Tag Archives: reupholstery

Chairs

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Both chairs are finished.  The colors aren’t that true and I can’t seem to get the right adjustments to make them more realistic.  The yellowish-green is more of a chartreuse green and the blues have more depth.

Rita’s chair: Done!  This is now my knitting chair as it sits in the corner.

And here it is in front of the window.  iPad Aunt’s chair resides there now.

iPad Aunt’s chair: Done but not happy with the cushion.  I didn’t wrap the new foam in Dacron before stuffing it into the cover.  It looks too boxy and I need to fix that.  Plus the seat cushion looks too big for the chair but it’s not that way in real life.

Both chairs side-by-side.  You can see that they are very similar but different.  Rita’s chair has a lower part on the bottom front, straight-arm stump, and is a smaller chair.  iPad Aunt’s chair is straight across the bottom front, has a curved arm stump, and is a wider chair.

I tried very hard to get the patterns to match up on both chairs but it was very difficult.  The pattern was 24 inch vertical repeat so I tried not to waste fabric.

I am in the process of redoing the ottoman that matches Rita’s chair but that is on hold for now.  Too many irons in the fire.

Quickie

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  1. Finished cushion on chair #1, which I call Rita’s Chair.
  2. Working on chair #2, which is iPad Aunt’s Chair. This chair almost got the best of me but I am determined to win this challenge. I’m so glad I started with Rita’s Chair as it was easy.
  3. Finished (almost) another pair (I think this makes six pairs???) of SSSK socks except for stitching the toe seam. Ten minutes. Tops.
  4. Began knitting the Spindrift Shawl by Helen Stewart. My first attempt at a shawl. And my first successful attempt with lifelines.  I followed this tutorial but you can search for others if you like.
  5. My house is a disaster: Upholstery fabric spread out all over the living room floor, one ottoman (and surrounding area) piled high with knitting, dust bunnies growing each day, unfinished laundry taking over the laundry room, and the possibility of pantry moths.

Stay tuned for more….with pictures!!!

Well, I’m not showing the disastrous parts.  Some things are just not meant to be seen.

And here it sits

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…minus the cushion.

I’m rushing this final part and as a result it’s been ripped apart twice.  And now for a third time.

I’m following the original cushion construction and taking a shortcut that the manufacturer took by skipping a step.

Instead of making a separate welting cord, they sewed the cording for the welting into the gusset and then sewed the gusset to the top and bottom.

Matching the top and bottom with the gusset in between is a challenge when the gusset is stiff due to the welting.  I’m not getting clean corners.

See how the fabric weave is not on the straight grain?  That’s a big problem.  So I’m ripping it out.  Again.  And will make welting cord the right way and sew it onto the top and bottom of the cushion cover.  Then I’ll sew the gusset by marking each corner.

As my grandmother used to say, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”  Sorry Gram, it’s taking me three times to remember that.

Switching gears a bit

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I’m recovering/reupholstering two chairs right now.  This one once resided in my mom’s house then iPad aunt acquired it.  And now I have it.

My first thought was to recover it in denim and send it to my daughter for her son’s bedroom.  Then I told her about it.  She liked the idea but not the fabric.  So I asked her to pick out fabric and I’d recover it for her.

Well, two years later and no decision on fabric, I mentioned (OK, told her) that with the time, effort, cost of materials and shipping it to Colorado that she and her husband could get something that they really liked.  And I wanted to keep the chairs for myself.

So here is the chair after staining the legs darker, striping it down to the frame, and adding new padding and muslin layer.  The foam padding was deteriorating and needed to go. Once I add more cotton or Dacron padding (no foam except for the seat cushion), the final fabric and sew the new seat cushion cover, I can begin the second chair.  And the matching ottoman.

Have I ever done this before?  No, but I watched about a hundred YouTube videos on the process, took several hundred photos of my progress along the way and decided that I have enough brains and skill to attempt this project.  Time will tell. So stay tuned….