A month of months

Continued from the previous entry...
I spent the day - off and on - hammering in nails. I think I started a few days ago. Time is passing too quickly!

The tip from the seller to use needle-nosed pliers to hold the nail while hammering it in was incredibly helpful. I bent far fewer of them and didn't smash any of my fingers. More than once, anyway. The nails were also a little too textured and matte, so I used my dremel to buff them, and now they have a nice worn, shiny look to them.

The nails aren't evenly spaced, but I used the original holes, so they must have been uneven on the original. It's not my fault!

Some things I'd change if I were more of a masochist: figure out some way to upholster the wings so they aren't wrinkly, and make the fold in the side fronts face the back instead of the front.

I do like the way I managed to pleat the deck cushion at the corners.

And having instructions on how to insert pligrip was so helpful! The curved back section of the wings came out very neat and smooth. The non-stuffed part, that is.

Anyway, here are some more pictures:

Continued from the previous entry...

The upholstery job I did back in the 90s always bugged me because I really didn't do a great job with the channels. Instead of using the original stuffing - I think it was in bad shape - I used foam cut into strips. I could see the edges in some of the channels.

I decided this time that I would use cotton batting, which is what is normally used. Unfortunately, the Singer upholstery book did not have information on constructing channels. The various youtube videos I watched all had special equipment to stuff the channels, and didn't actually describe how to make them. The Upholstery at Home book just said to cover the old channels with new fabric, with no information on how to stuff them or make them from scratch.

My plan, since I had no special equipment, was to sew a vertical seam, roll up cotton batting, stretch the fabric over it, and sew a vertical seam right next to it. I found I could NOT sew straight in that situation, but since that was my only option, I continued. It was arduous. I bled, luckily only on the muslin backing.

The back piece is simply leaning against the chair here, so nothing is pulled taut.


The original channels were not straight. However, in the 90s upholstery job, I used striped fabric, and wanted the stripes to run along the channels, so I made them straight. I kind of forgot about this, and after I finished, I found the upholstery book Spruce. I really wish I had found it before I made the back! It's an incredibly comprehensive upholstery book, and channels are included. The author, Amanda Brown, goes into detail on how to measure, cut, and sew shaped channels. Unfortunately, she only talks about stuffing the channels with upholstery channel tins.

Next time I upholster the chair, I'll get the channels right. Haha.

Continued from the previous entry...

Sooooo, Fabric Depot did not have enough of the upholstery fabric, according to Reupholstering at Home by Peter Nesovich who recommended 5 yards for a channel-backed chair, so I ordered 5 yards from Regal Fabrics. It arrived quickly, and with a yard stick, thanks!



I pulled the first waaaay too tight, and ended up right back where I started with an uncomfortably hard seat. I have to say the squishy edge roll makes a huge difference in comfort. My sister helped me this time, and it went really fast.

I used muslin to contain the stuffing instead of burlap, because burlap makes me sneeze. I left the old burlap in there, as well as the back webbing.

I "inherited" a chair in college. It showed up at some point in the house I lived in, and I took it with me when I left. It might have been a pinkish brocade at that point. I assumed it was from the 50s or 60s.

My sister and I reupholstered it sometime in the late 90s and it turned into this: