Claire's Coming Out

This chair is for my Mom. She came to the studio one day and saw this chair in it's previous state and really loved the lines of it. She sat in it, and wiggled, "I like this, I want it in red!!" And so it began. I had other, very different plans for this chair but I am happy with the result, even if I would have painted the 'sacred wood' - "Oh, you're not going to paint that?!!" my Mother exclaimed.  "No" I said as I nodded. 

I thought I'd share the process of reviving this chair, give you a glimpse into how much love and attention goes into a project like this, even without having fun painting the wood! 

The chair, let's call her Claire just for fun, at the start.... 

(no that's not my Mom's name.) 

I stripped off the first layer of fabric and found a very nasty second layer... 

skeletons in Claire's closet.

 I don't like to cover over worn fabric, I prefer to strip it off. Some upholsterers just cover over as it does save time, especially if the chair doesn't need any other work, but Claire deserved better!

Stripped down to her skivvies.

Bart helped me retie the springs, they needed to be tightened up, and he's very handy with knots. This photo shows about half way through the retying process. These springs require what is called an eight way tie. It is very stable and strong in the end. 

I oiled the wood to make her shine and covered the springs with burlap to have a base to work from.

Layers of foam and batting of varying density made her cushy but firm. 

Now she's ready to get dressed....

Mom chose a fabric of dark red with gold dots and a diamond pattern. 

It can be challenging when working with pattern to get the pattern on straight. To line up the pattern on the seat with the pattern on the back. It worked out very well this time, very little adjusting. I cut away extra fabric as I folded and tucked it all into place and stapled it securely.

Some things you can't see... I made piping from the same fabric and it rims her back, a dust covering over the springs underneath completely hides all the workings, felts on her feet and she's complete.

 Claire is ready for her date with Mom. Now to get her to Alberta.... road trip!

Close up of Claire's pattern.