This is the chair we bought on Craig’s List a lot of years ago.
It was pretty ratty even then, so you can imagine what ten years of living has done to it. I won’t qualify that with ‘living with two boys’ because it’s just living that has worn it to a fray, not a particular gender’s style of living (though we will never forget the Sharpie Sleepover incident, which ruined a perfectly good Pottery Barn canvas duck slipcover that had at least another ten years in it, and possibly, (maybe?) was related to the sex of the sharpie owner?)
My mother would have made a muslin mock up, stitched the whole thing together, and then taken it apart to use as pattern pieces. But remember, I am committed to keeping this simple. No muslin patterns. No piping. No zippers. Here is the near-trapezoid that I pieced for the armchair’s cushion. It is laid on paper, which will be cut to use as a pattern to cut the fabric for the back of the cushion (which will not be pieced).
I pieced this section laying the fabric directly on the cushion, which made it very easy for my simple brain to see what kind of allowances I needed, and how the pieced sashing would line up with the top. Here is the sashing, pinned in place.
A small pleat is necessary, even at the curved corners.
The back to the cushion cover will be in two sections, so as to allow the insertion of the seat.
Here is a temporary chair back — a quilt-in-progress that was folded up nearby.
Although I am open to using pieced sections in ways other than originally intended, I think this one will still be finished as a wall quilt — another installment in the “Global Warming Series”. I want the back of the chair to use the same fabrics as the cushion. Given my lack of upholstery experience, these next areas will surely be jerry-rigged!
After snapping the Craig’s List chair picture, I walked into the other room, and saw a “Middle Passage” work-in-progress serving as a temporary chair back. Happens all the time, and we have all been stuck with pins more than once!
Oh wow! That chair is going to be so happy! Can’t wait to see the finished results. Amazing! 🙂
How neat–a quilted chair to quilt in…older furniture is so well made–and comfortable, well-worth reupholstering…..Julierose
I never thought of that – but you’re right, Julierose – eventually I will be quilting in a quilted chair! And yes, the chair is sturdy and worth the time.
oh…this is so great. did you see the chair on facebook that Pokey Bolton bought just a little while ago? very similar to what you are doing…i’m sure she paid lots of bucks for hers.
No, but my sister clipped out a high-end designer picture of some chairs… I’ll snap pix of those and share.
Your irrepressible industry astounds me! It is going to be a masterpiece>
I don’t know about a masterpiece, but it WILL be an improvement.
Lovely! I’m glad you’ve got another chair to sit and look at this one in, however prickly 🙂 You’re like a little fabric dervish, whipping up marvels everywhere! Do you sleep?!
Yes, I sleep and I watch a fair amount of TV! Many of these things have been months in the works (though not the cushion).
Just checking!! I don’t have TV but I’ve yet to finish ANY of my projects, which my husband is eager to point out when I express an interest in starting something new…
very nice; I’m wondering how you’re going to fix it?! wondering because I’ve made a patchwork cover for a chair back home, in two parts so I could remove and wash it (I was being practical, but have never washed it) but this does mens the seating part keeps slipping forward….so I’ve been rethinking and have until now not found a solution.
Hopefully you’ll show the way! cheers
The back panel will be one piece, that slides under cushion and down the front, with yardage to stuff and secure with cedar slat in the crevasse between cushion and back of chair… for the rolled arms, I’m not sure yet. I may have to make some sort of sleeve and resort to a staple gun. We’ll see!!!
Love the chair and its new facelift (or should that be ‘chairlift’?), but I REALLY like the drawings … did you them? =D
yes, the drawings are mine and thanks for the thumbs up on the slipcover…