15 October 2009

Re-upholstered Hydrangea Chair

When we were first married and living in England, I used to drool over all the beautiful decorator fabrics in the Laura Ashley Home stores and when this hydrangea fabric went on sale, I had to get a couple of yards. I had no idea what I would use it for, but I had to have it. Here we are, 8 years later, and I finally found the perfect project; reupholster the horribly worn old kitchen chairs I was now using in my front room and as my bedroom desk chair. The stains were just from water believe it or not, but that plain old fabric just looked awful and needed an upgrade. The job itself always looked so easy on the DIY home make-over shows on HGTV, so I gathered the supplies and went to work!
Here is what was needed: chair, staple gun, heavy-duty fabric, fabric scissors and a screwdriver.First, remove seat from chair.Then, center the part of the pattern in the fabric you want on the chair using the seat itself as a template.Cut out leaving a few inches all around the perimeter.Now is the fun part; just staple all around, pulling the fabric taught as you go. Staple opposite sides so the fabric does not get wonky. Leave some space for the corners- you'll do them last. In this case, there was no need to remove the old fabric, so I just put the new right over it.You can give it a neat look by tucking the fabric under as you go along.Pay careful attention to the corners. I just kept looking at the top to make sure it didn't pucker or fold where I didn't want it to. When you've got them looking just right, staple... staple a bunch and then trim the tail. Trim any excess fabric on the rest of the chair and when you're satisfied, screw the seat back on the chair.Now you're done. I was so excited about the way it turned out and how easy and quick the chair make-over really was. I think the fabric was the absolute best choice and I see some matching pillows being made in the near future!

4 comments:

  1. Looks fabulous, can you come over and my six dining chairs?

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  2. Bethany--I'm one of Kim's mission companions and I've loved seeing your blog every once in a while. I'm so delighted you started this craft blog--especially because I've been meaning to recover my dining room chairs and haven't had a clue how to do it. It looks so easy! Thank you!!

    Jenny

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  3. Ooh, I've always wanted to try reupholstering something. Maybe our office chairs...you've given me courage. Way to go!!!

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  4. Adoro reciclar...

    Você arrasou!!! Adorei!!!! Vou colar, kkkkkkk.

    Bjs; Tia Ném BRASIL.

    ReplyDelete

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