March 06, 2013

First time DIY upholstery project: A Nursery Rocker

This post featuring my sister's first time DIY upholstery project was originally published on my old blog, Designing Dawn, and later featured on Apartment Therapy. It's been a few years since then, but it's still one of my favorite projects, so I'm reposting here as well. Enjoy! :)

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I have an exciting post to share today, and it comes courtesy of my sister, Dania. She likes to claim she’s not the crafty one of us twins, but don’t be fooled by her modesty. When she puts her mind to it, girl’s got kinda amazing skilz. Evidence: Barrett's Chair Before _Designing Dawn

Dania has never recovered anything before. Or sewn anything since eighth grade home economics. But that didn’t stop her from taking on this re-upholstery project herself after the quote she got to have it professionally done came back as more than the cost of buying a new chair. The original chair came from her in-laws, and while it was in great functioning shape, the green vinyl upholstery wasn’t in the best shape. There were some rips and holes, and frankly it just wasn’t a great color to start with. She was dreaming of a nice neutral linen that would work in the blue and cream nursery she was planning. Barrett's Chair_Designing Dawn

Dania ripped it apart piece by piece, slowly and methodically saving everything, and using the original fabric as a template to cut new fabric for each piece as she went. She borrowed my sewing machine for about a month, reused all the stuffing and the original frame, and the results are gorgeous! Barrett's Chair_Designing Dawn

I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here’s how the chair looked when she finished: Designing Dawn_ Barrett's Chair-AFTER

When I visited her to photograph this, she joked that I shouldn’t take photos so close. But I think it turned out amazing. Especially for a first time project. The total cost to make over this old family chair came in at just over $100 for fabric and supplies. And I think it’s safe to say that baby Barrett loves his new old chair too. Designing Dawn_ Barrett's Chair-4

What do you think? Beautiful, right? If she keeps it up, she might usurp me as the creative twin in the family. ;) I’m starting to suspect that all those times she asked for “help” with her art projects over the years may have been a ruse.