Tuesday 27 October 2015

Seaside Chair


This rather disgraceful looking chair was bought from IKEA about 16 years ago. At first it was the chair that I had in my son's room next to his cot, so I had somewhere comfy to sit and feed him during the night. It has moved around the house, and more recently has become the chair my soon-to-be 95 year old mother likes to sit in when she visits us. It is fairly small, which suits her, and can be moved up really close to the TV. But as you can see it has become very tatty.
 
The covers are removable, so I decided it was time to give it a make over. The first job was to take apart the old covers. This unpicking took me a lot of work, but I thought it was the best way to make sure I had accurate pattern pieces.


The second job, which took me almost as long, was to pick a fabric. After a lot of trips to fabric shops, I decided that the best way to make the job least stressful was to pick something relatively inexpensive. There is nothing worse than having an expensive fabric to cut into, when you are not completely confident that the project is going to work. I also knew that some sections had to be gathered, so didn't want anything too thick. I also wanted something washable, as being realistic we do have quite a few spills.


Work in progress ...

I loved this rather unique seaside fabric. It doesn't really go with the living room, so the chair may live in a bedroom, and just be brought down when Granny comes to visit.


The sewing was much easier than I imagined. A professional upholsterer may have done a better job, but I think it has given the chair a new lease of life. For the seat cushion I used some heavy weight denim that I already had, as I thought it needed something a bit more hardwearing, and the seaside fabric might be a bit much over the whole chair.


Well someone is very happy and is already making herself at home on the new seaside chair!

28 comments:

  1. Fabulous job. It looks very professional to me. The seaside fabric is lovely and really gives the chair a new look and a new lease of life.

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  2. A lot of work for a beautiful result !!!!
    Have a nice day setting in your chair ;)
    Anna

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  3. You are so brave to tackle that! Great job!

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  4. Well done for undertaking such a job- I never could have done anything like that. And looks like the cat appreciates all your hard work too.

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  5. Fantastic job!! I have a favourite chair that one of our cats had used as a scratching post. I was able to buy one of that adjustable covers for it and it worked well.

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  6. My DH and I have recovered a few pieces of furniture in the past. It is a big job. You did a great job!

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  7. How fabulous! I think it's great that you found a way to give new life to a favorite (and comfy) chair. Thanks for sharing...and here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

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  8. I love the seaside fabric, and you did a great job!

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  9. Nice job. It looks like a brand new chair. I like the light color you chose, especially since the cover is washable. It feels good to tackle a new project and make a success of it, doesn't it?

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  10. Wow! That is wonderfully done! Good use of materials.

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  11. Great job, now you just need to crochet a red, white and blue pillow for it, and it will be perfect! Wishing your mother many more years of good health, and thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

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  12. Goodness. Good for you taking on the challenge. Chair looks great. I like that you used a plain colour for the seat cushion.

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  13. What a great project! I love the contrast of the dark blue seat. And, I have to say, that cat looks very comfortable there!

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  14. You do everything, don't you?! Quite envious.

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  15. I'm impressed with what you did. The old fabric was a pretty colour. I do like the seaside motif.

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  16. Great job - I think you were so right to take the time to take apart the orginial cover and use it as a template. I like your fabric choice:)

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  17. It looks really great. Like a breath of fresh air, with its blue seaside flair.

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  18. Clever idea to use the old cover as a pattern (even though that does look like a LOT of work!) I think the end result is well worth it, looks great.

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  19. LOVE the Fabric! And GREAT JOB on the recovering!! -- NOT an "easy" task, I *KNOW*!
    Anyhoo, HAPPY BIRTHDAY *hugs* to your MUM!
    :-D

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  20. What a transformation looks so bright and cheerful now. I think your cat thinks covered just for her, lol

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  21. It looks great, and you've done a wonderful job. I also absolutely adore the seaside fabric.

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  22. Looks amazing, a great transformation and given the chair a whole new lease of life! Sweet fabric you've chosen too xx

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  23. Well done on the chair transformation.What nice fabric choice as well. Would love to have a go doing something like that.

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  24. Wow, I love that chair, it's great that you are still able to make use of it. The recovering looks lovely, you've done a great job.

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  25. It looks fantastic! You're very brave to have done it yourself!

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  26. Wow! You did a fantastic job on that chair!

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  27. I don't know about professional or not, but I am impressed! I think it looks wonderful!

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  28. Cool chair makeover!! I've seen similar chairs at our local Goodwill for only $5, but I haven't been brave enough to tackle such a big project! Great job!! Thanks for sharing at Submarine Sunday.

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