From Old to Bold: An Upholstered Chair's Makeover

My grandmother handed down a really comfortable arm chair to us that was just the perfect size for my small living room. I had been on the hunt for an arm chair that would fit next to our fireplace but I just couldn't find anything that was both small, comfortable, and cheap (hey, we're on a budget) . . . until I saw this chair sitting in grandma's garage waiting to find a new home!

The upholstery on it is great quality but, there was a hole wearing into an arm rest and some spit up from one of my many cousins that had left a stain that even the best housekeeper was unable to completely get out. Plus, the cream really isn't my first choice for upholstery picks in the living room. I figured now was the perfect time to try to test out re-upholstering. I looked at a lot of tutorials and finally decided to dive in. 

My inspiration was the dachshund pillow in the picture. My aunt bought it for me for Christmas from Persnickety Pelican. I was so happy to find a perfectly matching upholstery fabric from fabric.com. With a coupon they sent me as I was able to get 6.5 yards of it for $36! I will show you how I took apart the chair and put it back together.

Luckily, this chair's cushion had a zipper. So the first thing I did was remove the foam stuffing from the cushion. The foam in this chair is in great condition! My grandmother is a fabulous housekeeper, and thank goodness because foam is pricey! When choosing a chair to reupholster do your best to be sure that there is no serious staining that could have ruined the foam. 

For the chair cushion, I performed the tedious task of ripping all of the seams out. This allowed me to re-use the cording and the zipper.

I re-sewed the cording into a strip of the new fabric. I then used the pieces from the old cushion to create a pattern for the new cushion. I traced and cut out all of the pieces for the new cushion and sewed it all together.  

I then re-stuffed the foam piece into the new cushion and zipped it up. Not too bad for my first time making a cushion but the right side of the cushion has a slight angle in it that is driving me crazy . . . something I will have to fix in the near future.

My next step was to start tearing the chair apart. While doing this I kept notes on what came off in what order, that way I could put the chair back together in the reverse order. The dust ruffle seemed like the most logical place to start. In fact, once it was off I suddenly really liked the chair. Amazing how the dust ruffle aged the chair so much. Personally I think it looks cleaner and more modern without it.

Then I flipped the chair over and began the horrible process of pulling what felt like a million staples out of the chair. 

At this point the staples were no big deal. I was so excited about this makeover that adrenaline kept me from noticing how tedious of a task I was performing.

Once the bottom staples were all removed I was able to start working up the sides of the chair. At this point I began to realize that this sucked. 

Eventually I reached the upholstery tacks. At this point, I was feeling pain in my back and my hands were red, swollen and I could tell exactly where the blisters were forming. If you decide to refinish a completely upholstered chair this may be the point where you seriously debate quitting. You may even find yourself dragging the chair halfway to the curb, all the while cursing the furniture maker who was clearly having way too much fun with a staple gun.

This is the point where you need to pull out the fabric you chose and picture yourself sitting in your awesome new chair. It is also the point where I finally called in my husband to be the reliever for a bit while I sat and cried about my sore hands. We called it a night once the tacks were out. The next day we finished pulling all the staples and the last bits of old fabric off the chair and I began sewing the front cushion. Again, I seam ripped the old cushion and used the pieces as a pattern. 

I first upholstered the very back of the front of the chair. Notice that fabric from the top and front of the chair always pulls through in between the wood on the chair, this is what makes the fabric appear seamless.Now, a staple gun doesn't work so great on the hard wood of furniture so I had to hammer in some of the staples and I used tack nails to reinforce the fabric every so often. I then placed the back cushion onto the front of the chair and got ready to tuft it! Once again, I called my husband in to help. We were using the existing holes in the back of the chair as a guide. I had also saved the old cushion front and laid it on top of the new cushion to guide the tufting buttons through. The buttons were so easy to recover . . . I cheated and used hot glue!  

Tufting was the easiest part of this chair. Do not be intimidated by a tufted chair. As long as you create a guide for where you want the buttons to go then you will be set. As you pull each button tight you will find that the fabric adjusts itself accordingly. 

Not bad for my first time tufting, right? Next were the arms. Again, I ripped seams and used the old arms as a pattern. A lot of sewing, stapling and re-adjusting and I finally had one just right. Of course, it was also 11 p.m. at this point so it was time to take a break for the night. 

Unfortunately, my project took longer than expected and I was left to finish on a Monday, which meant no extra hands to help me out. Which also meant that I did not take any pictures since I was so caught up working. But the next day I finished the other arm and the front of the chair. Then I was able to staple the lining back up and I upholstered the back of the chair. Nothing fancy, just easy stapling and pulling tight. 

Finally, after 3 straight days of work the chair was finished before bed on Monday night. Would I do this again? Heck no. Was it worth it? Heck yeah. But my next upholstery projects will definitely be chairs that are not completely upholstered. Any fully upholstered chairs from now on will be gifted a slip cover in this house!

Pin It

From Drab to Fab: A $150 Bathroom Makeover

There is so much about my house that I love: the character, the wonderful view of the yard from the back window, and it's original fireplace. But there were also some things I disliked. There was nothing I hated more than my bathroom floor.

Yes, that is some lovely school house vinyl right there. And yes, those floors have been scrubbed with all sorts of cleaning products . . . the dirt just wouldn't budge. I put up with this awful floor for 3 years.

\

I tended to try to combat the floors by covering them with as much rug as I could. Lucky for me, we found some ceramic tile for an unbeatable price at Menards and my amazing father was willing to give up many hours of his free time to come and tear this crappy floor up and install my new fabulous floor. I cannot thank him enough for the aches and pains he endured to make my house perfect! Am I lucky or what?

I was working on a budget so I knew I would not be able to replace the furniture but, all the items in the bathroom had been painted over (whether by the previous owners or the bank that foreclosed on the house). And I must say, poorly painted over. There were paint drips all over and it was such a blah brown. To top it off, on spots they missed you could see they never even sanded the beautiful cherry stained wood . . . why, oh why was it painted over?

So my dad pulled all of this out for me ahead of time and I was able to sand and re-paint . . . hence how we could re-do so much for just $150. I used only a quarter of a quart of paint and a little bit of my Polycrilic. The biggest cost on the cabinetry was the handles . . . which I got from Hobby Lobby! 

Now you see a little of my laziness . . . I have yet to add the handles to the wall cabinet. 

My dad removed and installed the new floor and he did a phenomenal job . . . I am finally loving my bathroom!

Notice the downgrade in the amount and the size of rugs. I am no longer ashamed to allow guests to use my bathroom!

Thanks again Dad for everything you have done to help make the house just what I had hoped it would be! 

Goes to show that you can make anything look good, even on a budget. Get creative and don't be afraid to do it yourself! Please let me know your greatest budget remodel in the comments section.

Pin It

Coffee Table Face Lift

For those of you who don't know me, you will learn quickly that I am very close with my parents. In fact, my mom is my best friend! I talk to her just about every day. And I always wish I could find ways to show her how much I appreciate all that she has and continues to do. It finally hit me one day when we were sitting around her basement talking. I noticed how beat up her coffee table was (she has had it since we were all young kids).

I pointed out how beat up it was looking in comparison to the rest of the furniture in the family room and she informed me that she just couldn't part with the table . . . it was one of her favorite furniture purchases. And there we had it . . . something special that I could do for my mom! That Saturday it was sitting on my back patio waiting to be prepped for a fabulous make-over.

I stripped all of the finish off of the top of the table and roughed up the sides. It was kind of sad to be sanding away the names of my siblings and myself that had been pressed into the table by heavy handed young writers during homework sessions! 

I stained it first. Big mistake. The stain wasn't the right color that I had in mind. It was too dark . . . not warm enough to contrast well with the black I would be painting on. So I began to re-strip the table. I also decided it would be best to flip the table upside down and paint the bottom first, then stain at the end. So I painted the base "Silhouette" black with Martha Stewart paint and then flipped over to stain the top. 

While the stain set I used a rough sanding block to rough up a few edges . . . I wanted the warmth of the wood to peek through on the bottom too. I then added a little bit of stain to the roughed up areas. I let it all dry overnight and finished up with 2 coats of polycrylic to protect it! I am quit happy with the transformation . . . I almost didn't want to give it back. 

I am pretty sure she must be loving it as much as me because I heard there will be a dresser arriving at my house for a make-over as well. And I already cannot wait to tackle it! I am so happy to have found a way to show my appreciation for my wonderful mom! 

Linking up to:

Pin It

Re-finished Chest: From Old to Bold

So the project I was hoping to finish by Saturday morning did not get finished until today but that is okay. We've been dealing with a cold that started with my little one and has now decided to attack me as well. (At least it was an excuse to spend all day today in our lounge pants on the couch . . . I love having a cuddle buddy here with me)!

In any case, I did take the time this morning to finally put the finishing touches on this project so that I could finally share it!

My husband and I are using hand me down furniture in our bedroom, and if you've been following me you know we are living on a dime while I am staying home with our little one. However, I thought perhaps I might be able to create a nice bedroom set for us using what we already have. This whole project cost me about $5.00. The color was done with 1 sample can from home depot and I used just a smidgen of my white paint for the inside of the chest! 

We use the chest to hold our extra blankets and sheets since our house doesn't have a linen closet. So much brighter looking now! I finally love this piece. (Thank you to my wonderful mom for passing it down to me . . . and for all the furniture she continues to pass my way)! 

So I am sure you have figured out that one of my big projects for fall is to re-vamp our bedroom! We had painted in a rush when we bought the house in an attempt to get everything done before the floors were re-finished. It was just too dark and to be honest, the current color feels too much like a doctor's office color to me. I guess because it resembles some of those greenish scrubs you see so much of the time. I am going to try to get our room completely tied together for as cheap as possible. My goal is $80 or less. Stay tuned to see progress . . . don't forget . . . it takes me a while as I usually only get 1-2 hours a day for working on hobby items. 

Pin It

Adventures with a Treadle Sewing Machine: Cleaning the Singer

So I stayed up way too late last night but it was well worth it. The Singer is now shining in her cabinet! All that's left to do is to oil her, wax the cabinet and attach the belt. I am so excited to get sewing!

As promised, I am posting before and after pictures. The very first thing I did was to wipe her down with a soft cloth and warm water with a splash of dish soap. Then I decided to work on all of the chrome pieces. To clean the chrome I would pull each piece off as I was working on it and clean with metal polish. I did one piece at a time so I wouldn't forget where each piece went. Some pieces were really dirty so I would also scrub with a fine steel wool pad. Then follow up with more metal polish.

I then wiped the painted part of the machine down with sewing machine oil . . . if you are cleaning a machine be very careful with what you use on the paint, especially if your decals are in good condition! After wiping down, sewing machine oil is your best bet.

Not too shabby for 106 years old, right? 

Pin It

Adventures with a Treadle Sewing Machine: Make That Machines!

It's been a busy week with refinishing in our house and not all of the projects went well. As promised . . . I was sharing the ups and downs of the White Treadle Sewing Machine fix-up and right now, it is mostly downs. We applied 2 coats of stain but the beat up wood was not taking to it nicely. The top was completely splotchy and not at all what I had hoped it would be.

The wood just looks sad. But I am still so in love with this beautiful cabinet.

One thing you must learn . . . I refuse to quit until I get what I want. So I will continue to work until I achieve what I have pictured in my mind. My husband and I have decided that this will be our biggest project yet . . . we are actually going to re-veneer the entire top of the table. Therefore, this cabinet will be put to the side until the new year. I will need to make some money before I can purchase the wood veneer and there are a few other projects that are taking priority. I will continue to clean and prep the sewing machine head in the meantime. 

It is not all bad news though. My husband surprised me this week by purchasing a stunning Singer 15-30 with Tiffany decals as an early birthday present. The cabinet and the machine are in fabulous condition. The only flaw in the cabinet is that it is missing it's lid (eh . . . it's too pretty for me to care . . . I am just going to sew a beautiful dust cover for the machine) and the machine just needs a little bit of cleaning and polish. 

I am so in love with this beauty! And my amazing husband for allowing me to own 2 stunning pieces of history! I was dying to treadle and I was sooo disappointed when we realized how much longer it would be until the White would be up and running. I should now be treadling by Sunday night! 

I am going to get back to cleaning the machine head before bedtime! I will share pictures of how pretty it looks all cleaned up. I also am wrapping up another furniture makeover which I hope to have completed by Saturday morning! 

Pin It

Adventures with a Treadle Sewing Machine: Many Days Later

I feel like I have already lost count of how many days I have been at work on the new old machine. I have become quite discouraged over the past few days . . . I have not been too pleased with the results I am getting and am now even considering re-veneering the piece.

I made the mistake of staining over the wood putty without sanding it all down as well as I should have. Note to self . . . next time use pre-stained wood putty and be sure to sand as much off as possible. I am glad I tested one small piece.

It was awful looking. But I promised to share the best and worst of this project with you. This resulted in another day of sanding.

I did do one coat of stain but did not get a chance to photograph it yet. I am not liking the way the stain is taking so we will see if another coat of stain makes a difference. The machine itself is still being cleaned. I am still trying to clean all the rust off of the chrome pieces. There is only so much scrubbing you can do in one day.

To top it off, we have had rainy days lately and I cannot carry the machine in and out myself. Therefore, I have been left with only evenings or weekends to work so that I have my husband here to help me lug it in and out. Needless to say, it has helped to make the project last a while. 

I am so grateful that my family is willing to put up with our entire dining room being re-arranged as the table sits against one wall and the machine is perched in it's own spot on the dining room table.

I have not given up yet though. I will continue to try to make this machine look as good as it did back in the day. I am just so anxious to start sewing on it.

I will also be embarking on a bedroom re-vamp over the next few weeks. It will take a while, as I will be painting during nap times but the best projects are the ones that you are patient with. Stay tuned for updates on all my projects!

SIDE NOTE: I wish I would have tried a restore-a-finish before stripping the whole piece . . . although it was in very rough shape. Also, for anyone interested in great information pertaining to treadle machines, check out http://treadleon.net/.


Pin It