Thursday, March 3, 2011

DIY Post #4--U is for Upholstery

Last DIY for the week:
I already showed you my two treasures from Qcumberz--the wheel and the chest. But I saved the best for last.

See this poor, lonely little chair? Shoved in a corner and hidden under stuff? I walked over to investigate. Ugliest fabric ever--old cracking oilcloth from the sixties. Ewww.
No price. So I asked the owner, who called the seller. 25 bucks.

She was mine.

I hauled her home. She's the perfect petite size. PERFECT. My aunt Alison has a chair this size that was her grandmother's and the kids all fight over who sits in it. I knew where she would spend the rest ofher life--as Evie's friend.

I stewed over fabric for a few days. I narrowed it down to two possibilities. Then, completely against my nature, I waited three days for the fabric to go on sale for 50% off at Joann's.

$25 chair. $30 fabric. Two weeks at the upholsterer.
And this is how she looks now, with her new BFF:



Isn't the chair darling?  That thing is solid.  They don't make furniture like this any more.

I can't wait until the first time I find Evie curled up asleep in this chair, book open, eyes closed.  It will happen.



Linking up to Jenny Matlock's U Alphabe-Thursday.
U is for Upholstery. 
And I love her!
blog

38 comments:

  1. Love that fabric!. OMG, a definite facelift for that chair... That little one looks tickled to have her very own chair!

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  2. I love it! I inherited two of almost your same chair from my Great Aunt Roberta. She was a small woman which explains the kid sized chairs. They were old and ugly, but I had a vision (not unlike your own). New upholstery made them awesome! They are in my girls room now surrounding the book case.

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  3. WOW!!! Such a deal! I love that fabric--it is an excellent choice for that sweet little chair.

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  4. OMG...I LOVE THAT CHAIR! Yes...that required all caps! What a beautiful chair and one you could pass on to Evie for her own little girl one day!

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  5. That was the best of the lot - you sure outdid yourself with the chair. It will probably be your Evie's favorite-in-the-whole-world thing from her childhood room.
    What a nice mum you are!

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  6. That is so cute!
    I wouldn't have been clever enough to see the potential.
    You are truly creative.

    I have enjoyed the DIY!

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  7. Seriously that is just the cutest thing. You did good girl! You have a good eye! And can I say..I love the new fabric..but I kinda liked the old stuff too.. :) (I'm a vintagey kinda girl you know!)

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  8. Love the chair. I bought the same chair and gave it to my daughter years ago. Now I am making a slip cover for it so she can use it in her nursery!~Ames

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  9. I adore bringing new life to old pieces. My hubby bought a huge Victorian sofa at an auction, it cost an arm and a leg to have it upholstered but it was worth it! I love that sofa. I have a little chair sitting in my living room and it might need to take a little trip to the upholstery shop!

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  10. The only thing cuter than that chair is Evie sitting in it!

    =)

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  11. My grandma had a chair like that. LOVED it! Yours is so cute!! I love the material you chose.

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  12. You are on a roll Jen! LOVE the fabric you chose...now it looks brand spankin new!! Does it cost a lot to get something re-upholstered?

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  13. You are so right - they do not make furniture like they used to!
    It turned out soooo darling and I can tell that Evie is already loving it!

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  14. So extra cute! My chair is actually do for a makeover, too. I'll have to get the name of your upholsterer (is that a word?)

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  15. That comment was actually from me, not Marianne :)

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  16. I LOVE it!!! What a great find.

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  17. Very very CUTE! One question though: How much did the upholster charge?

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  18. omg, this is sooo pretty! what a great fabric choice!

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  19. Perfect fabric choice and a beautiful chair, but it will never be as beautiful as it is when Evie is sitting in it.

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  20. Cute! But how much does it cost to send a chair to be recovered?

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  21. oh my flipping lord do i EVER love this adorable chair - LOVE i tell you!! I can't believe all of these treasures lately - you need to go buy yourself a lottery ticket while you're on this roll!!

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  22. I'd love to know how much you had to pay to have it reupholstered... that's where it gets pricey!

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  23. Jenny, you might like my friend's blog: http://www.ourmidcentury.com/ . It's full of cool DIY ideas like the ones you've shared.

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  24. LOVE the fabric you chose. Hard to wait I know...but good for you for saving a few $$$. Now you can buy something else! Super cute...and Happy AlphabeThursday!

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  25. Oh my gosh, I LOVE the transformation!! Perfect fabric!! And I also love how you always Evie in headbands. She is so stinking cute.

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  26. That is beyond amazing! I would not have the first clue about how to recover a chair like that.

    What a great deal!!

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  27. LOVE LOVE LOVE the chair and fabric...did it cost alot to get reupholstered? PS I LOVEEEEED your necklace yesterday at institute and your sweater....just loved it all and wanted to know where everything came from!!???

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  28. Stunning. We did the same thing to two old, ugly chairs we found in an antique store. Today they are the most exquisite chairs. I'll have to post a picture one day. Truly, I love what you did.

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  29. Jen this turned out so beautifully. I never check with upholsterers as I just assume they will be terribly expensive. But maybe for something so little it might not be too bad. My girls would have loved a smal size chair.
    Dana

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  30. It's so cute. What a great find. I kind'a like that store Qcumberz!

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  31. I love it- good choice on the fabric. Evie looks so darling all cuddled up with her blankie in the chair.

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  32. just wondering how much it costs to have the upholsterer do that. I would love to do something similar, but I couldn't do the fabric work myself. Very sweet, Jenni.

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  33. Fab Chair...and cutie pie!!!!

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  34. I love this chair! How much does something like that cost to get reupholstered?

    I'm always hesitant because I have no idea how much that costs.

    Do you mind e-mailing me with the name of the person that does this? I'm really interesting in having two chairs I have re-done!

    Thanks for a wonderful stop on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's letter "U". Love the size of this beauty.

    A+

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  35. I love the chair and your blog. I was so happy to see you show the tag from North Carolina, where I live!

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  36. the fact that you sent it to the upolsterer (spelling???) and didn't do it yourself makes me love you even more. i feel like the only woman on the blogging mormon planet who can't upholster. so glad i'm not the only one:) wait, maybe you can, but you just didn't want to. either way, i think it's funny that i got stuck in the idea that i had to do it myself. silly really. not doing it by yourself, just the thought that i had never even thought to have it done by something else. this reminds me of how i used to think that bathtubs just changed color. they got dyed by the soap scum. didn't know you could really get them clean yourself with a little elbow grease. i was a sheltered child. lol

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