Rocker Glider Re-Do

This is not meant to be a tutorial on re-upholstering because I'm a wing-it kinda girl, but hopefully it will inspire you to do something fun with a hand-me-down!

This particular hand-me-down is on loan, so I couldn't remove the original upholstery. The easiest way would have been to attack it with a seam ripper and use the original pieces as a pattern, so instead I slip covered and left everything underneath in-tact.

I bought 4 yards of 45" duck cloth in the perfect pattern and color my daughter-in-law wanted for the baby's nursery.  It was more than enough for the chair and ottoman and I still have probably 1/2 yard left to use for something else.  Big score for $28!

All the pieces were easily removable, so I just laid them out and traced them with a pencil on the wrong side of the fabric.

I added 1" around and cut out the pieces.  I lined the cut edge up with the smallest measurement on my sewing machine plate as a seam guide - I think it's 3/8" - to allow for the roundness of the cushion.  I stitched twice around on the seat cushions and the ottoman cushion for strength.

I left one edge open, folded that baby up like a taco and stuffed it in!  Perfect fit!   I hand stitched the openings closed with quilting thread for extra strength.

The whole project only took me a couple hours (minus the hand sewing, which I did in front of the TV).  I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  It's going to look so cute in the nursery with it's polka dots, and painted furniture, and other fun fabrics.

I hope this inspired you and makes the task seem less intimidating...go for it!

Until next time,

~Mary

Painting Furniture

I love to paint.  I know that might make you cringe, but it doesn't matter what needs painting, I get excited just at the thought of it.  Nothing perks me up like a freshly painted wall!  In fact, my husband says the only thing holding up the walls in our 20+ year old house is the layers and layers of paint on the walls!

I love picking out the colors and even the random weekend trip to Home Depot has me gravitating to the paint chip display.  Maybe it's a childhood thing...my mom used to hide "rainy day" stuff in the cupboard on top of the refrigerator and there was always a brand new box of Crayolas with the built in sharpener...ooh! I can smell them just thinking about it...there's nothing like a new box of crayons!

So, I don't know if it's Spring that's sparking my creativity again, but I've decided to dedicate some time each week to paint some furniture to sell in the shop.  We had some pieces in the Upland store when we first opened but the day-to-day chores of running a store quickly took precedence and it was hard to find time to paint...let alone scout out the furniture!

First on the list ~ this lonely little chair:

I love the turned legs and the harp on the back.  The seat was a disgusting cream vinyl with so much goo stuck to it, I didn't even want to touch it!

I removed the seat and cleaned the piece with a little TSP.

The color looks a little blue in this photo - sorry!  But it's actually a light dove grey.  I love the look of chalk paint furniture and have been itching to try the technique.  I mixed the color myself and because I'm cheap frugal, I made my own chalk paint, too.

I highlighted the details with some cream colored chalk paint and finished the whole piece off with 3 coats of paste wax (first clear, then dark, then clear).

I upholstered the seat in this super cute chevron print.  I just love the finished product!

The paste wax makes the paint finish feel so great...just like a new crayon ;)

Until next time...

~Mary