Grandpa's Rocking Chair Makeover

Rocking Chair After

Rocking Chair Before

Well used and worn out, this was once a grandfather's favorite chair. It had been reupholstered a long time ago prior to my getting it, so the material was quite faded, stretched out and dirty. The seat had broken springs, so the chair was literally sinking. Needless to say, the chair was not usable in its condition and needed a lot of TLC as well as new materials, inside and out.

Removing the old fabric is always time-consuming because there are plenty of staples. First I had to remove the upholstery tacks which had been used along with gimp as a trim on the front and back sides and bottom edge. Personally I don't care much for upholstery tacks, because as wood ages it becomes even harder and the tacks inevitably bend so much after you hammer them in, they shift and don't line up where you start. I prefer to use welt cording instead of tacks.

Once I had removed all the fabric, I tackled the seat area and removed the old burlap and worn out seat padding. The springs had come loose and were poking right through the chambray dust cover. Because they had come off the wood, they were quite tangled in the chambray and made the bottom fabric material challenging to remove. Finally, once everything was taken off I could access the springs to reattach them to the framework. Luckily they were in great condition as I like using the original springs when possible.

After the springs were reattached, I covered them with burlap, then laid one inch padding on top of the burlap. This was followed by two layers of dacron and a layer of raw cotton batting, which made for a cushy, crown-soft seat ready for fabric. My customer had selected a taupe/brown plush material with a pattern of alternating nap squares which created an attractive highlighted and low lighted effect. 

With the seat finished, I moved started on the top of the chair. The original design had a welt cord at the neck level with a "pillow" for a headrest, so I recreated that look by sewing two sections of fabric together, adding a welt cord between them to replicate the original. I liked the detail of the welt cord in that area. After I attached the front, I moved on to the back, attaching it at the top with an invisible seam by using cardboard strip and staples, then flipping the material down and attaching it to the bottom of the chair. This made for a streamlined look. To finish off the chair, I used double welt cording for trim on the sides and continued on the back. This chair was unique because it had wheels only in the front. After completion, the chair looked great and will greet many generations to come.

    Before & After

Couch and Chair Cushion Renewal

Chair Before

Chair After

This is one of a two-piece set of wicker furniture that received updated cushions with a plush, blue material selected by the customer who also supplied the photos.* She had wanted an updated, modernized appearance for these well worn and loved cushions and chose a lovely color to suit the new appearance. 

The chair matched the wicker couch (photo below). For each cushion I used the original pattern and created the new cushion covers. Since the foam was in usable condition, we decided to keep it instead of replacing it.

There were a total of eight cushions, four smaller for the backrest and four larger from the seats. These cushions were the same 23" width, just the depth was longer for the seats, which were 37-1/2" deep compared to the 20" depth (or height) for the backrests. 

For this job the cushions were a different variety from previous cushions I have made, because they had a "fold-over" style, instead of traditional "boxing." Simply put, this means that the top and bottom are made from one continuous piece of fabric, "folded over," instead of there being two separate top and bottom sections and stitching them to the boxing.

Couch Before

Actually, this style of cushion is much easier to insert the foam into, due to the longer, "overlapping edges" zipper, which creates a larger opening so the foam can be easily slipped into it. Sometimes it is necessary to wrap the foam in a very soft plastic material known as "silk film," which is used in the furniture industry for exactly this purpose. It reduces the friction between the foam and the slipcover that goes over it. 

This process involves wrapping the foam completely with the film and then using a vacuum to shrink the foam by sucking the air from the exterior which then reduces the size of the foam so it easier to insert it into the narrow zippered opening of the outer covering. By making the foam smaller, you have an easier time fitting it into these smaller openings. Although this can certainly be done without using the silk film ( I've done it!), it's easier to use it than not.

In some ways these cushions were easier to construct, once I figured out exactly how the construction was done. I lined up my large outer [top and bottom] material by nothing the centers, then matching up those centers with the zipper panel (a separate piece). After that was accomplished, I knew my corners would line up.

Couch After

 

Once the zipper panel was stitched into place, I attached the side panel boxing, also aligning it with a notched top that matched the outer cover. This system worked well as all the edges were then lined up as they should be. A little ingenuity, patience and time gets the job done.

(Photos were supplied by customer).