State Legislater Chairs {Part 4}
1:20 AM
They’re finished!
Now for the last tutorial on these chairs.
ATTENTION:
I totally mis-measured the original yardage for the double welt cording. I’ve updated the earlier posts, but in case you’re upholstering these Utah State Legislature chairs, you will need 6 yards of the double welt cording!
So at this point we have this chair that looks great, but as you get closer, you can see all these staples on the edges. So we’re the final (and easiest) step to reupholster!
To finish the exposed staples, there are different methods.
Hammering upholstery tacks was the original method on the leather.
Tacks are obviously used rather than all the stapling, so not really an option for these chairs at this point.
DECISION 1:
Decorative Edging
Ribbing
You can purchase finished ribbing that is finished and ready to go. This is great to add contrasting edging and more elaborate finishes, and a great option if you’re not into sewing
I didn’t choose this option due to the expense, it can get pricey, sometimes $3.00 per yard
Welt Cording
Purchase double welt cording by the yard, (between $0.25 - $0.80 per yard) and sew fabric over it as shown HERE.
Great to coordinate the fabric on the furniture with the trim. Making the welt yourself obviously takes more effort, but depending on your fabric, can be less expensive, which is why I chose this route.
DECISION 2:
Attaching to the Furniture
*The staples hold all the structure/ strength of the upholstery, so the edge finishes are completely decorative, and have no purpose other than making it look better by covering the staples. So you can just glue them on the chair.
FABRIC GLUE VS HOT GLUE
I went with hot glue for a few reasons:
-it sets fast, almost instant application
-cheap
-already had the supplies
Reasons I’d consider using fabric glue:
Thinner and Less Mess: Sometimes with the hot glue if you squeeze out too much, it will leave a raised area of your welting, or ooze out the sides…both of which happened on my chairs
I haven’t used the fabric glue, but the idea of having to hold it on there until it stuck made it seem too much of a pain so I went the hot glue. If anyone has used the fabric glue, let me know what you think.
So here we’ll go through using double welt.
Basically sewing fabric around the cording and glue it to the chairs.
You cut your strips on the bias, or a 45 degree angle from the selvage edge. The tutorial suggests cutting your strips 2.5” wide. Having more fabric makes it easier to sew, but I didn’t want to waste so much fabric, so I cut them 1.5” wide and it worked just fine for me—a little more effort to make the fabric snug against the cord though.
Finishing Double Welt
1. Measure the length on your chair that needs cording, and cut your raw cord the length needed for the specific area
2. Sew your fabric on the cord using this tutorial. **Make sure you leave about ¼” extra fabric beyond the ends of the cord
3. Hot glue the ¼” end of extra fabric under
4. Using a thin line of hot glue, glue welting right over the staples, lining it up with the edge
5. When you get to the end of your specific strip, glue the extra fabric under again and glue it down
So to make the chair, I would:
1. Measure and cut a few pieces of cord
2. Sew the fabric around cording
3. Glue on chair
4. Move onto the next areas
**The cording will unravel from each other, so I would cut a piece, then try to sew it right away. If you take your cord and just cut a bunch of lengths you’ll need, by the end it will be a challenge to keep the 2 cords tight as you sew—I learned from experience
Specific Process for the Utah State Legislature Chairs:
1. ARMS
Beginning on the back of the chair, glue welt down the outside of the arm, up over the front, and back along the inside of the arm. To finish on the inside of the arm rest, just glue the welting in the fold between the arm and back of the chair
2. ARM REST BASE
Along the front of the chair, you need these little corner welt pieces. Just fold the fabric under each end to have a nice finish
3. BACK
Glue welt along the rear back piece of fabric, covering the ends of the outside arms
4. BOTTOM
Beginning on the back, glue around the bottom base of the seat, coming across the front, and going back the other side and wrapping the last 2” on the back
So after is was all done, it ended up taking some time, but for me it was worth it to have the fabric I wanted and to save a lot of money.
9 comments
fantastico , genial como ha quedado.
ReplyDeleteroser
Congratulations, Jessica. The chairs turned out fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThose turned out great! Love them!
ReplyDeleteThose turned out so awesome! Now they have a double history, one for the State legislature of course and another from the fact that you made them, I'm sure they will be in your family for a long, long time.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog and I am thrilled that I did! Talk about inspiration! You have some incredible skills! I love the chairs. Your fabric is darling. Really wish that I could sew after checking out your blog. I can only glue gun.
ReplyDeletePlease, stop by sometime and say hello!
Happy MOnday!
I am so impressed! Can I hire you when we move in a couple months?
ReplyDeleteThanks. :)
They look great! Reupholstering IS very time consuming but in the end so fulfilling. I reupholstered my recliner a while ago and it still makes me smile every time I see it. I have pics on my blog too. I love how your chairs turned out.
ReplyDeleteI saw your link on the CSI Project, and just wanted to tell you I love these chairs! The fabric is gorgeous! I have seen a lot of chairs that I like in the past, but the whole reupholstering thing is very intimidating! You did a great job, though!
ReplyDeleteI love the way these turned out! AMAZING job! I am featuring your chairs on crazydomestic.com tomorrow! Feel free to grab our "I was featured" button!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, we love to hear from you!