Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Creating: Upholstery

Every year for the past few years, I've participated in a craft weekend getaway with a group of awesome women from all walks of life.  The first year, I created cards all weekend.  Last year, I worked on some online photo books.  This year, I upholstered a chair.  Yes, it was quite the jump.  I watched a video on YouTube so I figured I had it handled.  In reality, it took me about 4 times longer than the videographer promised and it was about 100 times more difficult.  I am a novice sewer and this was my very first time upholstering a chair.  In fact, I actually forgot the hammer and screwdriver needed to take off the fabric.  I had to borrow it from a neighbor.  After much encouragement from the ladies (and I can honestly say I would have given up after the first night if it wasn't for them), I completed the chair!  And it turned out fabulously!
Originally, I had plans to put it in my daughters' bedroom - but it's in our living room right now.  It's SUPER comfortable - and it's small enough to not get in the way.  It sits on a rocking pedestal, which adds to the comfort.

For all you out there who are thinking about tackling a re-upholstry project... do it!  It was hard, but totally worth the effort!  I'm looking forward to my next project.  

Because this was my first time, I didn't want to spend a ton of cash.  The chair was in our storage unit and would have eventually made it into a dumpster (and it was originally a hand-me-down).  The fabric was 50% off at the fabric store (WOW!).  I reused the piping (although I did recover it) and the buttons.  The cushioning was the most expensive.  I reused as much as I could, purchased a 4x2 piece of batting (I was shocked at the price!) and purchased three throw pillows from a local thrift store that I took apart and used.  I also had to buy staples.  The whole project cost approximately $75.  Not too shabby!

Be Creative!

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