New flair for an old chair
By Justina Blakeney
Published: July 21st, 2008 | 10:20am
It’s easy to find chairs with nice shape and dingy coverings. I bought this one at a garage sale for $5. It's a darling swivel chair with a great vintage shape, but the vinyl covering was all stained and discolored.
To transform this chair from just fine to divine I used a few simple techniques …
1. Unscrew the bottom portion of the chair from the top portion.
2. Spray-paint the bottom portion white, and let it sit to dry.
3. Make a paper pattern of the cushion portion and the back portion of the chair by laying down the paper over the cushion and using chalk to create the outline of the shapes.
4. Use a sharp scissors to remove all of the old vinyl. Select an old beach towel to use as the fabric for the re-upholstery. Cut the perimeter off of the towel (adding a 1-inch seam allowance) and put it aside.
5. Cut out the shapes on the towel from the paper pattern, adding a 1-inch seam allowance on all of the sides of each shape.
6. Sew the pieces together, using the perimeter of the towel that you cut off as piping. Sandwich the piping in between each seam and sew it on, being careful to sew right side in so that no raw edges are showing.
7. After all of the sewing is complete and the base of the chair is dry, use a staple gun to fasten the new beach-towel cover to the chair.
PROJECT TIME DURATION: less than two hours
COST: $8.50
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Venus Zine DIY Editor Justina Blakeney and her sister Faith Blakeney are the designers behind Compai, a crafty design studio and eco-clothing label. With a focus on sustainable design and DIY, Compai has authored three books, collaborated with companies like Artemide and Elio Fiorucci, and has been seen on the pages of Vogue Italia, Adorn Magazine, Glamour Italia, the San Francisco Chronicle, on The Today Show, and, of course, Venus Zine. Check out what all the fuss is about at compai.com. E-mail feedback to justina [at] venuszine.com.
View more of Justina Blakeney’s work at on venuszine.com here.
Issue #32
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