I'm Dreaming

I've always loved great design and functional art. After my post on chairs and the How To Recover a Chair Seat, I've been thinking a lot about refurbishing, reupholstering and recycling furniture. It's a dream, I know. But I would love a little shop where I recovered, recreated and found new lives for old, tired furniture.

Etsy recently had a great post and video about Process: Upholstering with Sprucehome. Check it out here. It just made the itch grow stronger! Maybe one day..... for now, I will keep doing pieces for myself and learning. And sometimes it just feels good to dream.

How To - Re-cover a chair seat

A while back I mentioned I was looking for old chairs for our place. I have found a couple and at great prices - $5 for 3 chairs!! Now the job of recovering and spiffing them up has begun. Here's is how I revamped the first one ~

Before & After:


Tools Needed:
Screw Driver - Flat head
Screw Gun
Wire Cutters
Staple Gun

Materials:
Sturdy Chair that needs love
Extra batting
Upholstery Foam
Fabric

Step 1 - Remove seat from chair frame. Turn your chair over and there will most likely be several screws to remove. Set chair frame and screws aside. (If you want to refinish or paint your chair frame, this would be a good time to do it.)

Step 2 - Remove seat cover. Flip seat upside down and remove staples. Remove fabric cover and foam.
Step 3 - Asses the condition of the foam and seat board. Mine wasn't too bad so I kept them. But the fabric cover had to go!

Step 4 - Cut your new cover, batting and foam. I made my new cover from an old pair of jeans. I also added 2 layers of extra batting to cushion the seat a bit more. Again, my existing foam was usable so I kept that. Cut the batting about an inch larger than the seat board. Your new fabric cover should be about 3 inches larger all around than the seat board. The foam is about an inch larger than the seat board.

Step 5 - Staple new cover to seat board. You should now have all your materials stacked. Lay your new cover wrong side up on your table or work space. Lay your batting in the center of your seat cover. Lay the upholstery foam next and then your seat board. You should be looking at the bottom of the seat board. Pull the fabric cover over an edge and staple a few times to hold. Work on opposite side the same way. I stapled a few times and kept going back and forth to different sides to make sure I was pulling straight and even. Work all the way around until you only have the corners left.

Step 5 - Tuck and fold corners. The corners may become a little bulky depending on the thickness of fabric used. Fold and continue to staple the corners until the fabric cover is completely attached. Trim any extra fabric.


Step 6 - Re-attach seat to chair frame and ENJOY!!


**This is my first tutorial and how-to. If anything is confusing or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!! Thanks!

Latest Obsession - Chairs

I have been searching high and low for side chairs and occasional chairs for our house. Scouring Craislist, Goodwill, consignment shops and the local Freecycle listings for just the right ones (and for just the right price!). Here are a few great chairs that would work perfectly!