So it may have taken a year, but this chair is finally complete! I put so many hours into this piece and enjoyed every single minute of it (except for maybe the multiple tacks I hammered into my fingers).
Here’s a shot while I was adding the double welt around the edges…
I made each button on this chair by hand and secured each individually. I folded and unfolded so many times to get the seams and crevices aligned perfectly. I fluffed and set the horsehair and hoghair inside the seat and the back to get it all arranged just right. I tied each spring in the chair eight ways and tacked the twine into place.
The devil is in the details, but the details are what make this chair stand out!
The chair has definitely transformed from its previous (and original!) fabric…
While I did enjoy the original design, the fabric was worn and dingy, especially on the seat. I tried to mimic the original design in my version. The instructor of the class was very impressed with the original details (which made me feel like a horrible person for tearing it all off!) but was also pleased with the amount of effort and thought I put into the redesign.
Classes were always exciting and there were plenty of points I wouldn’t have even thought about, so having a teacher who has decades of experience in reupholstering the right way was a blessing. There are two ways to do things: the easy way and the correct way. While it takes a little more patience and time, I like to opt for the correct way in situations like this, especially if I am using energy and time to learn a skill.
There was a lot of “measure twice cut once” running through my head. To further complicate things, I had to be sure to cut the fabric so that velvet all ran in the same direction…otherwise it would have affected the colors matching perfectly…something I probably would not have come up with on my own.
I ended up giving this chair to my mother for her birthday, as it was nice to be able to gift something I made with my hands (other than food for a change!) and to give her something that held something special as opposed to something store-bought. It also fits in nicely with her circa 1881 home.
I’m looking forward to my next reupholstering adventure soon!
