Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Project

There are projects, and then there are PROJECTS!  This was one of the latter.  I purchased this piece of furniture over two years ago.  I couldn’t decide how to proceed.  What color of paint?  What fabric?

So….here she is.

chair

Or I should say WAS.

Faded, ugly, it even had a cigarette burn on the back.  But I loved it.  It was love at first sight.  It  was just so….tacky.  But in a good way.

Finally, with the big change that I was making to my living room, it was time to DO something.

I decided on chocolate brown paint.

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I mixed it myself.  I got grey.  The funny thing is, it was the best mistake that I could have made!  I had previously started painting it turquoise, so when I sanded, it showed through.  Perfect!

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Neutral fabric. 

I am NOT an upholsterer.  I have never upholstered.  But……have glue gun….will upholster.

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Tufting.  I was scared to death that I would screw it up.  I decided to leave the old fabric on the chair and glue right over it. 

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You have to have the glue gun set on hot so that the two fabrics fuse with each other.  OUCH!  Watch those fingers!  I used the end of an old spoon in each of the tucks while the glue dried.  I made sure that it was totally dry each time so that I could pull the fabric nice and tight.

Believe me, once the glue is dry, you won’t be able to pull the new fabric off even if you want to.  It’s stuck, and good.

So I proceeded all the way down the inside back and at the bottom, glued and tucked the left over fabric in a good four inches.

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The same on the sides.  If you decide to tackle a project like this, be sure to use a heavy fabric like this canvas so that the glue doesn’t show.

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After each side was glued, I took a razor and cut it as close to the edge as possible.

As you can see, I used buttons along the front to cover the raw edges.  I will use gimp along the sides and back ( haven’t quite finished that yet) since it won’t show nearly as much.

Thank goodness I love collecting vintage buttons.  I used a bunch. 

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For my seat cushion, since this chair isn’t one that we sit in often at all, I decided that I wanted it soft and mushy and very shabby chic. 

I drew my pattern from the old cushion and then tossed it in the trash.  Made a muslin insert, stuffed the T’s with batting, then purchased a 27” down pillow  form and stuffed it into my 22”  inch muslin insert for  a nice fluffy cushion!  I was too lazy to sew in a zipper, so it just ties shut along the back.

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Not okay for a chair that you sit in a lot.  But the cat sure is gonna love it. :)

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Soft and very shabby yummy.

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I really love my chair!  It looks perfect in my new and evolving living room. 

Denise

27 comments:

  1. Out of this WORLD!

    Love it!!!!!

    AMAZING
    Fabulous chair !!!!! you did a far out job girl

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  2. Wow!! I am so inspired...What a beautiful job you did. THe buttons look fantastic. I have made a tufted headboard, but never something this difficult. My hat's off to you.
    Have a lovely day.
    Valarie

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  3. Hello, Wow, what beautiful work, I don't know if I would have tried it, but it is beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful day. Terri

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  4. you are sooo creative! super nice to see you stop by the farm today! how have you been? hopefully all is well with you and the family Denise......

    have a great weekend! (you see where my mind is already)

    xo+blessings,
    Anne Marie

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  5. Love it! I don't think I have seen a chair trimmed in buttons - what a neat idea. I know about glueing - I use the hot glue gun on my kitchen chairs, much easier to change out the seat cover since I do it every year - one day I must remove all that fabric underneath. Happy September!!

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  6. Oh, you clever girl! Your chair looks amazing, even if only the cat gets to sit in it, he he...

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  7. What an amazing job you did!! I would have been afraid to tackle this one. The tufting would have scared me off. It looks just beautiful and the buttons give it a wonderful twist!
    xo,
    Debra

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  8. You are a genius! This little chair is so pretty and you made it look so easy to cover.
    I love the use of the vintage buttons and the paint color is so shabby chic.

    Great job.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  9. I think this project is wonderful, Denise~ whimsical, and I LOVE how you used buttons to cover the raw edges...very creative! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your nice comments...I am a new follower!

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  10. Oh my gosh, sister! It is absolutely over the top (gasping now) GORGEOUS!

    You're amazing.

    Love,
    Sheila

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  11. What a beautiful revamp of a chair. The button idea was brilliant. I'd wondered if hot glue would hold up long term on upholstery. I'd heard of other using it. I guess so. Beautiful job.

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  12. You would not believe how many cute chairs I have passed up because of the upholstery, you have made it look so easy. I am inspired.

    Thank you,
    Sylvia

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  13. I would have never thought to glue it on!! What a great idea!! I love your new chair. The buttons add such flare!! Well done!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  14. That is totally awesome!! I...Love...It! Your kitty will love it and with the ties on the cushion cover you can just throw the wash (but who wants to think about laundry?).
    You should write a book on your creations, seriously.
    Kelly

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  15. * I meant to say "throw it in the wash". I guess I was just too excited about that chair! haha
    Kelly

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  16. This is the most amazing chair I have ever seen, hands down!! You clever girl!!

    Love,
    LuLu♥

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  17. Gosh you are soooooo clever. It looks wonderful. xx

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  18. Denise, hi, it's been awhile. LOVE LOVE LOVE this project. Looks too good to be true.
    Your a genius for sure. Love the glue gun/spoon technic. Sharp you are.
    Love Claudie
    xoxoxo

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  19. This is the best solution with the most fabulous result I have seen out here. I will be highlighting it in my blog this weekend for sure.
    You simply amaze me.
    Hugs and Kudos,
    Pam

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  20. OMGosh what a cute chair.. I love it!

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  21. I am in LOVE with that chair! You are just amazingly talented!

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  22. What a great job! I LOVE the buttons!!!! That was the crowning touch!!!! BRAVO!!!!!! Charlene

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  23. Fabulous! That is one thing i have not done with a glue gun.. hmmmm..

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  24. Now this is amazing! It is beautiful!

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  25. I absolutely love it! I had to reupholster a tufted chair from scratch. It can be pretty scary stuff! The chair looks amazing. I'm glad I've stumbled upon your blog. I'm looking forward to seeing your past posts!

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