Choosing fabrics was an adventure. But I finally settled on this nice upholstery fabric from Hancock Fabrics. It was one of the first I picked out, and after going to three stores and looking at dozens of choices, I was pleased to purchase it. (And thankful it was 50% off the week I made the purchase!)
I started by covering the bottom of the chair -
I went to my local JoAnn's fabrics for the filling for this chair. Foam can be found in long sheets and I bought a yard of it.
I bought the 5 inch foam to fill the recess and still be comfortable. The electric knife worked great in cutting it!
When time to cover the back, I wanted some additional support. I had plenty of scraps of the chosen fabric - it is strong, sturdy upholstery fabric - so I didn't spend extra money on webbing. I stapled it into place inside the area where the back covering would go.
I also took some of the foam that was left over from cutting the seat out. I cut it to fit the back, and cut it at about 2 inches in thickness. Then I wrapped it in a thin batting to smooth out the seams.
Using my stapler, I attached the back fabric on both the back of the chair and the front of the chair.
This is the staple gun that I purchased at my local Lowe's. A non-electric one would have been cheaper, but an electric one allows you to not have to worry about hand strength. And no matter how good a staple gun is, you will need a tack hammer to help those staples that didn't quite make it in.
Gaps in the seat were filled with more scrap foam and then the entire seat was covered with a few layers of batting in order to smooth out the seams.
Before stapling the seat fabric I added my love letter. A letter to whoever tears this seat apart in the future to tell them what I found, why I chose it, and who I am.
All that was left was putting on trim. I have seen the upholstery tacks, but felt like they were too formal for this chair, and so I decided to search for a fabric trim and use a simple glue gun to put the trim on. I may regret it later - it may come off. Time will tell.
And, finally, some felt pads on the feet of the chair.
And finally -
My chair was complete.
A few close up pics.....
This swirl. Oh, this swirl. My favorite part of the chair.
This was a fun project for me. Though there are a few flaws, it was my first refurbishing project and I'm very pleased with the outcome.
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