Reupholstery edition...take two

My mother in law helped me reupholster this chair (thank you, thank you, thank you)...



in navy...


and I really did not like it.  It was boring and the fabric magnetized all thing dirt.  A week after switching to navy the arms were brown with clinging dust.  With two kids, I knew this was not going to work.  So I decided to bite the bullet and start over, this time on my own.  The daunting task of doing this all on my own had me cringing every time I saw the dirty chair in the corner...but the boring navy was just so boring that I finally decided it was time.  The only way I was going to tackle this project was by taking crazy notes, filling my camera with pictures, and labeling EVERY corner of EVERY piece.  So without further ado...reupholstery 101...beginner style.

What you need:

Needle nose pliers
Bowl to put staples...there will be A LOT!
Enough fabric for your type of chair   - click link for chart...make sure your fabric is thick enough and will hold up to lots of stretching
Upholstery tack strips (try to save as many as you can from the original upholstery)
Cardboard strips (my chair finished some of the hard to staple edges by rolling cardboard strips instead of stapling)
Flexible metal tack strip to cover any curves (this can not be saved from original upholstery) 
Staple gun
Paper/marker for labeling your pieces
An extra hand for stretching and stapling
Patience

What to do:
1)  Chose which side of your chair is your left and your right.  This will help you keep track of your pieces and as you label them use left and right in the beginning of every description so you know exactly where they belong when putting the chair back together. 

2) Take pictures of everything BEFORE you start.  Every corner and every detail that you will want to recreate.  Thankfully, I have two of these chairs to recover so I still have the second chair as a reference.



3) Start by removing the back piece.  This is typically the last piece put onto the chair so it will be the first place to start.  After this you will be able to see the inner workings of the chair and decide what piece is next. Take pictures of the chair without the back.  This will be a reference for when you are ready to put the pieces back together.

4)  Before doing anything, look closely (and snap pictures) at every piece of the chair and where each piece is tucked and stapled, then decide which piece has to be removed first.



5)  As you slowly and painstakingly remove staples, take each piece off of the chair.  Make a  list of each step.  List every set of staples removed.  This will help in the end to know which order everything will be replaced.  You will be able to start from the bottom of your list and work your way up. This part is sort of like a puzzle.  Pay close attention to where everything comes from and where everything will go. Including the use of tack strips and cardboard. And if you are afraid of a failing memory...take a picture.



6)  When you remove a piece be very careful to label exactly where the piece was stapled, which direction the piece goes on the chair,  how the piece was attached, where the piece was tucked and if it had any extra "helper" pieces.  i.e. cardboard strips or tack strips. 



I was not afraid of over labeling.  I wanted to make sure I would know exactly how to put this thing back together.

7) Use your pieces as a template and cut your new fabric.  I cut a little bit extra around each side just to make sure that I had enough fabric to cover the chair.



9) Start putting it back together.  Start at the bottom of your list and work your way up the top.  This will put the pieces back in the opposite order in which you took them off.  Because my chair had a lot of separate pieces it was crucial that I knew the order to put everything back together.



10) Sit back and enjoy all of your hard work! 



This chair is still not quite finished, still need to pull out the sewing machine and make the cushion...but I am loving it so far. 

Puff quilt tutorial...

I made a puff (biscuit) quilt for my future niece and fell in love with the fluffy project.  I did a little research on what I needed to create this quilt and how big I wanted it to be but I never found a tutorial that helped...so I kind of winged it, and thankfully I was happy with the results.

Print or download tutorial here. 

This tutorial is for a baby/crib size quilt.  (I used 6 different fabrics for the puffs and grey for the border.)

What you need:
Enough fabric in assorted colors for 70 -  6 x 6 squares. I bought a 1/2 yard of each fabric and made 12 6 x 6 squares out of each color and had some scraps left over. So essentially you need 2 1/2 to 3 yards of assorted fabric.
Enough fabric for 70 - 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 squares. This fabric will not be seen so you can use anything you have on hand or a simple muslin.
Fabric for the border (optional). I used fabric that I had left over from another quilt so I am not actually sure how much I used, maybe 3/4 yard. ( I had no idea how to put on a border so I totally winged it and drove myself absolutely crazy...so I recommend using something like this.)
1 1/2 yards for the back
Batting
Bag of fiber fill

Assembly:

Cut 70 - 6 x 6 squares for the front of your quilt
Cut 70 - 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 squares to attach to the back of your 6 x 6 squares




Take one of each square, with the wrong sides touching, pin together all four corners. 




Pin three of the sides in the middle, creating a tiny pleat.



Sew the three sides together, making sure to leave one side open for stuffing.



Stuff square with fiber fill and sew final edge closed.



Continue this process with the remaining squares. 
Layout the squares on the floor in the pattern that you want for the front of your quilt. I built mine 7 squares wide by 10 squares long.



Begin sewing the puffs, right side together, with a 1/4 inch seam, starting with the top row.  Then sew the rows together to finish the top of your quilt.


Now here is where you can decide to add a border around your puffy quilt top or just add the backing and bind it all together. I decided to add a border. So using your border fabric create four strips that will wrap around your quilt top. Make sure that you measure a couple extra inches on each piece because the puffiness of the quilt will cause the strips to shrink a little and you would rather cut off the access then have a seam in your border. (Unfortunately I know from experience. I had a seam...boo.) With the right sides together sew your border.



Now you can assemble the quilt backing, batting and quilt top together. I just tacked the three pieces together using embroidery thread but you could easily use a straight stitch to create some texture to the back of your quilt. Bind the quilt using hand made or store bought quilt binding in a color to match the quilt and you are finished. Sit back and enjoy all the hard work, or throw your little one on top and let them explore the heavenly blanket of puff.



Print or download tutorial here. 

New shower curtain...

Why, yes.  I think I will forgo all other way more pressing projects to create a new shower curtain for my babies.

Enter fabric that I ordered for Dominics bumper but quickly realized the bedroom was going in a completely different direction.  Now suited perfectly for the bathroom...I have BIG plans for the kids ugly white on white on gold bathroom.



I laid out the fabric on top of a old shower curtain as my pattern with at least 1 inch of fabric laying over the edge on the two sides, and two inches on the top and bottom. This became the extra fabric for the hem. Once I got the correct measurements, I started sewing the pieces together. Then I folded the top and bottom edges under one inch and ironed, and then another inch and ironed again. This created a nice stark, straight seam that I could sew with a 1/4 inch seam without having to pin. I then did the same thing on the left and right sides but with a 1/2 inch seam instead of 1 inch. I sewed a 1/4 inch straight seam along then entire edge of the curtain. Then, using the old curtain as a pattern I marked where the holes needed to be for hanging. I cut slits in the fabric and sewed around the entire edge of the slit, as close the slit as possible. This closed the fabric so it wont fray or rip as it hangs. Then I hung it and stood back. It was exactly what I wanted and now I am anxious to finish the bathroom. I see lots of navy, orange and grey in its future.