So this is my second attempt at writing this post. The first one I wrote somehow got deleted. Urgggghhhh! If I were superstitious I'd almost think it had to do with the fact that this is my 13th finish. However I'm not superstitious, watch out for that black cat! Just kidding. Okay. Moving on. When my sweet neighbor asked if I could recover her rocker cushions I said sure! I've never done such a thing before but how hard can it be? Then she asked if I could recover the footstool at the same time. I've never reupholstered anything before either but I've been wanting to learn for quite a few years now & felt this was the perfect opportunity.
I found this tutorial & went to making my template for the seat & back cushion out of a roll of packing paper I had. I took a little extra time with this step. My hope was that it would make the sewing part a little less stressful.
Then I cut the fabric to the pattern & pinned the pieces together. I added some Velcro to some thicker tabs. Then attached them to the fabric. Those tabs are what keep the cushions attached once back on the rocker. Once I sewed the covers together I put the old cushion in the new cover. This was tricky because the back of the upholstery fabric had an almost grip like feel to it. I kind of felt like I was wrestling a pig getting those cushions to go in. Not that I have ever wrestled a pig in real life, but I'm guessing it's a little like what I was doing. Not to mention the fact that the back cushion had to be adjusted 5 different times. That means I had to take the cushion in & out a total of 10 times. Sigh. I wanted to be right so it was worth it to me. My sewing machine wasn't working properly either. The tension on the bobbin was all crazy. I called a sweet friend of mine & she came over to see if she could help me fix it. I was so excited to learn how to take my machine apart, clean it, & put it back together. In all my years of sewing I've never done this before for total fear of ruining my sewing machine. I feel so empowered! I can try to fix things my self before calling someone else to come to my rescue. It's a great feeling.
Next I reupholstered the the footstool. Dean gave me that awesome staple gun last month. Some girls like nice jewelry, purses, or shoes. Not me. Give me tools baby! Yes he really knows the way to a girls heart. Sigh. I love that guy!
Now that I've done this little project I feel the need to do more! I'm keeping my eyes open for furniture to buy and reupholster. I'm starting small now but my hope is to get good enough at it to redo bigger items as well.
Here it is all finished in my friends home. Not bad for a first try, lol!
It got Zach's nod of approval & that's all that matters anyhow. Hope you all have a happy weekend!
13 down, 39 to go
