April 1, 2025
We hope you enjoy the “before” and “after” photos we post on our Facebook page! Seeing the transformations is such a satisfying experience for us, but since they do take time, please remember to schedule your work with Bob before dropping off furniture for repair. Our storage space is VERY limited.
With the warmer weather, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of yard sales. These can be a great opportunity to find furniture that “needs a little love” before filling that special place in your house. Things to keep in mind when shopping at yard sales include:
- The entire look of an upholstered piece can be changed with a different fabric. Websites we use for fabric include: United Fabrics and Greenhouse Fabrics. A chart for estimating the amount of fabric needed is at https://revolutionfabrics.com/blogs/gotcha-covered/upholstery-fabric-calculator, but it’s important to always buy extra. This is particularly true if there are many seams, you want tufts, or there is a large pattern to be matched.
- Consider that you can use multiple fabrics on a single piece of furniture. For example, the back of a chair can have a fabric that contrasts with the seat. If the primary fabric is very busy, this approach may be useful.
- Painted pieces can be stripped and refinished. Depending on how many layers of paint they have, this may be time consuming.
- Chair seats can be replaced. We do caning, pressed-in cane, rush seating, shaker tape, splint and Danish cord.
- Not only can pieces be repaired, but they can also be converted from their original purpose. If you’ve looked at the Conversions tab on our website, you may have seen the top half of a pump organ converted into a hall tree or the unwanted bed converted into a bench. The possibilities are endless! Consider converting a door into a table or a shutter into a bench . . . It pays to keep your imagination going while at yard sales!
We can’t share all this yard sale info without mentioning the date for at least one, so the Lovettsville Game Protective Association is having a flea market on Saturday, April 26th from 8 A.M. until 1 P.M. at 16 S. Berlin Turnpike.
Closer to the store, the Round Hill Arts Center, adjacent to Hill High Market, is having an Appalachian Trail Art Show all month with an opening reception on April 6th from 2 P.M. until 4 P.M. This is the 100th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, so likely there will be other events to recognize that in the upcoming months. Finally, if you’re into hiking, Loudoun County’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services recently unveiled digital trail maps for 40+ miles of trails in ten county parks; the free Avenza Maps app is available on the Apple Store or Google Play Store with the downloadable maps at https://bit.ly/PRCSAvenzaMaps.
Bob & Lynne McCann