One of you cutie pie readers wondered why recovering the dining room chairs was such a complete nightmare. And first, I will respond with the question:
Did you SEE those cushions??
I mean, there’s a reason why I allowed this to remain on our chairs for as long as I did. I knew, going in, that I was going to hate myself and my entire life the second I started that project. But I had a very important deadline approaching (of which you will learn about later – it’s thrilling, p.s.), and there wasn’t time to hire someone else. So, since you asked, these are the reasons why I would never do this ever again.
Exhibit A:
This is an acceptable amount of staples to put on the bottom of a seat cushion. I mean, where is that stuff gonna go? How many staples could it possibly need? The original upholsterer did not agree and put a solid line of staples around the entire perimeter, and I had to tear them out one-by-one with a pair of craft pliers on all six chairs. Murder.
Exhibit B:
That is a lot of piping. A LOT. And because I figured it was best to use the original rope inside–to ensure I had the appropriate lengths and everything–I completely ripped apart all six covers. And then, guess what? Not once, on one cushion, were they the right size. Leading to unfortunate sh*t like this. What? Also, have fun cutting out the fabric for all of that piping.
Exhibit C:
Look at those cut-outs. And then look away.
So anyway, my hands got seriously beaten up and I wanted to kill everything. Oh and the aforementioned reader wasn’t being an a$$hole, she just wanted to know if she should take on a similar project. And I would say, if you are full of self-loathing, then absolutely yes. By the way, you totally know I’m going to do this again right? I’m such a jerk, I know I will definitely convince myself to do this again.
Haha, this post fills me with all sorts of joy & loathing
I just decided a few days ago that I’m going to completely paint & reupholster my dining set, woooooo!
Hilarious! This reminds me of my experience recovering our dining room chairs (http://urbancholita.com/2010/11/12/do-it-your-own-fing-self/), and our cushions were nowhere near as complex. I wish I would have kept the piping on ours, but I definitely did not have the skilz back then to make it happen. I highly recommend a staple remover should you attempt this again.
Upholstery piping s-u-c-k-s. Sucks. I took an upholstery class and even with serious help from the instructor, I eff-ing hated it. Your chairs are gorgeous, though. Worth it, right?
Beautiful chairs! I totally don’t want to try this, but I’m impressed, they look great!!!
I love this. Just discovered your blog at refinery 29. I have 4 louis shaped rattan dining room chairs covered in shitty fabric… I can’t decide on a fabric to recover them in so we have been using them as is for the past 6 months, the piping does look fab! Maybe I pay someone else to do them…. Thanks for sharing – your blog’s a fun read!