Embroidered purse, koruommeltu pikkukaukku

Posted in Handcrafts, Sewing by LiisaMaarit

This is a purse I sent to a dear friend for a birthday present after she moved back to her home country. The frame is a little battered (sorry C!) since I didn´t have the right tools at the country.

I used some left over mauve linen and chose some embroidery cotton that would make a nice colour scheme. With a paler fabric I could have drawn my layout straight onto the material but here I had to sew the flowers on without any guidelines.

The design is my own with inspiration from Pinterest (as usual). The letters are embroidered mainly with french knots.

Happy birthday C! 💝💐

15Jun2019

Dyeing underwear, alusasujen värjäämistä

Posted in Handcrafts, Lace, Sewing by LiisaMaarit

I’ve been continuing my bra making experiments and have perfected my pattern based on the Harriet bra of Cloth Habit. Amy of Cloth Habit has also experimented with dyes for her underwear. Inspired by her I did some research and found a dye – iDye Poly – that can be used for the synthetic fabrics that bras are made of. With this in mind I’ve been making white lingerie that’s just been waiting to get dipped into the dye pot.

This is what I started with: four bras, all self made, and four pairs of undies, two of which were store bought. To test the colours I also made little swatches of the fabrics I’d used.

First I had to melt the packets of dye – separately so that I could mix the liquids to my liking. I dissolved the pink packet first and put the liquid dye into a jar. While rincing the pot I decided to try out if the nearly clear liquid would colour my fabric. To my surprise the lycra sucked the colour immediately and with that tiny bit of dye I got a very vibrant hue! Next I dissolved the yellow packet and poured half of the liquid into another jar to wait. With another piece of lycra I tried out the colour, but the yellow didn’t dye the material at all as deeply as the pink dye. I kept dipping the piece back into the solution, which was considerably richer than the almost clear liquid that had dyed the pink swatch, but the colour remained quite pale. Both experiment pieces in the picture above.

I didn’t want yellow or even orange for the lingerie. More like a coral was what I was aiming for first. I added just a few drops of the pink dye stuff to my pot of yellow and as I suspected the pink overran the yellow.

The first batch which was in the dye bath for just a couple of minutes resulted in the orangy colour you can see in the picture below. For the second set (the dye bath of which you can see in the picture above) I added more pink and got the really vibrant coral pink in the bottom right-hand corner. Next I poured most of the dye out and added water to dilute the solution. I quickly dipped in the pants of the next set for a soft dusty rose and then the bra separately. Not a very good result since the lace wasn’t taking the dye at all and I had to keep the bra in the liquid a lot longer to get a hint of the pink to stick. This resulted in the spandex and elastics being completely “pinked” so the bra is two coloured. Last I had a lace set that I knew would absorb the colour well. I went for a very diluted dye bath, which resulted in a baby pink, not quite my thing… So I added a tiny bit of grey I had saved from an earlier project and got the light lilac colour. Last I dipped the first orange set in again which changed it a little more towards the salmon pink I think I prefer.

A lot of fun and lovely colours! I’ll definitely make more “whites” – to be coloured 🤗

22May2019

Valeampiaispesä, fake wasps nest

Posted in Garden, Handcrafts by LiisaMaarit

Virkattu ampiaispesä -postaus on ehdottomasti suosituin kaikista blogissani julkaistuista jutuista. Nyt kolme kevättä myöhemmin voin jo jakaa käyttökokemuksia ja todeta että temppuhan toimii! Alun perin suhtauduin ajatukseen aika skeptisesti mutta sen jälkeen kun ripustin näitä villaisia pesiä strategisiin paikkoihin ei oikeita pesiä ole näkynyt, Ampiaiset ovat hakeneet pesäpaikan muualta kuin keittiön oven yläpuolelta terassin katon rajasta tai ulkohuusistamme.

Kevät on jo melkein kesäksi kääntynyt ennätyslämpimien säiden ansiosta, mutta vielä joku ampiainen hääräsi terassin katon alla kotipaikkaa haeskellen, joten kiireesti virkkasin uuden pesän. Se tuli tehtyä kaksinkertaisesta Pirkka-langasta jota sattui olemaan käsillä. Pienet lankakerät laitoin vanhaan hyvin palvelleeseen pehtoori-kahvikannuun etteivät ne kierisi pitkin pihaa 🙂

My old post of the fake wasps nest has been by far the most popular of my posts ever, so after three years I thought I’d share some user experience. Rather unexpectedly the trick seems to work and the wasps have been swindled into building their nests elsewhere! Neither the outhouse nor the terrace have had any wasp intrusions so far. I had to make a new one this spring on the other side of the house to discourage a prospective house hunter from our terrace ceiling. This time I used a double thickness of a thinner thread. An old coffee pot served to keep the little balls of yarn from rolling all over the yard.

Spring has turned into summer early after some really warm weather. Our old apple tree is just starting to flower with pretty blossoms that resemble little rose buds. The slowly decaying tree trunk serves as dinner for a woodpecker and as always I wonder whether the apple tree will be strong enough to carry fruit. So far it has kept surprising us every year!

Kevät on jo kääntynyt kesään lämpimien kelien ansiosta. Omenapuissa on kauniit kukan alut joiden huomasin juuri muistuttavat kovasti pienen pieniä ruusunnuppuja. Vanhaa omenapuun runkoa käy käpytikka naputtelemassa. Joka vuosi mietin että jaksaakohan puuvanhus enää tehdä hedelmiä, mutta aina se hämmästyttää sitkeydellään!

5Apr2019

Teeny-tiny knitting, Pikkuruisia neuleita

Posted in Knitting by LiisaMaarit

I’m taking part in a citizen science project trying to reconstruct a silk stocking from the 17th century. It’s part of a larger project called Refashioning the Renaissance, studying clothing of that period in Western and Northern Europe. Our knitting team started practicing and making swatches with wool and 0,7mm needles. This is what I came up with 😀

Olen lupautunut mukaan kansalaistiedeprojektiin jonka tarkoitus on rekonstruoida 1600-luvun silkkisukat. Sukkien tutkiminen ja kutominen vanhan mallin mukaan on osa Refashioning the Renaissance -tiedeprojektia, joka professori Paula Hohdin johdolla tutkii renesanssin ajan Länsi- ja Pohjois-Euroopan muotia. Ryhmämme aloitti harjoittelmalla kutomista todella ohuilla 0,7mm puikoilla ja villalangalla, niin ohuella etten ole sellaista ennen nähnyt! Sattumalta sukka on juuri sopiva poikien vanhalle Action Manille 😀 Vielä puuttuu toinen sukka ja loput vermeet!

Here’s my first swatch rectangle knitted with the thinnest yarn and needles. Next I tried knitting in the round with the same 0.7mm needles and some left over Estonian yarn from my shawl project. Here you can see the difference in thickness of the two yarns and the metal 0.7mm needle compared to a modern carbon fibre 1mm needle.

The gauge for the thinner yarn is about 10,5 stitches to the centimetre, and the thicker yarn about 9st/cm.

I started with a couple of rounds of garter stitch as the old stockings often were (this is why it’s called garter stitch!) After two rounds I had the idea to make a tiny stocking with decreases and increases in the appropriate places. I had cast on 60 stitches in the round which was the same amount as in the directional pattern we had been given.

The heel was usually made by folding the heel flap and knitting the sides together. I had to use a loop to pick up the stitches with a crochet hook from the side of the heel, trying to dig in between the stitches was quite a struggle!

This is the sock from the inside. You can see where the needle change has been, half way down the calf I moved it forward. I also managed to break the yarn once tightening the first stitches of the needle. Unravelling and picking up dropped stitches was infuriating!

My little sock ended up being just the right size for our boys’ old Action Man! So I had a perfect blocking dummy and model for my sock (except for the toe part which is slightly too long).

Here you can see the garter under which a ribbon was tied to keep the stocking up. The back seam is elaborated with purl stitches and along the sides of the seam run the decreases and increases to shape the sock. There is a “clock” at the ankle, a decoration of purl stitches. Quite a high gusset was also usual.

A very good description and pattern for these kind of stockings can be found on Mara Riley’s net site.

Now all our hero needs is another sock and the rest of the gear!

1Mar2019

Silk beauties, silkki-ihanuuksia

Posted in Lace by LiisaMaarit

One of my biggest treasures is a lace petticoat of my grandmother’s. It has sumptuous Chantilly lace inserts, an embroidered monogram with her initials and is absolutely beautifully hand sewn. I renewed my old silk nightgown (which somehow had shrunk in the cupboard) by adding a tatted lace edging to the neckline and copying the embroidered monogram. My daughter is named after my grandmother and happens to have the same initials so the nightie will end up in her wardrobe. As for the petticoat it’s part of my future museum collection 😉

The old petticoat comes down to the knee and drapes beautifully as it’s cut on the bias except for the top front where the lace inserts are. The colour is a very light beige to match the luxurious lace.

The back is slighly narrower with an angle in the seam.

Decorative embroidered seam and lace attachment.

The cross seams and the lace are both sewn with a decorative double stitch, a kind of hemstitch and makes a pretty little row of holes in the seamline. The raw edges are finished with a whipstitch.

The silk has been cut away from under the bigger bits of lace.

The darts from the inside in the middle seam.

The bottom hem and French seam at the sides.

The French seams at the sides are sewn with tiny backstitches. In my twenties I wore this underskirt as a party top and took in the upper part of the side seams for a better fit. The material started to wear thin in many places so the slip had to be moved into the memento department.

The shoulder straps are attached to the silk.

The original monogram and my reproduction on the right. For the embroidery I had some old Gütermann silk thread. Unfortunately the ink from the marker pen didn’t wash off completely so I’m hoping it will fade!

Here’s the renewed nightgown. It’s made of very similar silk and also cut on the bias, hence the extra triangles at the hem. It’s nearly full length with a slit at the side front where the little bow is. The narrow tatted lace edging is an old handkerchief lace pattern. For thread I used my grandmother’s old tatting cotton (DMC Cordonnet 70) which was suitably discoloured to an off white so as to match the silk.

Two simple hankerchief lace edgings from Free Vintage Crochet.

Isoäitini vanha alushame, jota joskus nuorena käytin juhlatoppina on suurimpia aarteitani. Se on todella upeasti käsin ommeltu silkistä ja ylellisestä Chantilly-tyylisestä pitsistä. Miehustaan kirjaillut nimikirjaimet ovat sattumoisin samat kuin tyttärelläni, joten hänelle lahjoitan vanhan silkkisen yöpaitani, jonka tuunasin alushameesta kopioidulla monogrammilla ja kapealla sukkulapitsillä.

11Feb2019

Warm woollens for the outdoors, lämmintä päälle

Posted in Knitting by LiisaMaarit

More felted mittens and a pair of leg warmers to match. This time I used a much thinner yarn, Pirkka-lanka, which is an old favourite of mine. It felts wonderfully and has a really fantastic colour chart of over 80 beautiful shades. Scroll down for instructions in English.

Kokeilin huovutettujen lapasten neulomista myös ohuemmalla Taito Pirkanmaan Pirkka-langalla, joka on vanha suosikkini. Verrattuna edellisen postauksen paksuihin huopalapasiin näistä tuli ihanan taipuisat ja pehmeät. Samalla langalla ja Dropsin ohjeilla neuloin niille kaveriksi säärystimet.

Aluksi tein kaksi neliön muotoista koekappaletta, sekä 3.5mm ja 4.5mm puikoilla ja huovutin ne koneessa. Valitsin niiden perusteella suuremmat puikot työtä varten.

Tässä on ohjeet nyt pitempivartisiin noin kokoa 7-8 oleviin lapasiin. Ranteen kohdalta ne istuvat hyvin ja ovat varmasti lämpimämmät kuin ensimmäiset versiot joista tuli aika lyhyet. Kokoa on helppo muunnella lisäämällä tai vähentämällä silmukoita ja pituutta.

Luo 4.5 mm puikoilla 56 s ja neulo suljettuna neuleena, 14 s puikolla. Neulo alkuun neljä riviä vuorotellen oikeaa ja nurjaa. Näin alareuna ei rullaudu huovutettaessa. Neulo oikeaa noin 20 cm/50 riviä. Lisää peukalon kohdalla (esim toisen puikon keskellä) 1 silmukka neulomalla alla oleva silmukka myös. Toista parin rivin kuluttua, näin saat pienen kiilan ja vähän lisää tilaa peukalolle. Noin 22 cm korkeudella (n 56r) neulo erivärisellä langalla 12 s peukaloa varten puikon keskeltä, pujota silmukat takaisin vasemmalle puikolle ja jatka sileää. 33 riviä peukalon jälkeen aloita kärkikavennukset. Teen ne aina sekä sukissa että lapasissa niin, että ensimmäisellä rivillä neulon kaksi yhteen tasaisesti joka puikolla (tässä 14 s puikolla neulotaan 2o yhteen, 5o, 2o yhteen, 5o), sitten neulon yhtä monta riviä kuin kavennusten välissä on ollut oikeita silmukoita, mutta enintään neljä. Seuraavaksi kavennusrivi (2o, 2o yhteen, 4o, 2o yhteen, 2o), neljä riviä oikeaa ja taas kavennusrivi (2o yhteen, 3o, 2o yhteen, 3o), kolme riviä oikeaa jne kunnes jäljellä olevat 8 s pujotetaan loppulangan läpi. Tällä tavoin kavennukset tulevat vuoroin puikon alkuun ja edellisten kavennusten väliin. Huovuttaessa sillä ei tosin ole merkitystä!

Peukaloa varten silmukat poimitaan kahdelle puikolle ylimääräisen langan molemmin puolin ja lanka puretaan. Poimin peukaloaukon molemmissa sivuissa muutamia ylimääräisiä silmukoita niin ettei siihen kohtaan jää isoa reikää. Kaikilla silmukoilla neulon yhden rivin ja toisella rivillä kavennan reunoista ylimääräiset silmukat niin että jäljelle jää 21 s, 7 kolmelle puikolle. Neulo yhteensä 19 riviä ja tee sitten kavennukset neulomalla joka puikolla viimeiset kaksi silmukkaa yhteen. Lanka vedetään jäljelle jäävien 6 s läpi.

Ainakin peukaloihin kannattaa kiinnittää muovipussin suikaleet ettei ne huovu kiinni. Minä höyrytin silitysraudalla lapaset ennen koneeseen laittoa sillä seurauksella että lapasen reunat olivat osittain huopuneet sisäpuolelta toisiinsa. Voit siis varon vuoksi kiinnittää muovilisut myös lapasen sisälle ompelemalla ne tavallisella ompelulangalla parilla tikillä kärjestä kiinni. Huovuta koneessa 40° tavallisessa ohjelmassa tavallisella pyykinpesuaineella ja lisää koneeseen vähän muuta pyykkiä kuten pieni pyyhe. Minun noin tunnin mittainen ohjelmani on juuri sopiva, mutta maalla eri koneessa ja pitemmällä ohjelmalla ensimmäiset lapaset huopuivat liikaa ja sain kiskoa niitä väkivalloin aika tovin ennenkuin ne venyivät sopiviksi. Tuli mieleen lapsuuden lumileikeissä “luomuhuovutetut” tumput 😀

The first mittens I made with this yarn were a little shorter at the wrist. I felted them in a different machine which has a much longer cycle and ended up tearing the mittens to shape after they felted too much. The crumpled up bundle reminded me of what our mitts looked like after a long day out in the snow when we were kids! 😀

These longer ones fit snugly and come about 10cm down the wrist. They are softer and much more supple than the felted mitts in my previous post . You will find more instructions there but here’s the stitch count for these thinner and longer ones:

With size 4.5 mm needles cast on 56 s, 14 on each needle. Knit 4 alternate rows of knit and purl so that the edges won’t curl while they’re felted. Knit about 56 rows remembering to add the extra stitches a couple of rows before the thumb as in the bigger mitts. Leave 12 s to wait for the thumb and continue another 33 rows before the decreases (knit 2 tog twice on each needle evenly on 1st row, knit as many rows without decreases as there are stitches between the 2 tog). For the thumb pick up the stitches around your extra yarn. On the second row decrease at the sides so that you have 21 s on 3 needles, 7 on each. Do the decreases at the end of each needle after the thumb is 19 rows high. Insert a piece of plastic inside the thumb and felt in 40°C in the machine.

These mittens are between size 7 and 8. You can easily make them bigger or smaller by altering the stitch count and length.

The leg warmers are made with the same yarn. They have a pretty rib of cables at the top with one cable continuing down the back seam. You can find the free Drops pattern here.

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day ❤ Hyvää ystävänpäivää!

21Jan2019

Felted mittens, huovutetut lapaset

Posted in Knitting by LiisaMaarit

We’re in the middle of winter with forecasts of temperatures well below freezing as far as they’ll predict. A pair of woollen felted mittens is just what’s needed for this weather and I had to replace an old pair. For felting you need a 100% wool yarn, preferably loosely threaded. Mine is an discontinued old Novita felting yarn “Huopanen” which is relatively thick and single ply, 100g ≈ 157m. The shrinkage is about 40% of the original knit.

Suomenkieliset ohjeet vastaaville lapasille löytyy Novitan sivuilta 🙂

The first pair, on the left is knitted with 10mm needles, and the second with 8mm. As you can see the mittens are huge compared to a normal mitt before they’re felted. For the left ones I added a stitch on two rows under the thumb to give a little extra space. I ran out of thread at the end so the thumbs of the second ones are slightly different in colour!

There’s a pattern in English here for some oven mitts that are made much the same way (except the thumb), but here are the directions for my women’s size mittens:

Cast on 40 stitches. Knit in a round and start with one or two rows of purl. Then knit stocking stitch for about 20 cm before leaving 8 stitches to wait for the thumb. I usually knit them with a contrasting thread and then move the same stitches back onto the left needle to continue. Knit for another 20 cm and start the decreases.

The decreases are made the same way as I always do for socks and mittens: knit two together evenly two times on each needle (1st row with 10 st per needle *knit 3, 2tog* repeat), then knit as many rows as there are stitches between the decreases, then another decrease row (*knit 2tog, knit 2*) etc until there are just two stitches per needle. Pull the thread through the remaining stitches.

Decreases at the top

Plastic bag inside thumb

Increases at thumb

Felted edge

Pick up the stitches for the thumb and a few more from the sides to make the opening less tight and prevent holes. Knit one row with these and on the second row knit two together where you picked up the extras so that you end up with 15 stitched altogether, 5 on three needles. Continue with these until the thumb is about 11 cm long, then knit 2 together at the end of each needle until you have just 2 on each one. Pull the thread through the remaining stitches and finish all ends.

It’s a good idea to secure a little piece of plastic bag inside the thumb before felting so it doesn’t stick to itself. Just sew a couple of stitches with ordinary sewing thread through the tip of the thumb and the plastic.

Wash on a normal 40°C cycle using normal detergent and with a towel for example. Each machine is a little different so you might have to wash them again if they’re not felted enough, or stretch them while still wet if they felted too much. My one hour cycle is just right, but if you have a much longer one try a gentler wash first.

The ones on the right are my husband’s well used old mittens(size 10). The ones that were knitted with 8mm needles, on the left, are perfect for me (size 8) and the 10 mm ones are just slightly roomier, to give away next Xmas?

24Dec2018

Happy holidays, iloista joulua!

Posted in Cakes and decorations by LiisaMaarit

A white Christmas this year! At dusk the scenery turns into a beautiful blue which we call the “blue moment”.

I’ll be working on this year’s gingerbread house during the holidays. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Saatiin valkoinen joulu tänä vuonna 🙂 Piparkakkutalokin edistynee joulunpyhinä. Mukavaa ja piparintuoksuista loppuvuotta kaikille!

16Nov2018

Lace shawls, pitsihuiveja

Posted in Knitting, Lace by LiisaMaarit

It took me just over a year to knit this woollen lace shawl, on the left. The one with the bigger circles is an older version knitted with linen thread. I love the delicate look of them both.

Vuoden uurastuksen jälkeen sain vihdoin villaisen vasemman puolisen huivin valmiiksi. Toinen isompikuvioinen on parin vuoden takaa ja neulottu pellavalangasta. Molemmissa on kaunis herkkä kuvio joihin tykästyin jo heti mallin nähdessäni.

The pattern for this new one is from my French book on Shetland shawls written by Japanese Shimada Toshiyuki. The original pattern is for a semicircular scarf. Apparently he spent quite a while working the pattern out. I’m not surprised, I had to carefully follow the diagram for quite a few pattern repeats before I got it although the repeat is only actually 4 rows high with 6 stitches. On the bottom right you can see the unblocked surface, the other photos are of the stretched out shawl where the little circles come out very defined.

Villaisen huivin malli on japanilaisen Shimada Toshiyukin kirjasta. Monet shetlantilaiset vanhat neulemallit heräävät hänen käsissään kauniisti uudelleen eloon. Tämän mallin selvittäminen oli kuulemma aikamoinen haaste, eikä ihme – minä ehdin neuloa pitkät pätkät ennen kuin olin hoksannut mallikerran jujun vaikka se on vaan neljän rivin korkuinen ja kuuden silmukan levyinen. Oikeassa alakulmassa näkyy sotkuista neulottua pintaa ennen pingottamista ja muissa kuvissa valmiin huivin pienet renkaat tulevatkin selvästi esille.

The yarns for both my shawls are from Tallinn so instead of the semicircular form of the book’s Shetland shawl I decided to use the traditional Estonian rectangular 1:3 design (without the pointy edge though). I also have a book on Haapsalu shawls and it seems that Estonian and Shetland versions are very similar, light and delicate yet warm and protective woollen lace. The quality of the yarn is astonishing, how can such a thin thread be so strong! My shawl weighs just under 90g and measures about 55×180 cm. And fits easily inside my wedding ring like a true Haapsalu shawl is supposed to 🙂

Ostin langat itse asiassa molempiin huiveihin sattumoisin Tallinnasta. Villalanka on Haapsalun huiveja ja huivilankoja myyvästä liikkeestä vanhassa kaupungissa. Lanka itse on todellinen kehrääjä taidonnäyte: miten villasta saakin niin hienoa ja ohutta lankaa, joka lisäksi on todella lujaa! Shetlantilaisen puolipyöreän huivin sijaan päätinkin sitten neuloa perinteisen virolaisen suorakaiteen muotoisen huivin, ilman suippokärkistä reunapitsiä tosin. Mittasuhteet eli 1:3 ovat kutakuinkin kohdillaan. Haapsalun huivit, kuten shetlantilaiset lähisukulaisensa, ovat henkäyksen ohuita ja keveitä. Yksi 100g villavyyhti riittää ja minun huivini painaa vähän alle 90g. Huivi mahtuu myös helposti sormukseni läpi kuten kuuluukin 🙂

The other shawl is one that I’ve worn a lot, despite the fact that at over 3 metres it’s too long. This is due to the weight of the linen which also distorts the pattern. As you can see in the lower photo the circles keep their shape better when they hang crosswise. The two ply linen was originally off white but whitened beautifully in the machine on a hot cycle with some whites’ washing powder! This too was quite a complicated pattern and required a lot of attention. But I love the look of the lace so maybe I’ll knit another one with lace wool which keeps it’s shape better.

Pellavainen huivi on ollut kovassa käytössä. Malli on neulottu monta vuotta vanhan Suuri Käsityö -lehden ohjeen mukaan ja on myös aika monimutkainen. Lanka oli alunperin luonnonvalkoista pellavaa, mutta valmiin huivin sain tehokkaasti valkaistua 90 asteen pesuohjelmalla ja valkopyykille tarkoitetulla pesuaineella. Pellavan paino vetää huivia pituussuunnassa ja käytössä kolmen metrin mitta on oikeastaan liiankin pikä. Kuten yllä alimmasta kuvasta näkyy, malli tulisi myös kauniimmin esille jos neule olisi poikittain. Ehkä seuraava huivini on ohuesta villalangasta tällä kuviolla neulottu sillä villainen huivi näyttää pitävän muotonsa paremmin.

4Nov2018

An upholstery job, nojatuolin verhoilua

Posted in Handcrafts, Sewing by LiisaMaarit

This was easier than I had expected! Our old armchairs had served well but were looking a bit dreary. I found this velvet upholstery fabric that suited our colours and decided to give it a go.

Vanhojen kauhtuneiden nojatuolien verhoileminen onnistui mainiosti ja oli loppujen lopuksi helpompaa kuin kuvittelin. Väreihimme sopivan kankaan löysin Eurokankaan valikoimista.

I took a lot of pictures of the unraveling of the old upholstery. I referred back to them many times while sewing the new ones and reassembling the chairs.

Purkamisoperaation aikana otin paljon valokuvia jotta muistaisin miten ja missä järjestyksessä päälliset oli kiinnitetty. Kuvista olikin paljon apua ompelemisen eri vaiheissa.

The armrests had collapsed over the years. To replace the old cardboard ones I inserted new sturdier plywood.

Toisen nojatuolin käsinojat olivat väsähtäneet ajan saatossa ja asensin vanhan pahvin tilalle tukevampaa vaneria.

I cut the old upholstery neatly along the seams to use as a pattern for the new one. I added a few notches here and there and marked down other instructions too.

Leikkasin vanhan tuolinpäällisen tarkasti saumoja pitkin saadakseni kaavat uutta päällistä varten. Samalla merkkasin kohdistusmerkkejä ja kirjasin muita ohjeita muistiin.

The hardest part of the whole project was cutting the material so that the pattern would continue along the seams.

Vaikein vaihe oli leikata kankaat niin että kankaan kuvio jatkuisi kauniisti saumojen kohdalla.

Before putting on the new upholstery I added a thin layer of new batting to all sides. I found some pieces of an old thin mattress with which to add some plumpness to the slightly sagging seat. Then the cover was carefully pulled over the chair taking care not to distort the batting. The seam between the lower front edge of the chair and the seat cover was stapled into the frame in the same way as before. All edges were pulled to the bottom side of the framework, tightened carefully and evenly so as not to distort the fabric, and then stapled. The back end of both the seat cover and the seat back had an extra bit of spare material sewn on to help pull the fabric tight. All that remained was to attach the under cover (which I reinforced with a zigzag edge) and screw the feet back on.

Tuolien vanhat pehmusteet ovat säilyneet hyvässä kunnossa mutta lisäsin silti ohuen vanukerroksen vielä sekä selkänojan sisä- että ulkopuolelle. Istuimen alle laitoin pari palaa vanhaa petauspatjaa tuomaan lisää pulleutta vähän väsähtäneeseen istuinosaan. Uusi kangas pujotettiin varovasti tuolin päälle niin että vanukerrokset pysyivät ojennuksessa. Istuimen etuosan sauma niitattiin kiinni runkoon vanhan mallin mukaisesti. Kaikki päällisen reunat työnnettiin tuolin rungon alapuolelle ja niitattiin huolellisesti ja tasaisesti vetäen tiukalle niin että kangas pysyi suorassa. Selkänojan alapäähän ja istuimen takaosaan ompelin ylimääräiset kiristyskankaat kuten alkuperäisessäkin päällisessä oli. Alimmaisen suojakankaan reunat vahvistin siksak ompeleella. Se niitattiin vielä kiinni ja tuolin jalat ruuvattiin paikalleen.