Do you all remember about a month ago I
posted that I was looking for the perfect chair for my sewing room. It had to be small, comfy, and very inexpensive. My kids like to talk to me while I sew. I don't have an extra chair in my sewing room so they always end up laying on the ground. I shopped around and could find nothing that fit my criteria. One day after spending way to much time on Pinterest, I decided that if other pinners could make over a chair, so could I. I went to the nearest thrift store and found this chair.
I was confident that I could turn it into something beautiful...and I did!!!!! Drumroll please......
TADAAAAAAAA
Front
Closeup
This is my first tutorial ever, so please don't be too picky! If I leave out a step or you have questions please message me! I am sure I will leave out information.
1) Strip the chair.
I did not strip the wood. I simply pulled all the padding and fabric off. I washed it with soapy water. When it was dry, I moved on to step 2.
2) I chose to paint it with Rust-Oleum Paint Plus 2x Ultra Cover in AQUA with a satin finish. I primed it with a grey Rust-Oleum Primer. I used one coat of primer and 3 coats of Aqua. I sanded with a fine sand paper in between coats. I then applied a glossy coat of sealer.
3) Next, I worked on the cushions. I went to Joanne's Fabrics and bought some foam. I used the original cushions as the patterns. I drew the pattern with a sharpie and then had my hubby cut it with a large serrated bread knife
4) I made the back cushion first.
I used the cushion as the pattern and added an inch all the way around before I cut it out.
I cut the front and back the same size and cut the tabs the same size as the original cushion. I sewed the tabs like a tube, turned them right side out, and pressed them.
I measured the original cushion to figure the placement of the tabs. I pinned them in between the front and back, right sides together. I stitched the top and sides together, turned it right side out, inserted the cushion and used my zipper foot to sew the bottom together. Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of the finished cushion! Oops!!!
4) Upholstering the bottom. This is where it got tricky. I decided that I did not want a removable cushion. I wanted more of the "Overstuffed" chair look. I recruited my hubby to help. He was so excited...he LOVES this kind of stuff (not really, but he is a really good sport!). We found the nail gun and other tools we thought we might need. Then we went to work.
First we stapled the burlap strap across the bottom of the chair. (the staple gun scares the crap out of me!)
We followed how it was done on the original chair.
We put the cushion on and then wrapped it in batting and stapled it really tight.
Next we cut a large square of fabric. We started in front and stapled the center. We went to the back and stapled the center. We worked from the center out. When we got to the posts on the chair we cut a slit in the fabric and then wrapped and tucked it in.
We smoothed it, made sure it was tight, and stapled the heck out of it!
This is with out the skirt. I was so tired of messing with it I almost stopped there. I am so glad that I didn't!
5) I used the old skirt as a template and made a skirt for the chair.
I folded the edges under a quarter of an inch and topstitched around the pieces. I pressed the top boarder of each piece about and inch and a half over (like an envelope flap) . I did not top stitch it. We attached the pieces to the chair right sided to right side and then folded it over. We stapled on the flap so the the staple was hidden. I hope that makes sense!
Here is the finished product. I LOVE it!!! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions! Please pin it on Pinterest. We want Melissa to quit her day job so we need to generate a lot of traffic to the sight! Her day job is fine but it really cuts into the time I have to chat and hang out with her!!!!
I learned a lot doing this project. The first thing I learned is that Youtube makes everything look much easier than it is. The second is that my husband is a dang good surgeon. You should see how precise he was on lining things up and making sure everything was smooth and exact. Seriously, if you ever cut your foot off, he could totally sew it back on! All you have to do is look at the chair and you can see how talented he is!!! The third thing is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to make something amazing. I spent under a $100.00 on this whole project. It is exactly what I wanted.
I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!!
-Stephanie
