After visiting Provence, in the South of France, and seeing Shabby Chic style furniture comfortably settled into Ochre washed stone homes, I became inspired to explore my creativity in a new way. I have enjoyed the magic of growing plants that can be used to dye wool and cloth with the subtle colours of nature for many years. I wanted to use my skills and create items for the home using natural colours and recycled materials. Natural plant dyes, Ochre pigment and Lime wash combined help me create the Shabby Chic style I so enjoyed seeing when I was in France. Why not bring that natural comfortable style into my home in Shetland? Here I share the ideas and work that has evolved into Shabby Chic Shetland.

Shabby Chic Fun

Shabby Chic Fun!

Turning an old broken wicker rocking chair into a Shabby Chic style piece of furniture that I love.

Liming paste is a fancy word for White Wash, the paint that cottages in England used to be painted with every year.

It is made up with chalky crushed limestone and when used on wood gives a soft distressed look to the piece. I thought I would try it out on my old rocking chair which had been waiting to be taken to the dump.


It was exciting seeing the old blue wicker turning white. The limewash gives a rustic look to the cane and I was pleased with this effect.




The back of the chair had several holes where the wicker work had broken and come apart. Old style crochet flowers would give that Shabby Chic feel.... to keep in style with the project I chose to use Shetland wool dyed with plants grown in Shetland.  They covered the damage and already an old broken chair was becoming a piece of furniture I would be happy to have in the living room.

                                                     
I thought that a cushion made with fabrics dyed with plants from Shetland would look attractive against the white washed wicker. The plants used to dye the wool for the flowers were madder, willow, heather and parsley.The fabrics used for the cushion were dyed with madder and woad.

This project was coming together and as I worked I had music from Provence playing and my mind was filled with the memory of mountains, pine trees, blue skies and the glorious Ochre cliffs in the Luberon.





6 comments:

  1. Anonymous29 April 2013 at 00:17

    A great transformation!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angie22 May 2013 at 00:06

    It looks really stylish, such chique chic!

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  3. Anonymous12 June 2013 at 05:25

    Shetland Chic

    Earth filled hands and memories of ochre coloured lands,
    Flower meads and willow wands, staining soft the strands.
    Sheep’s bleat and cool pale sky that lingers in the minds grey eye,
    Fire soft that stains the fleece and lifts the scent up high.
    Earth to pot and flower filled, waters hiss and steam,
    Change the look and bring yesterday out of faded dream.
    From simple love a dream is made and colours fill the hands,
    A loving mind remembers well sunlit ochre lands.

    ics

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    Replies
    1. Colours from plants12 June 2013 at 06:02

      This is so beautiful, it describes all I love to do! Thank you for this

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  4. Ian30 July 2013 at 07:45

    We saw a lot of natural dyed fabrics at WOMAD 2013, none as good or colorful as yours. As a scientist I find your dyes fascinating,as a poet I find your art and photography inspiring. Thankyou for all you do.

    Ian

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  5. Colours from plants31 July 2013 at 13:35

    Thank you Ian. I am in the process of creating a website and have written about mordants the how and why...... I will shortly be writing about woad dyeing which is an extremely interesting process, especially if you like the science bit. The website address is www.spindriftcrafts.com if you are interested.

    ReplyDelete

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