Has anyone upholstered anything?

[fairfarmhand]

I have this chair. I love the chair. It was my grandmothers and it is at least 60 years old. I have the photos to prove it! The chair itself is still in amazing condition. It sits well and is surprisingly comfortable. 

The upholstery...it’s rough. Not only is it dated, but it’s dirty and my style is different. The upholstery is definitely old lady, while I’m more of a shabby chic gal.

First, does anyone have any experience with upholstery diy? I’m an excellent seamstress but my expertise is more along the lines of dressmaking. I’ve never done anything like this.

second, suggestions for upholstery fabric? I have warm colors, lots of yellow, navy and touches of red. Nothing too busy because I’m married to a conservative beige is best kind of guy.

[MaBelle]

I've messed with it a very tiny bit, I've got a friend who does it for a living.  I show up at her shop and help from time to time.  She thinks it's easy.  Lots of good videos on youtube.  What kind of chair?  Post a picture.

 

[Katy]

Yes, I've reupholstered a fair bit.  What kind of chair is it? Can you post a photo?

Definitely make sure you get something for upholstery.  If you get drapery weight it won't last.  Upholstery fabric can be quite expensive.

Basically you take the existing fabric off, trace it with a bit of allowance onto the new fabric, and sew what needs to be sewn (very little typically), and staple what needs to be stapled.  Take lots of pictures on your phone and consider using a sharpie to label the old pieces so you know exactly what anything confusing is. Save all the weird little bits of cardboard around difficult seams and arms, you'll want to either reuse them or use them as a pattern.

[Sherry in OH]

I reupholstered a sleeper sofa once.  It was time consuming but looked good from the front and sides when done.  I had a hard time with the back.  Although the seams and joins on the other sides were hidden, the back was the final piece of fabric and had to be attached with tacks.  My sewing skills are better than my carpentry skills.  I kept the back of the sofa facing the wall.  

If you can get the fabric off without tearing it too badly you can use it to make paper patterns.  Also, buy muslin or other other inexpensive fabric for practicing.  You can reuse the muslin pieces as lining for your finish fabric.   

[nevergiveup]

I have tooled up in order to upholster a number of different things in my house.  I have two chairs that I stripped to the bones and am in the process of putting springs in them--they didn't have any before.

My guides are Kim's Upholstery (online)--she has some free videos and stuff or you can pay for membership and get expert help, and a book by Amanda Brown--Spruce:  A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design.

[fairfarmhand]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ieN8GUSVs9A7zfrX6

 

Here's the chair. I meant to post the picture yesterday with the Original Posting

[Katy]

Wow, it's pretty.  I'd say that's a pretty advanced project. It looks like they sewed the vertical tufting so the pattern continued to match horizontally, which means it might be difficult to just use the old fabric as a pattern because it's probably cut in some pretty curved shapes.  Personally I'd either choose a solid fabric or one with a really small pattern because I don't think I'm skilled or patient enough to make it that perfect again. Can you tell if the tufts are sewn in or just stapled?  If sewn you'll need special tufting needles.  If stapled you'll probably need a pneumatic staple gun.

If you want a vibrant geometric pattern I'd probably take it to a professional.