The Wing Chair (Part III)

It's been a while since I introduced you to my wing chair project. And I also showed you how to deconstruct the wing chair and then how to reupholster it. Well, I am finally done and wanted to show you the final result. But first, I need to show you the finishing steps and then... the grand reveal.

We last left off here

with everything but the arms and the cushion done.

So let's get to finishing this thing up!

I told you that I would post a tutorial for the cushion, but to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing and had to enlist my grandma. But here and here are fabulous tutorials on how to cover a cushion. (You wouldn't want to follow a tutorial I did on this even if I did make one, trust me.)

So I'll move right along to the arms. As I did in my previous steps, I used the old fabric to determine the piece that I needed for the new piece. The arm finishing pieces were a little different because they had been pressed. I am no master of the iron, but I did come up with a suitable solution: cardboard. I traced the shape of the old fabric onto cardboard and cut out little cardboard pieces. I just used some left over cardboard from a shipping box. Then, I cut out fabric slightly larger than the cardboard and used Scotch tape to adhere the fabric to the cardboard. (fancy, huh?) But it worked perfectly!

Then, I took my shapes and positioned them in place and then stapled as close to the edge of the cardboard as possible (since I would be covering up this area with nailhead).

I ordered some nailhead online in french natural. This stuff is so cool because it actually comes in a strip of nailheads and then every third one has a little hole in it for you to affix a real tack. So in essence, the other ones are just faux tacks. And it's completely bendable. Amazing!

So I just bent it and put the tacks in every third hole. I used the rubber mallet versus the hammer to secure the tacks because I did not want to dent the metal and it look funny.

And then I did the whole thing to the other arm, put the cushion on... and I was finished!

A good makeover is never complete without the before. So I present you, the before:

And the after:

 I'm not sure who likes it more- me or Wally...

Mossy Wreath Tutorial

I figured that with tomorrow being St. Patrick's Day and all, my blog could use a little green. I saw this wreath in a magazine and decided I'd like to make one. I have to preface this by saying that it's really not much of a tutorial. It's pretty straight forth and simple. So here's how to make a springy mossy wreath.

Materials:
- wreath form
- hot glue gun
- moss (it took me 3 bags)
- strip of fabric or ribbon

Here's the moss I used:

 

I started out with a plain wreath form from Hobby Lobby. I just picked a cheap one with good shape since I knew I would be covering the whole thing.

The form I chose was about 14" in diameter. I started to remove the plastic and then realized that it would be easier to just keep the plastic on and glue over it. Plus, it held the straw together.

So I grabbed my glue gun and some moss and just started tearing off little strips and filling in all of the empty space...

Glue a little, put on some moss, repeat. I did this step multiple times on the same piece of moss for the larger pieces so the glue did not get too cold and harden.

Once I finished my wreath, I grabbed an extra strip of burlap and tied it into a bow and made a little hanger for my wreath. Easy enough.

Here's the finished product:

I like that it's simple and tasteful. (and easy and cheap)

Happy Spring y'all!



The Wing Chair (Part II)

I was forced to put my wing chair project on hold for a while because I didn't originally order enough fabric. But good news- I'm ready to show you how to (almost) finish the reupholstered wing chair.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

The Materials:
- Flat Head Screw Driver
- Staple Gun of Some Type (I used an electric one)
- T-50 Staples (or whatever size you want to use)
- Ply Grip (about 2 yards or so)
- 2 Metal Tack Strips
- Hammer
- Rubber Mallet
- Sewing Machine (or hand sewing skills)
- Zipper Foot for Sewing Machine (or mad hand sewing skills)
- About 10 Yards of Fabric
- New Batting (that doesn't smell like old people)

If you haven't read my posts The Wing Chair (Intro) or The Wing Chair (Part I), I suggest you take a look. It will help you understand the project as a whole.

Okay, so as you remember, I started out with this:

And then I stripped it all the way down to this:

And now it's time to put it back together again.

Basically, you put the chair back together in the opposite order of how you took it apart. This is where the numbering that I did in Part I really came in handy.

So I started by adding the under the cushion piece. I used a scrap of fabric I had because my upholstery fabric was kind of pricey and I thought the polka dots made for a fun surprise. I stapled the fabric to the wood frame.

Next was the piece to the lower front of the chair. I think I should have sewed the part as an extension of my green polka dot fabric, but instead I opted for some stitch witchery. This front piece is a little bit tricky because you do have to sew a little bit. Now, I am no expert seamstress, so if I can do it, I guarantee you that you can too.

I laid the fabric across the front of the chair and pinned where the corners needed to be sewed. (I knew they would need to be sewed because the piece I removed had a seam there.) It looked a little something like this:

I turned the fabric inside out and placed it in the correct placement and then just pinned where I needed to make seams. I took those to the sewing machine and made seams. Then I turned my fabric right side out and ta-da! It ended up working wonderfully. Then I used the stitch witchery to bond the fabric to the green polka dot fabric and stapled (under the chair) the fabric in place. I had to cut a small slit where the legs were and then fold the fabric to cover the frame. Pull tight and secure.

When I was done, it looked a little something like this:

That was when the first "oh my gosh! it's going to look so good" set in...

Next (following my numbered items) was the arms. For all my pieces, I laid out the old pieces on the new ones (pretty side up) and traced them, giving myself an extra 2-3 inches around each border. I used a purple crayola marker, but you probably have something more professional than that.



I made sure to remember which arm was for which side, etc. This part was really pretty easy because all you do is add some more batting, wrap the fabric, and then staple, staple, staple... When you get to the front of the arm pieces, just kind of gather the fabric evenly and staple (this will be covered up later, so don't worry TOO terribly much about this part).

One important thing I learned was to keep a hammer nearby. For whatever reason, my nail gun didn't always completely secure the staple, but a few whacks with the hammer and they were in there to stay.

Here is my chair with both inner arms done:

The next part is the inside of the wings. But before I was able to go on to that part, I needed to make some cording/ welting (the round trim that looks so cool). I had to look up how to make it, but I found this awesome tutorial and managed to get it done. I went to JoAnne's and buy the cording to sew the fabric around.

I also found out that I needed to buy a new foot for my sewing machine- called a zipper foot. I think it cost about $3. What's unique about the zipper foot is that it only has a little metal guide on one side of the needle so you can get really nice and close. I HATED that zipper foot for a few days. I broke 6 needles on it and had to go to the store and get more. (It probably had more to do with the fact that I didn't know what I was doing and was using it completely wrong). But we finally made amends and I was able to make some beautiful cording.

Here's the cording in the works:

A little supervision from my furry friend Wally.

Be sure to look at the tutorial I linked to because it will teach you a trick on how to make your fabric last for really long cording and it's actually quite amazing. I had to read it over and over because I kept messing up (but I think that's just my issue). Be sure to take a tape measure around every area that will need cording so you know how much to buy.

Once I finished the cording, I sewed it to the bottom of my inner wing pieces. Then I added some batting,  laid it so the cording covered up the ragged edge of the arms I just did and I stapled it to the wood frame. (This is common sense, but make sure you always staple so that no staples will be visible after the finished product.) Use the deconstruction process as your guide on where to staple what.

Once my inner wings were added, it looked a little something like this: (are you getting excited yet?)

The next part was the seat back of the chair. This used to be tufted but I did not want to mess with re-tufting it (even though I think it would be adorable), so I filled the holes will batting and then took another whole piece of batting and stapled it in front of the existing foam. There are little slits between the wings and the back of the chair that you can pull the batting and fabric through to staple and I stapled the top to the back of the chair.

...and staple the heck out of it.

I took some more cording and stapled it alongside the outer wing, across the back, and back down the other side, coming in just under the new arm piece. (Sorry I didn't take a picture, but try to remember back to how your chair looked previously... you'll get what I'm referring to.)

Then came the time for scary metal teeth. Grr. (I think I have already used the words "then" and "next" WAY too much. Sorry for the lack of creative words tonight.) This product, known as Ply Grip or Curve-Ease is AMAZING. I mean, it's a little bit of a pain to learn how to work with, but it's results are completely beautiful. And once you get familiar with it, you love it more and more. Here's a really great video on how to use Ply Grip. (It's how I learned).

I stapled my Ply Grip down the outer curve of my wing as close to the cording as possible so it would fit perfectly together.

And then I added some batting... just like the guy in the video taught me to do.

I trimmed the batting and added the fabric. I used a screw driver and my fingers to push my fabric into the little teeth. It beat my finger tips up a little, but what's a project without battle wounds? I did that part first and then I took the other sides and stapled them to the wood frame.

Thank you, Ply Grip, for making me look better than I am. Wow. Oh, and I ordered my Ply Grip online. I am told you can get it at upholstery stores, but I live in the Dallas area and had a hard time finding one, so it was much easier (in my opinion) to buy it online. I got it from DIY Upholstery. (Along with some more items I will be showing you later)

Then it was time for the sides. These were a little bit tricky because you have to use a cardboard tacking strip. I got mine at JoAnne's. The purpose of the tacking strip is to make a perfectly straight line with the fabric. It looks amazing when done, but it was a little challenging to work with. (I'd suggest recruiting a partner.)

I lightly stapled the top of my fabric where I wanted it, then flipped the piece up so that it's wrong side was facing me and placed the cardboard strip against the bottom of the arm roll and then stapled the heck out of it. Then I added my batting and flipped the fabric back down and stapled it to the wood frame of my chair. I did this for both sides. (See how clean my lines look?) I went ahead and made the pattern match up to the outside wing piece.

We are getting SO CLOSE! The last thing that I am going to show you today is how to do the back of the wing chair.

This is the point in which I had to stop and wait FOREVER because I had to order new fabric. In the rare chance that you want to read about that, you may do so here.

Ok, so once I got my new fabric, I laid out the old piece (like you've been doing all along, right?) and cut a piece for the back. Because this is the finishing piece for the visible part of the chair, it requires some extra (cool) tools. I used more Ply Grip and then 2 metal tack strips. This completed my purchase from DIY Upholstery.

I added a piece of scrap fabric on the back just to give the sitter a little bit more back support and hopefully alleviate a little bit of stress from the fabric I was about to upholster. I have NO IDEA if this was necessary or even beneficial, but it sure seemed like a good idea, so I just went with it.

I didn't take any pictures of the metal tack strips, but here is what they look like.

I laid the fabric out and laid them under the (centered) fabric to see where I wanted them. It was a little bit of trial and error, but I poked the tack strip through the fabric and then turned it upside down so that the prongs would be going into the wood on the sides of the back of the chair. Again, refer to the deconstruction to know where they were. I wanted it perfectly centered and nice and tight. And I finally got it right.

Then I took the Ply Grip and stapled it to the back of the chair along the top line, as close as possible to the cording (remember adding that WAY back when?). I used my fingers and screwdriver method to secure these. I then pounded them closed with my rubber mallet just to be sure that everything was going to be secure.

 

Stapling Ply Grip consisted of many tries to get the staples just right. You want one edge of the staple in the little metal hole and the the other one fastened into the wood on your chair. My bulky staple gun didn't exactly help the matter, but I got by just fine.

Then I stapled the bottom of the back to the bottom of the chair and TA DA! I was done with the frame.

Here's the (close to) finished product:





And here's the front of the chair:

As you can see, I am SO CLOSE to being done. I still need to reupholster the seat cushion and finish out the arms. Grandma is going to help me out on those two pieces (I will provide a tutorial, I promise). So hang tight and hopefully very very soon I will have a completely finished wing chair to show you!

Thanks so much for your comments. They make me happy.

*UPDATE: CLICK HERE to see the completely finished project!

I'm linking up with :



The Wing Chair (Part I)

Thanks for all of your great comments and excitement regarding my wing chair upholstery project. I love to know that other people are interested in the same kind of projects as I am! It seems like the only people who know how to do upholstery charge TONS of money and I wanted to teach myself (and you) how so we could have pretty furniture on a budget.
Out with the Old- The Deconstruction.

The Tools You Will Need:
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Small Flat Head Screw Driver
- Hammer
- Something to Put the 1000s of Nails You'll Collect In
- Furry Friend or some kind of entertainment
- Patience (it's really not a bad task, just takes a while)

Here we go:
I've heard it said that furniture upholstery deconstruction is kind of like an onion. You have to peel back the layers, one by one. So take a good look at your chair and find the outermost piece. For me, it was the bottom of the chair. So pull that off, making sure to keep it all in one piece. (You will need this for Part II to measure your new piece of fabric).

At first, I tried to pull out all of the staples with the pliers, but that didn't work out so well, so I relied on the lovely screw driver and hammer method. I just wedged the screw driver under the staple and then tapped the (non-metal) end of the screw driver until it forced the staple out of the wood. And sometimes I had to use my pliers to help get those staples out. Be careful not to split the wood doing this though (angle your screwdriver as parallel to the chair as possible).

*It is important as you take of each piece of your chair off that you keep it in tact and that you number it. The first piece I take off is the bottom so I will put a #1 on a piece of paper and write bottom of chair. I also found it helpful to indicate which side faced the front and back/ up and down. This will all come in handy for Part II.

I just made little labels and stapled them onto my fabric pieces. They looked a little something like this:

Here is my wing chair without the bottom on it. I think they used gardening cloth? Weird.

And from there, I continued to take off what looked like the next piece over, and over, and over. They really are layered on there, one piece on top of another. It was really incredible though because the deconstruction part taught me everything to know for Part II, the reconstruction. I made sure to take photos of (most) every step so that I could work backwards on the reconstruction of my chair.

Next up was the back of the chair, it had some metal jaw clip things (I don't know the technical term). They really were kind of scary. So be extra careful not to hurt yourself on them.

There were also some cardboard strips on the sides that had been stapled through to keep the lines straight. Make note of everywhere that uses the metal jaws and the cardboard pieces because you will want to replicate what they did when you put yours back together. Unless they did a terrible job, of course. Also keep and mark all of your piping, etc.

The bottom of the back was stapled to the bottom of the chair. Seeing that there were staples everywhere, I knew that the other sides would most likely follow suit... So staple picking I went. Pretty much with this part, the only way you can mess anything up is by ripping the fabric or splitting the wood. So other than that, have a little fun with it. :)

I think that after the back, I did the outside of the wings. They also had that scary metal jaw material. Here are a few photos of them:

I found it helpful to use my pliers to pull off the part with the metal jaws. Didn't really want Tetanus or some other kind of weird disease.

Then, I just kept going and going...

Taking names, numbers and directions.

Oh, and see all that stuffing? This was the good cotton stuffing (not the cheap poly fill stuff). I collected what was salvageable and threw the rest in the garbage. We will need stuffing for Part II.

Then came the arms. At first, I didn't know what to do about the brads, but I got my screw driver and managed to be able to just pry them out. I loved learning how they put the arm pieces on there. Once you see how they did everything, you will see it's really quite simple... That, and you'll never look at upholstered furniture the same way. Your mind will be able to look at a piece of furniture and dissect how it was made. Man, we're getting cool. 

So I removed all the tacks. And then the fabric just came right off to reveal this. Remove the styrofoam, but label and keep it for later.

Now it should look something like this. So keep on peeling.

At various times during my deconstruction, I turned the chair on it's side, upside down, you name it... whatever is easiest for you to reach your staples, just go for it. The chair is light and your back will thank you.

Off with the side...

Off with the wings... (more scary jaw teeth).

Here's where I stopped the other day. Haha... what a disaster! Cute little helper though, huh?

Then I took off the inside wings, inside arm pieces, and the seat piece and I was DONE.

You can discard all of the foam and filling if you choose. My chair had been very lightly used, so I am just going to keep it and supplement the batting to make it plush. That may gross some of you out, but I promise it doesn't stink. That, and you probably sit in the chairs at the Dr.s office. Those HAVE to be WAY grosser.

Here's our completely stripped down wing chair. Deconstruction complete.

It's funny writing about it now because it seems so quick and easy. And this really is a simple task... It's just not that quick. I think totally I devoted somewhere around 6 hours pulling staples out of my chair. (In smaller increments though... I can't be still that long!) I would also recommend turning on a good tv show or something to keep you company. Or find a little friend... like mine.

Hope you have a great time deconstructing your wing chair! Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best (with my limited knowledge base) to help you out.

Update: Check Out Part 2 of my wing chair reupholstery tutorial.