Thrifty makeover: part one
A thrifty member of the X-Ray 100 gives a busy mum a master class in redecorating without spending a fortune.
Looking around Angela Dooner's Pembrokeshire home you would imagine she's had to splash the cash to achieve a designer vintage look. But she hasn't.
It's all her own handiwork as she has a talent for making things for her home from bargain finds at second-hand shops, car boot sales and internet auction websites.
She said: "There are so many beautiful things that are discarded. And perhaps they need a little bit of a polish or a clean or a paint job and they're fine again."
On a tour of Angela's home, Rachel spotted some of her best buys, including:
- A piano in the living room that was a freebie from a work colleague who no longer had room for it
- A £5 rocking chair from the classified adverts that Angela renovated and repainted
- A dining room table brought back to life after being snapped up for £10 on an internet auction website
- A quilt made from old sheets bought from a charity shop and an old duvet cover.
We asked Angela to help Jayne and Roger Thomas, from Tenby. Jayne needed inspiration to makeover two children's bedrooms.
Her six-year-old twins Iolo and Heulwen used to share a bedroom but big brother Trystan is moving in with Iolo so Heulwen will have her own room for the first time.
Back at Angela's house, Jayne got plenty of ideas looking around the bedroom Angela had recently redecorated for her eight-year-old daughter.
Among them, home-made cushion covers, colourful bunting printed with her name using a bath-time alphabet set and a cheap pine shelf unit cut in half and painted pink.
Jayne then got a crash course in making several items including bunting, a simple cushion cover and a beanbag.
Bunting- Make a triangular template from a piece of cardboard measuring 20cms along the two long edges and 15cms across the top.
- Double over a piece of your chosen fabric and, with the patterned sides facing each other, draw around the template and cut out the two triangles.
- Stitch along the two long edges.
- Turn the triangle the right way out and use a scissors or needle to push the point out, then press.
- Take a length of bias tape (either home-made or bought readymade). Place the triangle halfway up the width of the tape and fold the top half of the tape down before pinning in place. You can also tack in place.
- Remove the pins before stitching along the tape to secure.
- Add as many bunting triangles along the bias tape as you wish.
- Lay out a long rectangular piece of fabric, patterned side up.
- Fold the top edge down until it is just under halfway. Bring up the bottom edge of the fabric up so it just overlaps the top edge you had previously folded down. Check the cushion will fit.
- Stitch down the two sides.
- Turn the right way out and insert cushion.
- Cut out six squares of fabric, all the same size with each edge measuring 40cm.
- Join the squares together to make a cube shape. When joining, pin inside out before tacking together. Remove the pins and make sure it looks correct before turning back inside out and machine stitching in place.
- Top tip - start stitching 1.5cm from the beginning of the row and end the stitching 1.5cm from the end as this will make it easier to join each square together.
- Finish by removing the tacking stitch and press the seam.
- Leave one side open for a zip or fabric hook-and-loop fastener. This can be pinned and tacked last. Top tip - fold and press the 1.5cm seam edge before tacking the zip into the zip opening.
- Note: All seam allowances should be 1.5 cm.
Asked if it all looked achievable Jayne said: "I think so. Yes, I'm quite looking forward to it. It doesn't look too difficult."
X-Ray will be catching up with Jayne in the next programme to find out how she has got on.
