The Chair In All It's Glory

The Chair

The chair during deconstruction..

I thought I had taken more pictures...

I am sure I did but I cannot find them so you will have to use your imagination. It took a long time just to get the nail heads out of this chair. Afterwards I started ripping off fabric.

At some point, I went to my computer and googled upholstering...

What in the world was I thinking?

Just because I had been able to slip cover one couch sort of successfully, I now thought I could upholster a chair??????

H-E-L-L-O

Well, sometimes my brain does not work properly....

Maybe I should be saying lots of time my brain does not work properly!

O.K., so the advice I got, from reading several tutorials, was to take lots of pictures as you disassemble the piece. I did this, I know I did this! Also, the first piece you dissemble will be the last piece you put back on.. 

Also suggested, was trying not to cut up the different pieces so you could use them for a pattern.

OOPS...

I had already cut into a couple of pieces. 

Soooo... back out to the garage I went and started once again taking more pieces off the chair.

Then I got to

the pleats on the front. Oh My..

each one of those little pleats is a roll of batting in and of itself. Also, do you notice the buttons? It was at this point that I was ready to scream...

My husband advised me to let him take it to the trash and give up. He said I got the other furniture pieces at such a good price, to just let this chair thing goooooooooooo

Do any of you look at the site Better After?

I was taking a break and checking on blogs and there she was.

Lindsey, of Better After was posting about starting a new section on her blog. I think it was going to be called 

Better Before.

It was to be pictures of disaster projects.

I couldn't believe it..

I started laughing..

I was a pinch away from taking the pictures and sending them to her for maybe the first post on the new feature.

BUT

every time I thought about putting the chair in the trash I could just picture some other crafty female stopping out front, throwing my chair in the car and taking it home to turn it into a treasure.

Soooooooo,

I started over.

I got muslin and stapled it back on all the places I had removed the upholstery. I took more batting and put it over all those little tufts and pleats.

My husband said the chair looked like it had just gotten out of surgery! Smile...

I went to a local shop that sells all kinds of fabric and upholstery items and had a new cushion cut to go in the seat.

The chair seat was very low to begin with and the springs were old so the new seat fit right in with the remake plans.

Then

I started my slipcover.

It took two whole drop cloths

 ( because of cutting a couple of pieces twice)

but now I have myself a GrEaT new chair,

if I do say so myself!!!!

I LoVe it!!!!!

I am so PrOuD 

of the results!!!!

So, with no further ado

I give you...

My New Chair

Isn't her pleated little skirt cute?

The seat looks gigantic here for some reason..

just ignore it and admire the little pleats...

on the skirt..

not the back of the chair

:)

I have a feeling those pleats on the back of the chair are for a VERY ADVANCED 

Upholstery Class!

Side view.. the panels are one of the things I cut twice.

The first go around I tried having the sides cut as one piece..

didn't work..

so I started over and put piping around the back side panels.

For the back of the chair I used buttons rather than putting in a zipper.

I even made bound buttonholes,

something I have not done in years and years..

They aren't great bound buttonholes if one examines them but they look great just looking at the chair. :) 

Isn't the carving on the arms and legs great?

I made little ties for the arms.

And this sassy lady does not mind lifting her skirt one bit to show off more of her legs!

One last look...

I can't help myself..

I smile every time I go by it..

My husband told me he was wrong about throwing out the chair...

He teased me and said he's been wrong before and he will be wrong again.

We both think the chair is very comfortable and will be great in our Master bedroom in Destin!

And just wait till you see my latest project!

I best get back to working on it.

Oh and by the way,

I am back on the new blogger and now, for some reason, it is allowing me to upload the pictures.
Yippee!

Happy Easter Everyone!