Old Rocking Chair Revival

Rocking Chair After

Rocking Chair Before

Some projects go very smoothly. This rocking chair was not one of them since it was in dire straits. The arms were shredded and there was a large hole on the right top of the seat. The rocking chair was over 45 years old and had seen a lot of use, possibly damaged from a dog as well. Indeed, it was time for an upholstery revival on this old rocking chair.

The seat cushion was badly worn and the foam was so flat it wasn't able to support you properly. Originally a 3" cushion, the old cushion had been reduced to about 1-1/2 to 2". I had a brand new T-cushion made then designed a brand new cushion cover with the new material. It turned out perfectly. T-cushions can be tricky especially with top and bottom welt cording, which I used for this cushion. The curve-around zipper makes it easy to slip over the foam. Once that was complete, I tackled the back portion.

Unlike other chairs I've done, this one had a separate cushion on the front half but it was stitched to the inner back panel with the back section wrapped around the top and sides of the chair and attached to the interior of the back and sides. This made the removal process extremely difficult and as I soon found out as I progressed with the removal of the old material, it was apparent that this factory style method of construction would be impossible to duplicate. 

This turned out to be a typical catch 22 situation; during fabric stripping, I had to remove each section to learn how it was assembled, but when the time came to stitch it back together, I couldn't replicate the exact method as it was put together, since it had been taken apart to use for templates. Even with detailed markings, numbering and many photos, I found it simply wasn't possible to recreate the original construction, so I chose to build this rocking chair by building loose cushions for both the seat as well as the back. My preferred method had a couple of great advantages. It made the project's assembly much more efficient, because with loose cushions as opposed to attached, they can be easily dry-cleaned, plus the cushions can be reversed for even wear. Finally, the overstuffed cushions were really comfortable. Bonus!

I padded the backing and covered it with fabric front and back after replacing the original, insufficient webbing.  They had only three strips and I replaced those with four. Much stronger and more support. The under spring assembly was also covered with thin foam and finished off with the floral material. Edge rolls were used for comfortable seating. Once the structure was all done and the cushions in place, it fit together perfectly.

The customer selected a lovely floral pattern which was a far cry from the original outdated and worn material which had seen better days. The bones of the chair were very good, strong and stable, so with the newly upholstered material, this chair should last for many years to come.

New Cushion Covers for Dining Chairs

Old Cushion Cover

New Cushion Fabric

My customer had wanted new cushion covers for her dining room set and selected the fabric. It was an updated material, but the fabric was considerably thicker and durable for this application. The cushions measured 18" x 17". 

I installed new zippers on each one of them in addition to new welting all the way around. The fabric was directional, so I had to be very conscious of the cutting and layout. An advantage of non-directional fabric is that it really doesn't matter how you lay out the template, but in this case, I had to pay close attention to that.

The results were great! The pattern flowed nicely with the cushion and gave it the updated look my customer had wanted.

Sofa Gets Six New Box Cushions

Updated, New Foam w/Tweed Fabric

Outdated Fabric,
Saggy Cushion

If you’ve lived through the 1970’s, you’ll likely have owned or knew someone who owned a sofa with fabric that looked similar to the one on the left. I refer to this as “Brady Bunch” fabric, the popular rust, tan and brown used on the show along with bright orange, green and yellow tones. My parents had a similar style sofa and chair in their living room, but with more green and a smaller plaid than this one. Since the 1970’s, fabrics have changed and we have so many more options in the twenty-first century than we did in the 1970’s. The sofa had a total of six cushions, three seat and three accompanying back cushions.

The original covers had a center seam style with a single row of piping which surrounded the top and bottom seat, along with a rear metal zipper. Modern box cushions are constructed with a top, a bottom and a center “boxing” which includes a zipper placket. The best technique to make these box cushions is to measure the size of the foam and allow at least 5/8” seam allowance for each side. These cushions needed new foam which was 6”, so it was necessary to allow a 7-1/2” zipper placket and a 6-1/2” surround, which is sewn to the completed placket. If all seams are sewn properly and accurately, both fabric sections should line up for a nice, even continuous side boxing. 

For these cushions, it was easier to make the top and bottom portions, adding the piping to each one, then stitching the zipper placket in place using clips, which are easy to move when you’re fitting the placket to the top and bottom fabric. A piping foot is an essential tool for this project. Piping (also known as welting or cording) is comprised of a tightly wrapped polyester cord commonly used in upholstery projects as an insert, for a customized, decorative edge. In apparel, it can be used as a décor item or trim. Piping comes in various thicknesses for different applications. 

These were six loose cushions used on a wood-framed sofa. The foam itself had severely deteriorated (as 50 year old foam will) and was crumbling inside the fabric, leaving a fine, yellow powdery residue. Surprisingly the fabric was not torn or damaged, but was very loose and saggy, due to the cushion no longer holding its shape as a result of shrunken, deteriorated foam. Therefore six new foam cushions was a must, as well as new fabric. If you’re going to invest in new fabric, it’s recommended to get new foam to get the maximum comfort and longest wear. However, if your cushions are still in good shape, they can be used with new fabric. All new foam is then wrapped in Dacron for a nice crown and better shaping.

The customer chose a lovely gray tweed interspersed with off white, nicely woven into the gray. The color combination was great and the fabric was easy to work with, despite it being relatively heavy upholstery material. The stitches were practically invisible (always a bonus) therefore the cushions came together beautifully. They should last many years and provide comfort and support to all who sit on them. 

Updated Cricket Maple Rocking Chair

New Silk Fabric Replaced Original Corduroy

This is what is called a “cricket” rocker. The rocking mechanism is actually hidden underneath the seat and skirting of this cute little chair, allowing it to rock without moving the legs, as in a traditional rocking chair. I have done a chair similar to this one many years ago. It had the same rocking mechanism, but was a Windsor style chair with more exposed wood and no arm rest covers. You can see that chair here:
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-ugly-rocking-chair.html

While similar to the other rocking chair, this one had many more components, thus required more work. But, since I had done a similar chair, I knew what to do on this one and in what order to work on each segment. As with the other checkered gingham chair, I began with the seat cushion. Like the gingham chair, it too had cording running along the top and bottom edges that curved around the shape of the foam. Luckily I was able to use the same foam for this chair. The fabric, a high-quality woven silk, required each raw edge to be serged so that they would not fray over time, causing the seams to split apart long before their time. This was an additional but necessary step.

fter I finished the seat cushion, I chose to work on the skirting and bottom part of the chair. I replaced the old, pushed in webbing with new upholstery webbing which is 3 inches wide and much stronger than the old rubbery plastic that was used. I attached the webbing with upholstery tacks (preferable to staples) and protected each raw edge with string tape. Once the webbing was done, I replaced the original webbing cover with another piece of the new fabric, with finished edges that were cut at angles in the corners to match the original.

I measured the two skirting sections, front and back, and cut two very long, continuous strips of fabric for each one. I measured each pleat to be 3 inches between pleats and it worked out to be the perfect amount to fit evenly from beginning to end for the front and again for the back. Remembering the difficulty I had attached the pleats in the other chair I had done, this time I stitched the pleats on the sewing machine, then carefully measured them against the chair before attaching them permanently.

After the skirting was complete, I made the arm rests, copying them from the original pattern as I did with the rest of the pieces and attaching them to the arms with two sets of Velcro straps so they don’t slide off. They were tricky because I cut the fabric to flow with the curve of each arm’s end. It looked much better having these arm covers fit the exact shape of the wood beneath.

The back cushion had its own challenges. The original cushion had four snaps that held it in place from the back of the chair. Anticipating the outcome, I made the new snap straps long enough to be adjusted when the time came to attach them. Prior to sewing the cushion front to back, I placed the straps where I thought they would go, pinned them in place, then sewed them to the back side of the cushion with long basting stitches. Once the cushion was done, I realized the straps didn’t quite reach the snaps, but no worries. I opened up the seams and pulled the straps further out to reach the snaps. Boy, was I glad I left additional fabric to reach the snaps once the cushion filled the fabric sides. (Experience really is the best teacher). Because the other chair also had snaps, I knew longer fabric would be necessary to make the new straps reach. (The other chair had three snaps on the top edge only, while this chair had two snaps on the top and two on the bottom).

Each cushion received a zipper in the back and bottom for easy removal if they require washing or dry cleaning. Making these type of seat cushions isn’t my favorite thing to do, but it is a great feeling to know that it is a skill I have developed with experience and a LOT of patience.