Lesson of the Day: Upholstering takes a bit of finesse

This was a big weekend for me, craft wise.  I went on a search to find the perfect fabric for the dining room chairs I plan to re-do.  Luckily I found a fabric I love and also left the store with some chair batting, a new glue gun, more mod podge and three pairs of crafting scissors!  (Much thanks to my mom for the scissors... she's so supportive and wanted to contribute to my crafting supplies.)

I was planning to wait until next weekend to reupholster the chair seats and refinish the dining room tables/chairs but I just couldn't wait a WHOLE week to begin the process.  So, last night I rolled up my sleeves, took a deep breath and dove into the world of upholstery.  And let me tell you, it ain't as easy as it looks, folks.

First, we had to remove the old fabric (thank goodness I had my boyfriend, Paul, there to help me).  Paul decided to neatly remove every single staple while my chosen method of cutting and ripping off the fabric was far less delicate but quicker.  My reasoning: "Who is going to look at the underside of the chair anyway?  Leave the old staples in... who cares!"  Right?  Well, anyway, I couldn't wait to get the boring part over with so I could start on the reupholstering.

After all the old fabric was removed, I cut the batting, fitted it to the chair, and then proceeded to use a staple gun to attach the new fabric to the seat.  Easy?  Not quite.  Getting the fabric to lay smoothly on the corners of the seat is a difficult task for a newbie.  Paul and I sat there fiddling with the first corner of fabric like two toddlers trying to solve a Rubik's cube.

Paul:  "You have to fold it this way."
Me:  "No.  You have to fold it this way and then that way.  See?"
Paul:  "No.  My way is the right way."
Me:  ::disgruntled::  "They are both right."
Paul:  ::continues to staple the fabric his way::

Despite opposing techniques, we managed to reupholster two of the four seat cushions and will finish the other two next weekend when we also take on the challenge of whitewashing and antiquing the table and chairs (oh, joy!).  I feel such a great sense of accomplishment when I look at the finished cushions.  It's completely transformed the chairs and the look is one I know I'll love in the new apartment.  Here are some photos of the process and the finished product:

Removing the old fabric

 The NEW  fabric for the chairs

Stapling on the new fabric (sorry, no pics of the corner dilemma)

New chair (left)                    Old chair (right)

Stay tuned... much more to come!