Showing posts with label Chayet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chayet. Show all posts

27 February 2014

Guest Post: Chayet from Nothing But the Wax, Part II - DIY

Who has a few pieces of gorgeous pagne/wax fabric laying around that you love but don't have a clue how to use?  (Perhaps Sarah or I even gave you one of those pieces as a gift at some point...) 

If you're hesitant to wear those amazing prints, why not sit on them?

"Pimp My Wax" is Chayet's series of nontraditional wax fabric tutorials. Check out this great DIY that she put together for us as Part II of today's Guest Post series:

Today, I'm going to show you a very orange-y Pimp My Wax.  The idea was to transform a very mundane and damaged chair into something original and colorful.  Here are the stages to do the work at your home:


I found this chair in front of my flat on the trash premises. The seat was damaged but I knew I could make something of it. As for the pillow, a good friend gave it to me because she did not want it any more.



STEP 1: I began by figuring out the size of the pillow. You can just put it on the floor, take a pencil and follow outlines, making them larger than the actual pillow to allow for sewing seams. Then, I cut two pillow shapes from my Vlisco fabric. This fabric, I love it!! Real love at first sight! (Editor's Note:  OH YES! Man, do we love Vlisco at Mama Congo...)




STEP 2: Then, I sewed the outlines of the two pieces of fabrics face-to-face.



STEP 3: I added a zipper that I inserted by hand. It is so much simpler to have a pillow with a ZIP and to be able to change quickly covers or even simply wash them.



STEP 4: Next, I tried to sew and reinforce the seat of the chair. I used plastic thread - you know these threads which one uses to make bracelets in pearls - and I sewed by trying to tighten holes to avoid extensions when one sits down on it.



STEP 5: To give a little of freshness and life to the chair, I painted it in orange. I put several coats of paint, because I wanted something of really eye-catching.  No need to go to buy a big can of paint: a small 50 ml jar is enough. (France readers: I used a small jar of the mark (brand) Colours in the colour "Papaya", bought for 2,90€ at Castorama.)  For the best finish, I advise you to add a coat of varnish to shine and to protect the paint and wood.



STEP 6: To finish, I stuffed my cover with the pillow but also with the inside of another old pillow, so that it was full.  I made sure that the whole chair frame - including the seat - was painted as well.



Here is the finished result:




I am very satisfied with it! It brings a pop of colour and funky feel to my lounge. After having convinced my love that a red sofa in a yellow lounge would be very great, no need to argue to convince him that an orange chair would be very cool in the mix!!




I hope that this Pimp My Wax will also give you ideas, to recycle and give a second life to your furniture and other used objects!

Okay.  I'm going to go find some objects to wax-ify now.  How about you? 
For more Pimp My Wax ideas, go here.

Thank you, Chayet!


Guest Post: Chayet from Nothing But the Wax, Part I

I am so excited about this Guest Post!  I stumbled upon Chayet's amazing blog, Nothing But the Wax, a few weeks ago and contacted her about using a photo featuring beautiful wax fabric (or "pagne" as it's called in Congo) pants for the Mama Congo Weekend List.  One thing led to another and here you have one of our most exciting, most COLORFUL, guest spots yet. We decided to split it up into two posts: Part I: Q+A and Part II: DIY.  
First, a little about about Chayet in Part I:

Tell us a little about yourself.  Where do you live?  What do you do? 
My name is Chayet, I’m 28 years old, living in Paris and originally from the Ivory Coast.  I work in finance and blog about wax print fabric and African fashion.


What is your personal connection to wax fabrics?  
I’m passionate about wax fabrics, I blog about it and love to find antique beautiful and rare prints. From my point of view, wax is not just about a fabric.  I see it and experience it more as a lifestyle and share it on my blog.

When did you begin thinking about wax fabrics in high fashion/haute couture?
I made the link between wax fabrics and Haute Couture the first time I saw Juanjo Oliva Spring Summer 2010 collection (see pictures below). This collection was just amazing, so classy, so modern. At this time I just began my blog. One year later, Burberry launched its Prorsum Collection, which, I can say, was the beginning of a new trend: using wax fabric in Haute Couture.  Moschino, Gerard Darel, Agnès B, Simonnetta Ravizza etc., all used wax fabrics for their Spring/Summer 2012 collection.  It was like  they were on to a good thing. Wax fabrics was so trendy than even retailers like Etam, Topman, H&M, Esprit etc. did the same.




What motivated you to begin "Nothing But theWax"?
At the beginning, I was just learning to use a sewing machine and I wanted to share with people my passion for wax fabric and my own handmade and homemade creations. Then, I discovered a lot of designers making beautiful clothes with this fabric and realized that they didn’t have the exposure they deserved in media. This was particularly true for African designers. So, my motivation began to make people aware about this new African fashion.

What is your current favorite clothing item made from wax fabric? 
I love this high waisted skirt from Yinkaalli!! It’s bright and colourful!! I can wear it  in winter as in summer with boots or high steels. This skirts allows every style.




 And I’m also in love with Mariah Bocoum's clothing line Les péchés Mignons, in particular with this dress which is so vintage and classy: 



Where do you buy your wax fabric in Paris?
I buy my wax fabric in a well known African district of Paris called “Château Rouge” and sometimes at “Toto”, a shop specializing in African prints. 

Not sure what to do with that beautiful piece of pagne/wax fabric sitting at home? 
Stay tuned for a special DIY by Chayet later today!

*all photos provided by Chayet for this post
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