Cheer Up, Little Chair
Aside from the free items I’ve snagged on the side of the road, this was the least I have ever spent on a piece of furniture. 99 cents! That’s right, y’all, less than a dollar. A thrift store was moving to a new location, so it was selling everything for 99 cents. I had no idea what I would find, but I had to check it out. Along with a couple of scarves and the perfect little black dress, I found this perfectly serviceable little chair.
I didn’t love the seat fabric or the finish, but those flaws are easily remedied. The frame was in great shape and I loved the slightly funky lines of the back rest. It sat in our master bathroom accumulating dust and piles of dirty clothes for about a year before I felt inspired to do anything about it. Finally, the sadness of its situation became unbearable and I went to work on it. I removed the seat from the frame (which took all of 30 seconds) and removed the fabric from the seat (which took no less than 30 minutes).
The above pic is about as stimulating as watching paint dry, but some people love process. This pic is for you; you know who you are.
This was the first time I had recovered a chair using fabric with a pattern that needed to be centered, so I was nervous about getting it right. To improve my chances of placing the pattern correctly, I measured the length of the front, then marked the center point and did the same thing to the back, and drew a line connecting them. I found the center point of that line and used a quilter’s square to draw a second line bisecting the first. What do you know, geometry came in handy once in my adult life.
I used the old fabric as a template for my new fabric. Once the new piece was cut, I used my quilter’s square and a disappearing ink pen to draw lines marking the vertical and horizontal centers of the pattern, then lined those lines up with the ones I drew on the seat. And somehow, I didn’t get a picture of that part.
I also forgot to take pictures while refinishing the frame. I sanded it with 80 grit, then 120 grit and gave it a coat of Minwax java gel stain. Gorgeous.
And for a little bit of context:
In my mind’s eye, I see this staged with a tray full of spa inspired goodies. But let’s be honest, it’s probably going to end up covered in dust and clothes.