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The nights are drawing in and with festival season over, we're concentrating our efforts on home improvement. While Jon's getting stuck into redecorating the utility room, I'm still tweaking the bedroom.
Our corbielle bed was starting to show years of cat ownership and was in dire need of repair.
Not having any red velvet spare I decided to repurpose the fabric I'd used to recover the ottoman back in 2018. There wasn't enough to replace the whole area so I snipped off the tatty part, squeezed the replacement fabric inside and hand-stitched it place. I don't think the Repair Shop will be calling to offer me a job any time soon but it's a vast improvement (and its not like anyone but me, Jon and William are going to see it!)
We'd been scouring the chazzas for some decent fabric to recover the ottoman but with no success, the most suitable looking candidate, a mediocre duvet cover, was rather optimistically priced at £15 but, on the way home from swimming, I spotted this gorgeous Thistle upholstery fabric on the clearance table outside Walsall's legendary fabric emporium, Hole in the Wall and it was only £3!
Here I am standing outside it in 2015 (where the f*ck does the time go?) Back in the early 1980s most of this area was derelict and occupied by squatters. The coolest of the bunch was Boy George who lived with Walsall lad Martin Degville, later to become lead singer of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Seeing him walking around town dressed in a silver spacesuit or an Elizabethan ruff with his dog dressed to match was a familiar sight. Nobody really batted an eyelid - or if they did they didn't dare say anything, he was built like a brick sh*thouse.
I know some folk like mitchy-matchy stuff, I don't. This pleases my eyes a lot more!
@vixbrearley Waste not, want not!#handsewing #1970saesthetic #hippiestyle #vintagestyle #over50women ♬ original sound - Vintage_vix66
Arthur just said 'every scratch tells a story'! Zxx ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteArthur's right - I like to see a bit of wear and tear - it gives everything a bit more personality! xxx
DeleteYou've done a very neat job, Vix. Could you come and do the same for my armchair? It's also seen some years of cat ownership :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jules! Cats have no respect for soft furnishings, do they? xxx
DeleteOh, such a great job! Much better than I could do. the bed looks lovely💕❤️💕❤️Awesome makeup bag too! Loving the vests! Loved your story too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellie! To be honest I didn't expect it to look as neat as it did! I surprise myself sometimes! xxx
DeleteOoh jewel coloured velvet, I'm drooling Vix.
ReplyDeleteI adore velvet! xxx
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ReplyDeleteYour interior design style is beautiful. I admire your house and always enjoy seeing your photos.
Boy George's story is sensational, I can picture him walking down the streets.
Thanks so much! Boy George was such a character, I loved seeing him walking around our streets in his crazy outfits! xxx
DeleteLove your bed. And to be honest, your whole house.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! xxx
DeleteIt’s a beautiful bed. Where do charity shops get their pricing from these days? £15? Xxx
ReplyDeleteIts much better now the stuffing's not hanging out! That particular charity shop's pricing is all over the place. Jon found a vintage 1950s Pendleton cardi in there last week for £8 - they fetch upwards of £120! xxx
Deletei have so much furnishing fabric i collect on my travels , but i always find a use or rehome it , trouble is it might be 10 years in the future
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with that! My stash is pitifully low since I stopped going car booting! xxx
DeleteGreat repair on the bed and the ottoman top is beautiful. Love that you used all the fabric and made things that are both beautiful and useful. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Catriona! xxx
DeleteI was just about to comment that you HAVE to recline on that ottoman wearing your new bolero, but you did it and showed the world your matchy, matchiness. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love that thistle fabric.
Isn't it fab fabric? I saw a lampshade on line which had been made with vintage Harris Tweed and lined with that thistle fabric, it was gorgeous! xxx
DeleteSame what I said on FB!! As an aside, I bought a U2 vinyl album, October, for my eldest the other day and had to pay 15 quid for it. I'm putting it in his Christmas stocking at that price!!Is vinyl as expensive down your way??
ReplyDeleteWas that a secondhand copy or a reissue, Annie? Our purchases vary from 50p to ££s, depending on how much we want it. Jon's been desperate for 666 by Aphrodite's Child (1972) but hadn't managed to find one for less than £150 - our friend in Corfu has finally managed to track a copy down for him, he's beyond excited! xxx
DeleteSecondhand. Mint condition. X
DeleteYou did an excellent job on the bed and the fabric you used to recover the ottoman is fabulous (and just perfect for creating that bolero and makeup bag with its remnants too!)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm not a fan of mitchy-matchy stuff. Pattern mixing is so much more exciting!
What a wonderful story about Boy George, and I'd almost forgotten about Sigue Sigue Sputnik! Fancy their lead singer being a Walsall lad too! xxx
Thanks so much, Ann! I didn't expect that repair to look that good, I impress myself occasionally!
DeleteMartin Degville is such an interesting character, it's worth following him on Facebook, the old Blitz Kids photos he shares are fab! xxx
Im a mitchy matchy person in the home, I like everything very neutral with one big splash/statement in each room ... but I appreciate your taste in interesting fabrics, textures and colours and how you layer them, both in your home and clothes. Nicking the velvet from the ottoman was a good idea and the thistle print is very pretty and fits in nicely :) Nothing gets wasted with you! hence the little bolero, very cute - I am enjoying your Tiktok videos :) Betty
ReplyDeleteThnaks so much, Betty! I know my love of pattern and print isn't everyone's cup of tea but I've always been in the more is more school! xxx
DeleteMagnificent bit of textile-fettling, well done you!
ReplyDelete(I wonder what marvellous things you could make with some Frida fabric? ðŸ¤)
I'm so tempted with the Frida fabric, its the stuff of dreams! xxx
DeleteHello Vix,
ReplyDeleteYou and your husband are real domestic goddesses! Not only do you recycle, you also have great ideas! I love how you repaired the bed!
Have a great weekend!
Thanks so much, Marisa! I was scratching my head trying to think of how to mend that bed for ages then it came to me in a flash! xxx
DeleteHi Vix, interesting to see your home repairs-always satisfying to mend/ repair something using materials you already have and keep much-loved pieces going. I don't understand the trend for ' fast fashion' or fast anything really. My favourite things I have had for years and these pieces continue to give me pleasure each time I wear them or use them. Why would I want to throw them out just to get cheap low quality tat that everyone else has? I must say that the grey embroidered dress in your tik tok is just stunning! How did you acquire that one, please? Does it have a label? Your silver jewellery shows it off to great effect too.
ReplyDeleteHello Alysia! A girl after my own heart, I'm all about the slo fashion and mending things and keeping them going as long as possible. Every mend tells a story as Zoe's Arthur (the first comment) rightly points out.
DeleteThat dress is originally from a Barcelona-based label NKN Nekane, I bought it on Ebay back in 2021 - I've just checked Vinted and there's one on there! Their clothes are lovely, really good quality, feminine, flowy and often with hand embroidered details. Good luck! xxx
You have such a unique home, Vix. Every corner... fabulous! X
ReplyDeleteI love that bolero. So fun you now match your furniture!
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