#ReUpholstery

[birdy-the-artist]

Before and after! These chairs were 10 bucks each from Savers and I've been meaning to do something with them for almost 2 years now

[weepingpussywillowtree]

My new knitting rocking chair is done being reupholstered!!! Yayayay. Now to pick it up.

This is what it looked like before.

[sybilius]

Can’t believe they’re actually fucking DONE. Four chairs that I re-upholstered. Project talk under the cut.

*

A really insane project, all told. Why I took it on is not out of deep affection for the chairs (I got them free from the side of the road, they were a salvage), but rather because they were a plausible burner project for which the stakes were low (if the re-upholstering was REALLY bad well. Here’s a comparison of a chair before:

So it’s like, either I fix em or probably no one does and they’re trash again.

Anyways, this took me off-and-on work for 5 months. I had to take a considerable break in January to fend off the double whammy of losing my project space and having to finish up my desk project. It’s been a uh, busy winter! But I’m very proud of what I did do.

Roughly speaking for this, the steps were (here a “session” is a 1-3 hour period of me working on the project)

1. Disassemble the chairs (unstapling the old fabric), examine the results (late October, 2 sessions because the unstapling required a special tool)

2. Briefly consider using chair covers, reject this due to the sizing complexity (early November)

3. Learn to sew by machine (basics) in earnest, starting first with two pencilcases of misc. fabric (Late November, MANY sessions. I spent a lot of time in the sewing lair from Nov-December)

4. Pick out vinyl for the surfaces. I think I bought 3 yards for about 30$, something like that (2 sessions. Sue me this decision took some time)

5. Make a coin purse as a tester with the vinyl (4-5 sessions, this was a gift for my grandpa

6. Unstitch / measure the seat surface, make testers out of fabric to try and reproduce a design for the seat pieces (3 sessions, Late December)

7. Cut out the pieces and sew together the first seat cover (3 sessions, Late December )

8. Staple first seat cover (1 session, Late December, why yes I DID spend my winter break post-xmas working on this why do you ask?)

9. Disassemble the second chair (1 session, early January)

9. Make second seat cover, rushed (1 session, early January, this was when I learned I was losing my project space)

10. Make third, fourth seat cover, VERY rushed (1 session, mid january. EXHAUSTING time. These went in my closet for a while)

11. Staple the second chair (1 session, mid January)

12. Disassemble the third chair (1 session, early March)

13. Staple the third chair (1 session, mid-march (had to get new furniture staples))

14. Disassemble the fourth chair, staple the fourth chair (1 session, today).

That’s a lot of steps mark! there’s not a point to this but thank you for reading Syb Goes Insane Over Chairs (a project breakdown)

[rankoussi]

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[earlyheirloom]

Another great job by @HiloBrooklyn on Instagram. They stripped down this chair from the 1970s and modernized it with this loud upholstery.

[witchy-batsquatch]

So I need to reupholster a stool and I thought why not a fabric mosaic then I realized a fabric mosaic is a quilt

[seductivesnuggies]

my dog tore a hole into my futon so I'm patching the upholstery. no I've never done that before. but I'm gay so how hard could it be

[the-darling-house]

Reupholstery might just be the most rewarding craft I’ve tried my hand at. The ability to both improve and transform an object so that it fits perfectly into your home is such magic.

This chair was a really gross and crusty old carpet covered thing when I first picked it up, and now it’s got such dramatic character. It feels like an Addams Family or a Haunted Mansion chair, and I love it to death.

[miniar]

What would you make if the world allowed you to make things?

Imagine the following: There's free access to all the tools and materials you might need. There's free access to a space in which to work. And You have all the free time you might ever possibly want.

Basically, money is not a factor.

What would you create?

What craft, or trade, would you explore?

(digital creations also count)

The sky is the limit.

[cassiefairy]

6 Soft furnishing sewing projects & how to find fabrics on a budget

Here's a round-up of simple sewing projects (+some no-sew ones too!) that'll help you update your decor. Plus, I've shared some thrifty ways to get hold of fabric too...

Collaborative feature If you know how to use a sewing machine or can sew by hand, the possibilities for making your own soft furnishings are endless. You could make cushions, throws, curtains, storage accessories and even try out upholstery. That said, you can also carry out many of the projects without needing to know how to sew at all – you could use fabric glue or hemming tape to seal the…

[hughgrants]

My two recent (and only to date!) upholstery projects. Inside me are two wolves: spooky AF and girly chic. All materials from Joann or Lowe’s. Pillows are not my work.

[birdy-the-artist]

Upcycled dumpster chair, before and after. Janky as hell but it's my first time doing this so

[creaky-will]

Upholstering furniture and restoring Furniture side of tumbler I need your Help. I don't know the right Search terms to find a fabric very much like this/ same type as. Ideally speaking I'd like to find this exact fabric. but yeah.

[hummingfox-upholstery]

Vintage armchair recovered in a beautiful and soft yellow gold velvet, just in time for Christmas. Check out @mansfieldvintage for the latest and greatest finds...even some awesome vintage clothing!. . . #upholstery #furniture #reupholstery #home #calgary #couch #chair #sofa #recycle #reuse #love #instagood #photooftheday #beautiful #art #picoftheday #follow #instagram #style #instadaily #amazing #vintage #shoplocal #yyc #yeg #calgaryinteriors #bespoke #antique #dental #medical (at Calgary Alberta Canada) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmXVCOXSSyB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[karanseraph]

People used to design things to be repaired.

I learned upholstery a few years ago. Not mastered, mind you, but I learned it and had a paying job doing it for a time. But then I also was dismissed from that job because (?) me working there doing that work wasn't turning out profitable/cost effective for my employer in our area.

But what I learned is that people used to make furniture out of solid wood with occasional bits of metal and various finish treatments and many natural cushioning fibers and fabrics.

They looked nice, were functional, and a person could repair and refinish the pieces when they got worn.

It takes effort. Yes. You have to know how to use tools and materials and a few chemical substances. But it can be done and furnishings at the time were constructed in such a way that you could take them apart to do this work, access the needed areas to attach new bits, and then reassemble everything.

In contrast there are some furnishings made today that just are not made to be repaired or recovered.

Like, when I was working in upholstery we'd get one of those "french style" chairs. They could be antique or just from the 80s. The 80s ones would maybe be gum wood or something, and have less reliable spring support systems, but one could still take everything apart and rebuild. You can still make them nice.

But sometimes someone would bring in some contemporary overstuffed armchair or sofa and when you take the fabric off you can see some of them are in no way ever intended to be recovered. They have particle board in the frames, that won't hold staples and/or tacks as well over the years. The frame is unfinished to the point you will get extra cuts and splinters attempting your upholstery. The portion under a skirt is often unfinished so you cannot remove the skirt only to try another style. The frame will have parts that are stapled in atop other upholstery meaning some areas are not accessible without potentially breaking the frame. Most of the shape of the piece comes from foam, like the wooden structure of the piece is not suggesting its shape, the foam largely is.

I could go on about this.

But the point is that we have alternate ways to do these things. And some of them are quite sustainable. Like, why did we stop using horsehair and replace everything with foam? Horses do regrow hair.

SIDE NOTE a lot of upholstery industry issues seem to be related to fire codes, but if you go down the fire regulation rabbit hole you will find that some of it says it's to protect children but was probably as much protect tobacco industry. Like, yes we need safe homes for humans because fires will happen, but if you look into it, it's not some kind of settled science that coating things with flame retardant is the best and or only way to do this. Yes, natural fibers are flammable, but consider that cotton fabric, for example, catches and then quickly turns to ash. It burns, but then the kindling is gone and there's less fuel for the fire. Whereas some synthetic fabrics melt leaving hot bits sticking around to hurt and smolder.

SIDE SIDE NOTE it's like did you get scalded by hot water or did you get scalded by chicken noodle soup? You still got scalded and that is bad, but your burn will look different if noodles and starch got involved.

I feel like something has gone wrong when IKEA particle board furniture is cheaper than everything in the thrift store.

Especially when the stuff in the thrift store is also particle board. It’s just particle board someone’s scuffed up and painted badly with white chalk paint to make it look ‘shabby chic’.

Anyway, you can tell the boho farmhouse trend is dying because the knick-knack aisle was nothing but metal troughs and fashionably distressed white cabinets made of shiplap. I dread the inevitable influx of griege that’ll happen when the sad beige mommy’s decide to redo their houses.

Finding interesting pieces has already gotten harder without adding brown and greige plastic rainbow toys to the mix.

[centrepiecefurnishing]

Custom-Made Furniture: Perfect for Creative Minds in Singapore

Whether it’s a bold cushion design to brighten your living room or an ergonomic sofa that supports your creative flow, our custom options

Creativity starts at home—and nothing fuels inspiration like a space that reflects your unique style. Custom-made furniture is the ideal choice for artists, designers, and creative professionals who want their space to be as dynamic and original as they are. Working with a local business like Centrepiece Furnishing allows you to tailor every detail of your furniture—from the fabric to the…