Upping the Game.

I thought I’d share my upholstery projects with you. I started doing reupholstery about 8-10 years ago (not including recovering chair pads). I bought an antique garage sale find, an early Empire style couch covered in cabbage roses. I stripped the fabric and staples, refinished the wood, and chose a trendy leopard print with black piping to update it. Thanks to Christopher for instruction and advice. It turned out fun and edgy. I love it!!!

My first real piece. I love the leopard print on this garage sale antique. Greg, not so much.

My sister Christine’s 3 matching chairs had beautiful lines and curves but needed updating. Two had arms, one more was an armless slipper chair. I had to work to form the fabric over the curved chair back and deal with asymmetric patterns. I love how they all turned out: one with cheerful trellising white flowers on a yellow background, another in a rustic red and blue abstract print (almost native American), and the slipper chair in a fun blue and red print. I kept the rustic print, sister Terry has the yellow floral one, and Christina has the blue slipper chair.

The before pic. Two of these chairs plus one sans arms reupholstered, below. I loved the shape. The results, even more.

I adore this print and the way this chair came out. I even added piping!

I also love this one! I wanted something rustic/Adirondack-y. I think it has Ralph Lauren-esque vibes. Piecing the asymmetric print was not easy but made it fun.

This armless chair sits in Christina’s living room. Again, I’m very happy with it. Considerably easier than the other two.

My last project was an Ethan Allen settee my sister-in-law was discarding. Again, it had beautiful lines. It sat for two years before I started and took me two years to finish! I chose a funky floral spirograph design against a green-blue background in a silk-like fabric. I also had to work with asymmetry, curves, make my own stumps (which cover the end of the arms), and make a cushion cover. I’m very happy with how it came out. Anna and Dan said they’d love to take it. That’s good, because I have no room for all these projects!!!

My latest. Took me a couple years to finish. This beautiful Ethan Allen settee was lovely but needed recovering and I am delighted with it!

I find that I can now look at a chair or couch and see just how I’d deconstruct and reconstruct. I look at pieces in furniture stores or gift shops or your houses for ideas. It takes me forever to choose fabric; I need to see it in person so online fabric shopping is out except for reference. The nearest decorator fabric store is in Burlington, VT so that requires a road trip of about 3 hours one way (with 1 ferry ride each way) which isn’t so bad on a beautiful day as long as there’s time for a visit to Church St. Decision making usually requires multiple photo texts to Christina for advice as I’m overwhelmed with choices and spending money and all the while Greg is sitting in the car waiting. Deconstructing a chair, I’d save the pieces of fabric for approximating cuts. There are THOUSANDS of staples that have to be removed. And then the fun begins, reconstruction, seeing how the fabric brings the piece back to life. I’m accumulating experience and tools (thanks again, Christopher) and now I’m accumulating furniture. What’s next????