Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Queen Anne Reupholslipstery

Sometimes I find that I fall asleep and wake up thinking the exact same thing. Usually its something related to the mountain of laundry I have or appointments I made for the kids, but sometimes it revolves around a design idea. Once it sets, I cannot stop thinking about it. Although sometimes this is a plus because it motivates me to jump out of bed at a sprint, other times it can keep me from actually resting at night.

So last night I sat there, in the dark, thinking about the Queen Anne's chair I scored off of Craigslist. This chair came home with me in the early fall and it has sat collecting dust in our basement ever since. I had all these noble plans at first to re-upholster it and well, frankly, I was a little overwhelmed when I started taking it apart. Plus, I could not seem to find a fabric or pattern that I liked. The late last night I thought today was the day. I was going to just get after it with that old chair. I accepted that it may not work out and I also accepted that I may be pleasantly surprised. As a reminder.....


Ya....not so much, right? Initially I started removing the mauve fabric, but I realized that it provided a little extra padding. This would provide useful in that I wouldn't have to apply more batting. So on it stayed!

To begin, I grabbed the other half of the West Elm duvet (one half is now the new shower curtain) and begin to drape it over the chair to see how this was going to work. It was here that I decided that this would be reupholslipstery. Basically a cross breed between a slip cover and a reupholstered piece! This also helped so that I could get the pattern in the right spot!

Bray thought it was pretty awesome to have a chair in the middle of the kitchen.

From there I tacked in the bottom piece in order to provide a spot to pull the fabric from. This was super easy with my power shot stapler!


I rounded the fabric under for over the leg area. From here I just worked upwards and out using my stapler to secure the fabric to the wooden frame.


The arms started to become a little tricky so I really spent some time here manipulating the fabric in order to get it just right. I was determined that I would not whip out the sewing machine. After many attempts to fold it the right way, I ended up with a fold to accommodate the curve of the chair. Enter the brushed nickel upholstery tacks! (Oh and maybe a quick trip to Lowe's)


To make it work, I cut the fabric and made a square which I then tacked on with the upholstery tacks to hide the seams of the multiple sections of fabric coming together.



The ends of the arms were looking like a problematic area until I realized I could pop off the pieces at the face of the arm and cover those in fabric. This made life much easier as I could gather the fabric however I wanted as it wasn't going to be seen!


Yuck!

Yippee!!

At this point I went around and added some tacks in areas for mere cosmetics. A quick hit with an iron to work out some of the wrinkles that formed while I was working and........drum roll for the before and after shots................



Whad'ya think peeps?? Spot on, hate it.....? Be brutally honest! I learned so much and will be able to A.) do it better next time and B.) do it faster (but not too bad for a first timer!)

I am so happy that this project only cost me $3.00 in upholstery tacks because the chair was free and we all know the history of the duvet!

Currently linking up with:

Furniture Feature Fridays

67 comments:

  1. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!!!! I just saw Donna today and was telling her that I love seeing your projects and the amazing transformations. You have quite an unique talent to take items that most of us would pass by, except you see the beauty in each one and a vision to bring new life to each item that you bring into your home. I love your "can-do" attitude! (all with 2 sweet boys under age 2 too!) You have inspired me, I feel like my "decorating eyes" are now wide open!

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  2. Aw thank you so much!! That means a lot! :)

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  3. This is fabulous and just my speed for a reupholstery project! I have a couple pieces sitting in my basement that I just might try this out on! I found you through the DIY Showcase and I'm your newest follower! Would love it if you came and checked me out some time!

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  4. This is amazing! You saved yourself a ton of money!

    Sue @ Beach Bungalow
    xo

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  5. I'm in shock at how simple you made that look! Amazing job! Think about the hundreds of dollars you saved! I'm so impressed. I just started following your blog today and can't wait to see what else you can do!

    I've got a new blog too, I'd love it if you'd check mine out! http://domestic-diva-in-training.blogspot.com

    Good luck!
    Katherine

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  6. This is definitely a great way to redo a chair and I love the fabric! My only concern is that the fabric may not stand up to lots of use. That's the reason why upholstery fabric is so thick, so it lasts a long time.

    I have a wing back chair I'm going to reupholster some time in the future... I'm pretty intimidated looking at the way it's put together. So I get kind of excited about easier ways to do it like you've done. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. This is so inspiring to me bc I don't know how to sew...yet!

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  8. I love this! But I think painting the legs white would be a good idea :)

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  9. Saw you on the DIY Show off.

    What a fantastic job! You are giving me courage to tackle my chaise lounge. I hope my turns out as well as yours.

    Can't wait to see more!

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  10. Thank you all so much!! It means so much to hear all the love!!

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  11. Impressive! You've very clever. Hats off to you.

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  12. i LOVE it!! you've inspired me to take a risk with the ugly orange (yet surprisingly comfortable) chair in my house.

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  13. That looks FABULOUS!!!! such an inspiration for those that have projects such as this that we just don't want to pull out the sewing machine :)

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  14. No way! I have been so afraid to pick up and reupholster some of the (potentially beautiful) neglected chairs I've seen on craigslist - all because I canNOT sew. This is possible?! I'm so excited, and so impressed! Nice job!

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  15. I adore this fabric, I love how it flows, and almost tells a story, it's just beautiful girl. I'm so happy I saw it, and found you. What an amazing blog.

    I'm FEATURING this on my facebook page, and again, if you want to link up to my blog you could possibly be featured on there for a whole week, if you make the top 10.
    Come say hi sometime!! Bella Before and After , and if you want to win an Avocado Painting, come enter myGIVEAWAY HERE, I really appreciate the support.

    Hugs,
    Bella :)

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  16. So very nice! That is absolutely perfect in that space! You have inspired me to take a risk with some items I have "just sitting" and waiting for some tlc!

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  17. I love it! But I wish I could see the underside completed, as well as the back...how did you handle the back? How did you handle the cushion?? Is it just tucked under like a sheet on a bed, or is it stapled somehow?? Confused.... More details and more detailed pics please!

    Fantastic job!

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  18. Uh, wowie-wow-wow! I'm sorta terrified of re anything, but baby steps, right? :) I popped in from the Nester and I love it! I'll be back and thanks for sharing!

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  19. It looks great! Gives me hope that I could do something like this. I can sew well- but don't like too if possible. I'll have to read back about the story of the duvet. I'm new here- from nester.

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  20. Thank you thank you thank you guys!! I will have to take more pics from different angles to see how I did the back and cushion. Mostly it was just tucking and stapling. The back is where I used mostly upholstery tacks so that you wouldn't see any of the staples! :)

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  21. Spot on! Really, this is nicely done.

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  22. You have a new follower...ME! Just fabulous, I have a queen back chair in hunter green, I'd love to try this on it. You make it look so easy too! Thanks for sharing.

    Rondell

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  23. This is shockingly gorgeous! You are a genius and are inspiring me to take on a project like this--thank you! Oh, and I am gonna follow like right now;)

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  24. I Love It! YAAAYYY! Good for you. This kind of thing just tickles me to death!

    Cindy

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  25. Brilliant! And now I'm inspired to actually try this because we have 2 queen anne chairs collecting dust that I've been dying to try this with. Thanks and fabulous job :)

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  26. That is awesome! WOW! Nice work!

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  27. Love the fabric! Love all of it except I would have sewn the cushion cover to make it separate from the rest of the chair and more professional looking. ....?? Younsaid be brutally honest .. Hope that's okay!

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  28. Wow. Just wow. What an inspiration you are. I am bookmarking this post AND I am following.

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  29. this is awesome!!! i've been wanting to recover my couch but have ZERO experience. do you think this is possible for a couch??

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  30. Ok, Colleen, I'm posting a second comment because I CANNOT stop thinking about your chair! I have a horrible chair in the living room that is slip covered a deep burgundy from the 80s. And if you think that's bad, you should see what's underneath! Anyway, it's like a black hole in my living room, but I just cannot pay to reupholster with twin toddlers in the house. Do you think a drop cloth would be big enough to cover it? --Camille

    http://thevintiqueobject.blogspot.com/2011/03/rearranging-living-room-again.html

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  31. Camille- I think a drop cloth would be fabulous as a cover. So durable and would really hold up to the stapling and upholstery tacks (if you choose to go that route). If the drop cloth ends up only covering the front, do a patterned or contrasting fabric on the back. And you are my official hero for doing anything with twin toddlers running around! ;)

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  32. I love it!! My grandma gave my mom some hideous 70's pattern wing back chairs. Ones with brown background and orange and blue flowers...yeah. Another family member wanted them to recover, and now they are lovely! It's amazing what you can do with just a little bit of work!

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  33. Thanks for this idea! Great to know I could do a project like this without sewing. Hmmm....going to keep this in mind!

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  34. OMG! I found this thru Nester and I'm SO impressed! I'm about to attempt to cover a chair and ottoman and I may have to try your tricks! Def posting this as one of my faves this week on my blog is that's ok with you. :)
    xo, cat (www.constantinchaos.blogspot.com)

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  35. I think it looks great! Next time I'd take off the piping first, but it really does look great. Hard to believe it's your first recover project. Thanks for sharing, very inspiring!

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  36. Your chair is so cute! Thanks for the how-to. I might try this someday.

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  37. I'm impressed! Very pretty.
    I have a question though...looks like for the "interior" you have just done some mighty fine tucking in of the fabric...I have tried and tried and tried to do this and every time anyone sits on the furniture, I have to start all over with the tucking...any secrets to getting it to STAY?
    Thanks!!!

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  38. Wow. Well done. You made it look easy. Not sure I could pull it off, but it's a risk worth taking if you have a piece that needs some help. Thanks for sharing.

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  39. this is BRILLIANT. will you please come and cover my ugly chair??? :-D

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  40. GENIOUS! I was literally laying in bed last night looking at my wingback chair in the corner, googling reupholstery prices and how-to guides. This was just what I needed to see, thank you so much for attempting it, and succeeding!

    You can see the chair in the left-hand corner here:
    http://mysocalledhome.blogspot.com/2011/02/if-i-was-from-paris-i-would-say-ooh-la.html

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  41. I don't know the story of the duvet but I think your makeover is fabulous! Love the print and the way you put it all together. Genius!

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  42. Thank you everyone SO much!! What wonderful words of encouragement to keep tackling projects like this!! We couldn't be happier with how it turned out and after some of the AWESOME suggestions here I have great ideas for my next project like this!

    And a little shout out to Kendra, after tucking in the fabric on the "interior" I wedged my hand stapler in there and secured it. Then to make sure the little excess stayed taught, I filled a quart size freezer bag with dried beans I had leftover and wedged those down between the cushions. So far so good. No shifting or pulling and no unsightly bean bag sightings! :)

    Cheers!

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  43. Wow, I have been thinking about reupholstering a chair but thought it would be way too ambitious. I wouldn't have even know where to start. Thanks for the inspiration! I recently reupholstered an ottoman and it was much easier than I thought it would be. Take a look at it: http://delightinginthemoment.blogspot.com/2011/01/little-extra-fabric.html.

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  44. Oh my goodness...this is AWESOME! I LOVE it that you did this without sewing....my kind of project!

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  45. I swear I have that SAME exact chair, and I have been to scared to try recovering it. You've inspired me!

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  46. This is fabulous!!! I have two chairs I would love to do this to. One question -- I'm not understanding how you did the fronts of the arms...? If you have time (ha!), could you epxlain that?
    Thx!
    Mary

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  47. Hey Mary!!

    Thanks so much!! The front of the arms ending up being fairly easy. Most Queen Anne chairs have an upholstered piece or button on the front of the arm. I removed that piece (it was only held on with two upholstery nails) and covered it with my fabric (stapled on). Next I draped my fabric over the arm and starting pinching the fabric (almost like a pie crust) and stapling each pinch. When I had it in a fan, I just placed the covered piece I had removed back over it. I kept the upholstery nails in place and actually just used a hammer to gently tap them back in. Does that make sense? Let me know and I can shoot you some play by play pics!

    Cheers!
    Coll

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  48. Brilliant idea! I love this and think I may actually be able to pull this off:)

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  49. GORGEOUS! Such an inspiration! Will have to try!!! Thanks.

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  50. great! very encouraging:) i have a few projects like this. i can sew but i am nervous re measuring, etc. now i can see a way to do this w/o having to do a LOT of measuring and cutting that could mess up the job. i'm going to give it a try:)

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  51. I LOVE this chair! And I am so excited to try this with an outdated wing chair that's collecting dust in my basement like yours was! No sewing?? YES PLEASE!
    Kerri
    mydecoratingaddiction@blogspot.com

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  52. Oh how I wish I had the patience, knowledge and talent to try this! It is absolutely lovely!

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  53. I just had to say how fabulous this is! Thanks for the comments about how you did the arms. I have an old barrel chair of my grandparents' that is covered in vinyl which has started to split. Maybe I can do this myself since I absolutely can't sew. Hey, I can't mess it up much more!! Thanks again!!!

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  54. Your chair looks great.Last week I did my own Reupslipstery on a Queen Anne chair, funny it looks like it was a sister to the chair U have, Right down to the color. Although my chair was in great shape,I just didnt like the color anymore. I did the pin and hand sew method then back to the machine to make sure that the stitches held for a long time. After I had it all sewn together as a slip cover, I slipped it on then proceeded to do the staple gun trick on the bottom like U did. It looks great and now on to the footstool.

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  55. quick question. how did you finish the back of the chair?

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  56. Great job but one question how big was the cover?

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  58. Colleen, I have 2 of these chairs to do. I'm pretty sure you just saved my DIY beginner's a**! Sorry for the language, but until I saw your tute I was panicky when thinking how to do it. I think you're my new hero!
    Thanks
    Velvet

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  59. This is amazing! Thanks for this tutorial, from a novice seamstress.....I have 2 questions, how did you secure the fabric in the creases around the seat cushion? It looks like you wrapped the cushion all as one....and how did you cover the staples on the front of the arms? Maybe cardboard, and fabric, hot glued?

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  60. I love it!!, love the idea!! Thanks for sharing and keep posting about sofa reupholstery btw you can visit also our website https://www.cottoncare.com.sg offering services in affordable prices! Ty godbless.

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