Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A CHAIR TRANSFORMED

When I first started my custom home furnishings business in Chicago in 1991, I did mainly window treatments and bedding.  People kept asking if I did slipcovers and it finally occurred to me that I should maybe learn to do them.  At the time, I had no furniture that could be slipcovered.  At least that's what I thought then.  Now I know that practically anything can be slipcovered.  In any case, I didn't own anything that seemed appropriate, so I went to Betty's Resale Shop and came home with this ugly chair.  It only cost me $12.  Now this chair wasn't what I was picturing as the type I wanted.  I was working in a fabric store at the time and we had this big, puffy, over-sized chair and that's what I wanted.  As you can see from the picture, this chair wasn't that at all.  So I decided to cover it with batting, in an attempt to make it puffier, and because you can't just have batting under a slipcover, I had to upholster it.
Keep in mind that I had no clue how to slipcover anything, let alone re-upholster it.  I have to say that I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  Although the chair looked pretty good in its 'naked' state, it really couldn't be without a slipcover because I sewed the arm fronts and other parts of the chair by hand.
I must have taken the skirt off because it is obviously not tucked up under the new upholstery.  I decided then that upholstery was not my calling.
Although the chair was no longer as sleek and clean (and I use these terms lightly) as it started out, it still wasn't the chair I wanted it to be.  I also learned then that if you want a puffy, over-sized chair, you had better start with a puffy, over-sized chair.  There really is only so much one can do to change a chair's overall appearance.  
And that's where a slipcover comes in.  The finished chair looks nothing like the original.  I think I said in one of my first posts back in December that by the time I actually got to this chair, I had already done 2 benches (my first slipcovers for $), a sofa, an ottoman and 2 chairs.  I always was partial to this chair, though it wasn't so comfortable.  The cats loved it and made it their own, which was fine with me.  I've yet to get that big, puffy, over-sized chair I was trying to create.

9 comments:

Winchester Manor said...

The chair looks lovely and comfy too...I could just plop myself into right now!

Angie said...

I've had several of those type chairs, trying to make it something it is not. Working on one now. Still, it looks great!

Jeanne Oliver said...

I wish I could make slipcovers...I would never even show you my attemtps they would be so bad.

Janet said...

The slipcovered chair looks so comfy....like the perfect place to snuggle in with a good book.

maryboys said...

tamerie - i love this story and the cozy chair;)

TUTU Monkey said...

Wow.......I am with Karyn.....I want to plop right into that chair...:)

Mary-Catherine said...

Hey, I think your chair looks great!

Thank you so, so much for my sweet award! I'm just sorry it took me so long to post...I've had such an off month for blogging...I'm way behind on my home projects as well...yikes! Getting ready to go through and look at all of your posts I have missed this week :) Have a wonderful Thursday!

Maija said...

Oh Tamerie! I really need to find a way to have youu make a slipcover for my favorite chair!!!
Your work is so stunning!

Winchester Manor said...

Hi Tamerie,

Love your quotes, very good words to live by. Thanks for the visit

Hugs,
Karyn