Upholstery Caturday!
Our sad, boring, stained, and ugly dining room chairs…
It started several weeks ago when I had finally decided to stop ignoring the fact that our dining room chairs were covered with permanent stains and were practically disintegrating from age and looked absolutely atrocious. Since we don’t actually eat in the dining room more than a couple times a year and the chairs are only about 5 years old, it remains a mystery why they are in such bad shape, but I vaguely do recall a time when I was using the sewing machine at the table and an adult beverage that I had next to me in a pretty bright pink color got knocked over by Zoey and Peanut who felt compelled at that time to chase one another via the table top and the liquid spilled into my pin cushion that was next to my sewing machine (a family heirloom with a needlepoint design that was made by my late Aunt), the fabric I was sewing to make some throw pillows (that had to be thrown into the washing machine), and all over the beige chair I was sitting on.
Then, there was that other time I was sewing some cute little Christmas ornaments that were decorated with buttons and another adult beverage (also bright pink) got knocked over by a cat (can’t remember which one, insert any name here) that sprayed and seeped into several chairs as well as inside the box where my hundreds and hundreds of loose buttons were stored (my Mom used to manage a fabric store, so I literally have a handful of every type of button you could imagine and have kept them for over 30 years). They were all floating in the magenta liquid and I had to put them in a colander to rinse them off – I tried as best I could, but they are still sticky to this day. I think there is a simple message here. I must drink clear liquids moving forward…
As usual, I digress. The point is, the chairs were pitiful and I decided a trip to the fabric store was in order. Does anyone want to raise their hand at this point to guess what type of print I wanted to cover the chairs in? Oh, never mind, even I know that’s a foolish question. Let’s just go shopping, shall we…
And just like that, we’re back. While this might be hard to believe, when it comes to leopard print, not all spots are created equal and I am extremely finicky when it comes to what I like. Especially when it comes to reupholstering six chairs that I will have to look at for years and years. The fabric store I went to looked as picked over as the day after Christmas at Wal-Mart and there was not a single print that even remotely qualified as suitable for what I had in mind.
Next step – type in the words “leopard print upholstery fabric” on the Internet and see what happens. Well, what happens made my leopard loving head spin and I was in heaven. Within minutes I had found the purrfect fabric of my dreams and could not have designed anything more lovely in my mind. Despite that, I am not one to throw money around loosely, so I ordered a sample swatch just to be sure before I ordered several yards of fabric.
When I got my sample a few days later, I just wanted to weep, it was so stunning and I nearly got whiplash for pulling out my credit card so quickly to place the order. About a week later I came home from work to find a long and bulky package waiting for me and clearly the kitties were as curious as I was as to what was inside!
Hmmm…. What have we here? L to R – Kizmet, Zoey, Zee, Mia, Harley, Peanut, and Rolz (looking appropriately bored as usual).
What must the kitties think? The fabric looks just like Zoey and actually even feels like her! Rather than some upholstery fabrics that can be stiff, this one is very soft, like a plush and luxurious bath towel!
Wow… The fabric was even more beautiful than I imagined and just like that, Dan and I had a weekend project. Oh yeah, that reminds me, I forgot to add that when you take on a reupholster project for a blog post that it also helps to have a handy fiancé who is also a really good sport. Not every guy is man enough to embrace leopard for the sake of the woman in his life and I really appreciate him for loving me so much that my happiness is far more important than the sensibilities of decorating with tact and decorum. But, in my defense as the pictures to follow will show, the chairs actually came out beautifully and look quite elegant, regal, and tasteful. The leopard pattern coordinates perfectly with the blonde wood of the chairs and matches the creams, browns, and blacks of the walls and curtains in the dining room as if it were decorated that way all along.
Here I am (with no makeup…yuck) using the chair cushion as a pattern to cut the fabric to recover the chair.
Out in the garage… Yah…. that’s me with a powerful staple gun in my hands. Got a problem with that?
Viola… a few hours later and we have a brand new dining room set that has Peanut’s seal of approval! I couldn’t be happier and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new chairs!
Oh how funny – you even have a leopard tank top!
That’s almost as awesome as seeing your wild little leopards help you with your DIY project!
Have a wonderful weekend – feel free to join us for Friendship Friday !:-)
Create With Joy – you mean you can find tank tops in other colors?! Thanks for dropping by and I will stop by to see your Friendship Friday!
How do you find the time for everything you do! I am in awe of your talent. And the photo of all the kitties on the table just goes to show that everything goes better with feline assistance!
Ingrid… that is a great question and I have no clue how I found the time!! I suppose it was the leopard fabric that inspired the urgency!
The chairs are now totally purrfect!!!
Brian, I could not agree more!!!!
Great job. The very best upholstery fabric is on-line. Even if you are using a professional upholsterer, it pays to order your fabric on-line. I have done that with the last three rooms where I needed to have things freshened up. Just don’t inadvertently sit down on any of your precious fur babies as they do seem to blend in beautifully. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josette
That is true Janet. I have been buying fabric on line almost since the minute the Internet was invented and have always been very happy with the results. I never like settling for anything and when you go online, the choices are virtually limitless!
Mom says this is a very timely post….she and Dad are thinking about re-doing our dining room chairs. Unfortunately, the stuffing inside needs to be replaced so it’s going to be a little harder to do.
The Florida Furkids
Hmmm, yes, Florida Furkids, that does make the project a bit more challenging. Hope it goes well for you once you decide to take the plunge!
I love this. I love leopard print. Happy Caturday!
Gorgeous, love the new look !! If you have little pieces of fabric you can sew up some cat nip toys for the fur children 🙂
Good idea, Deb C – as long as I do it without a drink next to the sewing machine!
Impressive my cat friend….IMPRESSIVE!!
(and almost sad that I knew Mr. Jazz was missing in the “group shot”…before I read the caption – lol)
Toni – we consider you one of the family, so it is no surprise you know Jazz was not in the shot!! He was supervising from below!
OhhhhhhhhhhhhhhI think the chair looks GORGEOUS! I want to see all of them! It is the purrfect print for you!
Hey girlfriend you are lookin’ waaaaaaay too skinny!!
EAT SOMETHING!
xoxoxo
Thank you Caren and I agree – I look like a skeleton. Trust me, it’s not because I am trying to lose weight or anything like that. I promise that I do eat, but sometimes I just don’t have an appetite and I get full after a few bites. I also have a very high metabolism and have always been thin because of it. Thank you for caring – I will be sure to gorge myself on cheesecake at BlogPaws – that’s one thing that I can always find room in my tummy for it eat!
Those chairs are purrrrrfect. I used to have a leopard couch that became a giant scratching post. I had it slipcovered but not in leopard. Happy Caturday 🙂
Purr…. a leopard couch! That must have been divine, Layla!!
Fantastic job, Deb! You keep impressing me with all these hidden talents. My dining room table chairs don’t have any fabric on them but I love one’s that do and your leopard print adds a certain panache! Peanut looks absolutely regal on one of the chairs.
Thank you Wendy. I have been sewing and crafting as long as I can remember! I was brought up under very frugal circumstances and I made most of my clothes because we could not afford anything else. Back then, fabric was actually economical. Now, I find that they really take advantage of sewers and the material is often so expensive that you can buy an outfit cheaper!
Now that’s love–chairs to match you! I need Siamese cat chairs!
Yes, I second that motion Chey – you DO need Siamese chairs!! As a matter of fact, I insist you have them!
Good for you to make all those chair seats. With that many cats, it is good that you can do that kind of stuff. Have a wonderful Saturday.
LOL Marg… I enjoy the help, but the cats sure do make any project take longer to do!
whoa!! now that is a project for sure…but look at all the snoopervision you had to make sure you did it purrfectly!
Well… purrfectly if you don’t look too closely, Savannah!!!
Wow! Wow! Wow!
I LOVE your “new” chairs!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Penelope!!!
Keep that up and the cats will have tons of places to hide in plain sight! woo woo!
MOL RumpyDog!! That is so funny!
What I’ve got from this (apart from noting the total magnificence of the finished project) is what is the fascination with pink liquid? Pink gin? Pink lemonade? Pink schtink? You are one classy lady, Deb!
CATachresis – very fair question regarding the pink liquid and I have a very logical answer. Because I am so health conscious, I make certain that my adult beverages count as one of the food groups – fruit. Each delicious cocktail that I make has its fair share of cranberry juice in it and when it is mixed with alcohol, it becomes a very pretty and delightful pink color.
Ha ha ha ha ha, oh, ha ha ha ha ha! It sounds so familiar! I laughed all the way through! It was so much fun, and you did wonderfully well for your first reupholstering experience!
I am not permitted food or beverages anywhere in the house but the kitchen–the boss lady here says so because long ago she got tired of cleaning up my messes. Lord knows I make enough of them in my daily work.
I may have to get myself one of those fiancé things so I can be in my own photos. But you look a lot better than I do with no makeup!
Bernadette – I got you laughing, and you have me laughing!! I can imagine your day is often like mine and that is one of the joys of a large, multi-cat family!
Until you do get one of those fiance things, maybe we can see you at a cat conference one of these days, then we can take plenty of pictures of you! Thank you for the kind words regarding the no makeup – I looked terrible, but a lot of it has to do with the fact I need some good old fashioned sunshine on my face… I’ve been cooped up in the house far too long!
You had lots of supervisors to help you. How cute. The chairs turned out really nice.
Thank you Sue – they were actually far better behaved than I thought they would have been. Once the excitement wore off, they got bored and went back to their all day nap-a-thon!
Those chairs are great now! The mom loves the fabric. The mom recovered some little benches she had and we snoopervised her, too. That’s what we cats do!
Thank you Island Cats – we are glad your mom loves the fabric – it really is such a fun print!