly made by hand in someone's home workshop and fifty or so years later is bought by my customer for a tenner at a house clearance auction.

Maybe it was a bit tatty, but really, who could give this away? Imagine this is left behind by your grandad and he made it with his own hands, would you sell it? No neither would I. I'd rather have this than any design classic, maybe it doesn't quite have the cohesive style of the work of Aalto or Panton, but it's unique. In fact I bet either of those gentlemen would have this in their own houses too.

Look at the legs, they're planks. Just planks. But the angles, look at the angles.

And look at the joints on the arm, and the angles... OK I'll stop gushing now.

The fabric ain't bad either is it?

You could go looking for one of these yourself, go trawling around the auctions and antique shops. But you won't find one.
 

This was a commission

Victorian Armchair

Late Victorian armchair reupholstered in Ramshead by Bute Fabrics

An elegant little chair this, now even more elegant in this great fabric

I had great difficulty pinning the fabric down to the base of that turned arm because the rails had been modified and there wasn't enough room but some tacked-in laid cord did the job and some extra double piping covered it up

Nice eh?

This was a commission

Open Armchair in Melin Tregwynt wool

Period open armchair reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt Luna Berry 100% wool

This was a commission

Bus Stop Chair on the A4067 near Crai, Powys

This chair now available to bus travellers on the A4067 near Crai.

Thanks to Dan Mudford for the chair that he found abandoned on the street in London and which I painted and reupholstered with salvaged pieces of some terrific 1920s moquette from a sofa I reupholstered a few years back. 

I painted the chair with that chalk paint that everyone seems to rave about - that's a palaver innit? Coat after coat and still all the cracks remain. It reminded me of my favourite ever letter in Viz which read "Manufacturers of Dulux 'Once', I think the word you're looking for is 'twice' ".

I added a 'falling soldier' to the leg because no chair is really complete without one.

There's a cavity below the seat of this chair in which I think I wrote a secret message. As ever I'd had a few drinks while making the chair and now have no idea what it was. If you're passing, could you have a look and let me know? 

Many thanks.

Upholstery Course for Make It in Wales

I've started teaching some one-day upholstery courses for Make It in Wales upholstering milking stools in Welsh wool. The workshop is designed to cover many aspects of the traditional upholstery process and will leave you with a lovely item that I'm sure you'll be very proud of.

We ran the first course last year which was very successful as you can see above. The next courses are in Cardigan in June and September. Here's what we're doing.

 The stools are handmade in reclaimed ash by a local craftsman in my village. Each is unique.

We start by selecting fabric from my store of Welsh wool pieces that are small offcuts from my own upholstery projects. Some are vintage and some are new from Melin Tregwynt. I also have a few pieces from other British manufacturers including Bute and Sanderson, but critically they are all wool fabrics suitable for slip-stitching by hand.

We then make some piping and attach it to the stool top along with a hessian base.

Bridle-ties are stitched into the hessian and these are stuffed with genuine animal hair (horse/hog mix). This is then regulated to make a soft uniform seat.

Then we have the tricky business of centering the top fabric and pinning in place.

And then hand stitching the top fabric to the piped edge using an invisible slip-stitch with a curved needle.

The workshop is designed for complete beginners but will certainly teach new skills to crafts people at all levels. It's a busy day but I have it on good authority that it's 'very satisfying' and just think, you'll take home a splendid little stool that's hand-made (mainly by you) from 100% natural materials and made in the traditional way.

Sign up here

Go on.