How to Upholster a Chair (or what did I get myself into???)

Well, campers.....

We left off on Saturday with the chair cleaned and painted.

I will now show the before and after!!!!!

Sooooo.....

let me show you what I went through to get from the beginning to the end!!!!!

After I painted the frame, I had to tie the springs back into a position that would create a comfy resting place for a discerning tush!!!

I started with the springs in this condition..... 

They was tilting every way but the way the were supposed to.....

So I pulled out my notes on how to do an 8 way hand tie, 'cuz what's the point in doing something if you're not going to do it the right way????

Step one....,

 I tied the springs in a row, front to back, pulling them down on the ends to create a crown.....

 The knots I used were a clove hitch, the only way I know that's what they're called, and how to do them, is that's the way the diagram showed it, and called it.....

I found the instructions here

Then I tied the springs side to side....

Making sure that they tilted down on the sides for the crown.....

 Then I tied them diagonally.

Look how the whole thing forms a nice crown!!!!!

I know what you're thinking right now......

You're thinking,

 "Boy, that Betsy, sure is da bomb!!!!!"

I must admit,

I was

VERY IMPRESSED WITH MYSELF!!!!!

Then I attached burlap over the springs with my trusty staple gun and compressor.....

 I stapled around the outside of the frame, and then folded the burlap over and stapled it down again.....

 Then I pulled out my fox edge.

 It comes in different sizes.

It's burlap folded over cording.

It's used to soften the edge of the wood frame, sos your tender thighs don't get bruised by the chair.....

 I stapled it to all four edges.

Line it up, so the outside edge of the fox edge just sticks a little beyond the frame.

Now it was time to create a back for the chair.

I pulled out my jute webbing......

 And I got my trusty web stretcher.....

And started building up the back. 

 Starting in the middle, I placed strips of webbing, and stretched them tight with the stretcher.

Then I stapled the ends back over.

Then I wove the horizontal strips across the back stapling them the same way.

This needs to be nice and taut.

 Then it was time to cut the foam for the seat.

I used 2" medium density foam.

Cut it to fit around the arms.....

To cut foam, I used an electric meat knife that I just bought from Bed Bath and Beyond.

I bought the cheapest one they had.

Attach the foam to the burlap with spray adhesive.....

 Then get the dacron out.....

 The dacron is wrapped around the foam tightly, and creates a nice seat.

 Then stop what you're doing,,,,,.....,,,,,

and realize you haven't put the burlap on the inside back of the chair yet.

And you're supposed to do that before you do the seat.

OOPS!!!!!

 Fold the burlap over at the edges and tack down with staples.

THEN PUT THE DACRON ON!!!!!

 I just kept making mistakes!!!!!

At this juncture, I had stapled the dacron to the bottom of the frame.

DON'T DO THAT!!!!!

So then I had to pull all those staples out and staple it to the side edge of the frame....

I just had a little brain fart.

That is happening to me more and more lately.

Jeesh.......

Because I was using antique French grain sack fabric, from an antique French grain sack, that is antique, and from France, and used to hold grain....

the fabric wasn't wide enough to cover the seat or inside back of the chair, so I added some plain linen fabric that I bought from the same vendor who sold me the grain sacks. The linen is also old and was from an unused bolt of the fabric the farmers used to make the sacks....in France.....that held grain!!!!!

Then I laid out the fabric so that the stripe was centered.....

and tacked the fabric to the center front, center back, and sides.....

to hold it in place while I worked on the chair.

Then I started in the center of the front and worked my way to the corners, smoothing and pulling the fabric taut.

Normally, I would start in the back, but because it was difficult to work in the front because of the decorative stretcher, I started in the front.

I cut out a slit for the arms and folded under the fabric in a pleat.

I'm not showing you how to do this because it's hard and you can see a tutorial here by this really good teacher.....

He shows you everything.

Problem is.....

Each chair is different, so you have to improvise.....

tuck in the fabric around the front leg and then cut the fabric around the back leg.....

Then staple to the bottom of the frame in the back, pulling it so that it is smooth and tight, but not so tight that there is no play in the foam and springs.

Then, starting in the middle of each side, staple the sides, smoothing the fabric and pulling it outward as you go.

Then stand back, and tell yourself what a trooper you are!!!!!

I forgot to shoot this, but I put a couple of straps of webbing over the outside back, then covered it with burlap.

This way someone won't cave in the back if they push into it.

Then I trimmed the burlap.

Now it's time to work on the inside back.

I traced the curve of the chair top, cut the paper, and lay it on the foam and traced the curve on the foam.

I used 2" soft foam for the back.

I cut the foam with my upholster shears.

I cut the curve and around the arms.

For the curve, I cut 1/2 in from the finished edge so I would have room for the tape and nail head trim. 

 Then I covered the inside back with dacron.

Fold the dacron over and lay the scissor's point centered with the arm, that's how you know where to make your cut.

 Stop around 1/2" or so from the arm and make a little Y cut, then you can fold the dacron down around the arm.

 Tuck the dacron through to the back and tack it down with staples.

Then trim it.

Then I started pulling it up and stapling it along the top, staying 1/2" away from the finished part of the frame with the carvings.

Then I stapled the sides onto the back. 

 Then I trimmed all the decron close to the staples.

lay the fabric so it's lined up, then pin in place.....

 staple along the bottom onto the back of the frame.

 Pull the fabric up, smooth and tighten, and staple in place.

Cut around the arms.....

CAREFULLY!!!!!

(This is really nerve wracking!!!!!) 

 Stand back and jump up and down.....

  Cut along the fabric line with a razor blade.

I tucked in the corner at the top.....

I am not very good at nailing in nail head trim, so I started each hole with my regulator.

A regulator is a very important upholstery tool. It's used to tuck in fabric and  adjust pleats and all kinds of neat stuff. 

It looks like a big needle.

That white plastic thingy is a nail head spacer, it helps make sure that the nails have been evenly placed.

 I made the tape out of the same fabric as the chairs.

 At this point, I was very please with myself!!!!!

But I still had to apply the nails to the legs and arms.......

OY, OY, OY!!!!!

So I added the nail head trim to the legs and arms.

Now it was time for the outside back.

I'm not going to lie.

It nearly did me in.

I'm not going to show everything, because the YouTube tutorial is so much better than my pathetic attempts.

Suffice it to say.....

There was lots of blood and band-aids involved!!!!!

But I will show part of it.....

First I made welting.

 I got the chair up on the work table, ready for my attack.....

 I started stapling the welting around the outside of the back.

I ran my finger along the side as I stapled, to hold the welt in place.

The center of the welt cord should line up with the edge of the chair frame. 

 When I brought the two end pieces together, I cut  back the fabric on one end and cut back the cord on the other end, 

 and folded the excess fabric over.....

 And stapled it down....

At this point I added the curve ease along the top edge.

You really need to look at the tutorial on YouTube.

I cut my hands to #$% on this stuff just getting it out of the box.....

Then I cut dacron to lay inside the welting to pad out the back, and tacked it in place with staples.

Then I  trimmed the dacron.

 At this point I was freaking out and calming down and freaking out and calming down, etc. etc. etc.,

and forgot to take any more pictures......

Sooooooo.....

let me show you how to finish the bottom.....

Flip the chair over.....

(I am so helpful....)

Staple welting all around the bottom edge.  

 Then get some black cambric fabric and staple to the edge of the welting.

 Now this is a trick I just learned from the YouTube tutorial.

Then, staple cardboard stripping against the edge of the welting.

This keeps the bottom welting nice and firmly in place.

 And then you is 

DONE!!!!!

So here's the finished product.....

So.....

It's going to be a while before I tackle something like this again.

It's for sale at Amy Chalmer's Boston store, Maison Decor.

If someone buys it, that will make me a professional upholsterer!!!!!

Here's a shot of it in her store!!!!!

I think this is just too cool for school!!!!! 

So, that's my story....

Latah, Gatah

 
Partying at:

Cozy Little House