Let's take a brief respite from our big fat velvet series to appreciate some of my business partner Elizabeth's art:
Look at this lovely assemblage in oceanic tones titled "Fun in the Studio" in printmaking, acrylic, and mixed media. I just love the way it seems so balanced and the way the path seems to cross over waters of the heart, as if symbolizing our inner journeys through life.
I also love this one titled "Inner Room" of acrylic & printmaking with its rich palette of jewel tones. The warm colors seem to brighten the little structures within as various patterns and lines play over the surface.
If you are interested in purchasing from Elizabeth, please email her at Elizabeth@themellowmakeryatx.com.
On with the drudgery! XD
When you put tacks in upholstery, it's easiest to have a nice little tube of fabric under the tacks to cover the edge of the fabric covering the whole furniture piece. You can see what it looks like here--it must be sewn on the machine before applying it with staples, then being tacked on.
So you pre-staple this tube along the line over the wood where the tacks will be, and as you put in the tacks, you remove the staples.
Tacks might seem sort of daunting but they are actually not that difficult and have a sort of meditative rhythm to the process. With these tacks I had to be careful not to mar the heads because they had this beautiful matte silver finish.
Most of the time the tacks are actually holding one piece onto the furniture but sometimes tacks are used for strictly decorative purposes.
Don't hammer too hard; try to get each tack in exactly the same way. It's not too difficult to get them looking like a straight line once you get the hang of it and it's pretty forgiving because you can always take a misplaced tack out and replace it with a new one. The holes don't tend to show.
Next time I'll explain how to staple on the fabric.
Thanks for your support!
--Pam