Shannon's friend gave her an antique, Queen Anne style sofa. The fabric was faded, its decorative legs were scratched and its seat was sagging. A lesser intrepid soul might have opted to pass on a makeover, but Shannon decided to invest the cash it… Continue Reading
Becca says she can't sew, which is why she was putting off her ottoman makeover. You see, it needed a skirt that would need to be sewed, and she didn't want it to look homemade. To 'skirt' (pardon the pun) sewing issue, she bought a drop cloth (for $11) and used its finished edge(s) to make the skirt, thereby achieving a professional edge. Smart, right? But that's… Continue Reading
This fall, FabricDirect.com is sponsoring a series of fabric-based DIY projects on Curbly!
Eons* ago in design time, I gave this charity sale bistro chair a makeover. I painted the frame and re-upholstered the seat. I liked it for a while, and then I didn't. The colors in the fabric were those that always look dirty. In this case, a dull yellow and green. The more I looked at them, the more they reminded me of...well,… Continue Reading
Thisis one of the reasons why I love dumpster diving. Ashley was the intrepid soul who did the diving and rescued this granny rocker. What does it look like… Continue Reading
Aimee nabbed this smelly bench on Craigslist for a measly 20 bucks. Although she had never ripped apart upholstery before, that's exactly how she began its makeover. THIS is what it looks like… Continue Reading
Did you hear that? That was the sound of my mind exploding at the awesomeness of these upholstery designs by Eleanor Young. This UK-based textile artist and upholsterer creates striking contemporary pieces inspired by architecture and fragmented shapes. I love her bold patterns and color combos,… Continue Reading
Who can turn down free fabric? In my business it's not uncommon to be offered discontinued upholstery fabric samples. If you know a little trick, it's simple to create your own patchwork upholstery fabric yardage. Thrifted chair, free… Continue Reading
One week ago, Ellen, author of NouveauStitch and my new online BFF, purchased this "before" chair at her local HomeGoods store with the intention of slipcovering it. As always, she knew exactly what she wanted and set right to work creating a slipcovered version of her inspiration chair. Well, things didn't go as planned. Here's where her passion and perseverence paid… Continue Reading
Makeovers. Even if the end result doesn't appeal to my tastes, I still adore ogling them. Case in point, here are a plethora of flea market chairs that got the makeover once over, not all of which would suit my decor but each and every one are inspiring. Plus, they make be want to head out to my local flea markets REAL… Continue Reading
Two very crafty and ingenious sisters turned the $10 flea market table pictured above into the lux, tufted bench… Continue Reading
From the time-lapse sofa, to a professionally tufted side chair, reupholstery is still on the front burner as we head into 2011. As the veil is lifted on basic upholstery techniques, many more DIY-ers are jumping in. If you start simple, don't spend a lot of money on fabric or furniture right out of the gate, why not try it? You may be suprised what you can do. I continually remind my students that almost every mistake can be fixed or disguised. Take a look at what made the… Continue Reading
This is the fourth project Beth did in my class, but if you looked at the first one, it's equally as well done. Beth arrived at class with this antique settee that had belonged to her great-grandmother. She tore it down to the bare bones, rewebbed, hand sewed the springs on the new webbing and performed the tedious 8 way spring tying. This is living proof that with understandable instructions and the right piece of furniture, you don't have to be a professional to reupholster like a… Continue Reading
This plethora of re-upholstered chairs come to us from Spruce Upholstery, and to the six students in one of their recent upholstery classes. Themakeovers utilized non-toxic wood glass, organic… Continue Reading
Who doesn't have an ugly or worn out wingback chair somewhere in their house? Lofty intentions of buying fabric and reupholstering it yourself? Hold on there baba looey, a wingback chair is NOT a beginner's upholstery… Continue Reading
How's this grab you? Never in all of staple setting days have I thought of converting a galvanized steel tub into a button tufted ottoman. Kudos to Katie of ReCreate for her Way Out implementation of sheer cleverness. That's not… Continue Reading
If you said this green isn't that bad, I'd have to agree....until you see how Kim turned it into a… Continue Reading
(Gu-rosssss! Old leggings used as stuffing in a REALLY old rocker. Also, a pair of mens PJ pants.)
Sounds like a wrestling bout. Wait! It is like a wrestling bout. On the floor, on your knees, under a big ugly piece of filth. Yup, that's what it is. Until you're ready to build 'er back up. Take a look at what the ladies of Monday Night DIY Upholstery are working on.(Teacher's pets.) There's no order to these photos but progress photos will be … Continue Reading
Toronto based company Salvage is a partnership of Steve and Renee. Like many green companies today, they take salvaged materials, wave their magic wand and create one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and furnishings. The difference is that their work is simple and sophisticated at the same time. See how they combine natural, modern, rustic, urban, and best of all, functionality into their… Continue Reading
Remember the Turkish Tufted Fainting Couch done by the master himself, Kim Buckminster of Falls City, Nebraska? Here he is again, but this time he's teaching lots of 'greedy for knowledge' upholsterers how to properly restore a piece of horsehair stuffed, diamond tufted furniture. (He scoffs at foam.) Kim, or Buck as he is known, is a perfectionist like you wouldn't believe. Enjoy your… Continue Reading
Unbeknownst to this unfortunate looking chair, Ryan turned out to be her fairy godmother. Ryan didn't use a magic wand for this makeover--just a lot of hard work. Okay, maybe hard work and a… Continue Reading
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