I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. I know I've been busy lately, but really have nothing to show for it. When you live in the north during the middle of the winter, it's hard to get motivated to paint. Especially when I normally paint outside. Enough for my lame excuses. I have something super special to share with you today.
Sometime in January, I was primping my booth and spotted a pair of chairs I thought would be perfect for my upcoming upholstery class. I kept my eye on them & finally they were marked down to a honey of a price so I snatched them up. Here is a picture of the before:
I know, hideous right? But so much potential. I loved the shape. So this is what I started with & after the first class they were stripped of all that crushed velvet & lumpy padding. I painted the wood in Old White & gave it a couple of coats of clear wax.
Distressed it here & there....
Love those details....
I used my favorite fabric, drop cloth, & added some graphics..
With the wedding season upon us, I thought how appropriate would these be. I created the script on my computer in Publisher, then transferred them to the inside back panels. After much measuring and adjusting, this is how they looked after three classes.
I added graphics to the back too!
Now came the challenging part. Up to now it was pretty easy, stapling, pulling, more stapling. But, now it was time to sew. I hate sewing. I am a terrible sewer (is that even a real word?). Give me a paint brush any day. My instructor Terry was so patient with me. I would sew a little bit, then have to rip it back out. The sewing machine I was on was so flipping darn fast, I was afraid I was going to sew right thru my thumb before I could stop & get it out of the way! Well it took me two classes to finish my first cushion box. When I started the second cushion I thought, this one should be much easier. Yeah Right.... the first thing I did was sew the top panel on wrong side up or inside out. Had to rip that one out & start over. That's a mistake I won't be making again. Huge waste of time. Here is my semi finished cushion box/cover. I apparently forgot to get a picture of a completed cover.
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| Blurrie camera phone picture. |
I decided to use white "Gimp" instead of welting or cording. I like the contrast of the white against the drop cloth & the old white paint. I hot glued it all around to cover over the staples. Here is the final result of all my weeks of hard work:
I like this font for the style of these chairs.
For the crown images, I went over to my favorite site for graphics, The Graphics Fairy. This is the "MRS." crown.
And this is the "MR." crown.
Can't you just see a Bride sitting in this chair on her wedding day, posing for pictures with her "Mr."
What fun photo props these could be.
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| Available at Sassy Fabric's in Grand Blanc, MI. |
Or maybe on either side of the fireplace in a cozy living room. I was hoping to find a small round table to put in between them. I wanted to paint "&" really big on the top. I guess it wasn't meant to be, that might have been to much anyway.
This has been my most ambitious upholstery project so far. Will I try it again? Probably yes. Practice makes perfect, at least that's what I've been told. I hope if you have been thinking about trying your hand at upholstery you'll be brave & give it a try. If I can do it so can you. Thanks for stopping by. I would love for you to leave me a comment. Let me know how you like my "Wedding Chairs". Have a Great Day! Dee
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