Ghost Chairs

Apologies for being disconnected for a couple days, I was dealing with some sort of flu/fever/coughing/annoying/glad it's almost over situation...  In the meantime, I have been plotting the design of my dining area with a friend and concluded that I NEED to have these chairs. The Victoria Ghost Chair by Kartell. They seem to go for several hundred dollars each. (the "original"ones anyway...) the ebay reproductions will suit my purposes just fine. 

Now also searching for the perfect couch for my perfectly small, fantastically beautiful space. more will be posted of this whole process as is goes on.

THE Bench.

I found this little beauty on Craigslist about 2 months ago, paid $20 bucks for it. After driving around with it in the back of my VW Golf, I finally brought it inside. Then, I proceeded to stare at it for about a month. I think I was possibly a little overwhelemed with the idea of it... but finally i tackled. Before I go any further, I will state that I have never done anything like this before. I armed myself with an electric staple gun, many staples, a couple different size screwdrivers, needlenose pliers.. and that about it. no fancy upholstery tools.

Flipped the sucker over, and got to work.

I started taking out staples... then I took out some more staples...

This next part is contains one of the few components I reused. It is the metal piece that attaches the sides or backs of chairs and sofas without showing seams.  it has prongs and gets hammered in. Oh well, i will figure out what that is called some other time.

So, here is my advice for this whole process. after taking the whole thing apart, dont wait 3 weeks to put it back together. You will forget the order things need to go back on. I'm just sayin.

First things first, I painted the legs with Rust-oleum Lacquer paint in Black.. I was pretty happy with the finish, except it dripped easily. But I think that just means I have to work on my technique. :)

The fabric I chose to re-cover the bench with was much thicker than the original, so a little compensation had to happen when cutting the pieces. (which were of course cut from the fabric removed as a pattern) I cut the new pieces just a bit bigger than the previous ones.

Starting with the arms, i placed one of the old pieces on to better understand how the folds went. It worked really well!!!

The Buttons for the arms presented a challenge. The fabric was too thick to fit inside the button, so I got creative and sewed and hot glued the fabric on.

The piping on the front and back also created a challenge... I dont currently have a sewing machine, and I was not about to hand sew the piping which i created with some hot glue and a little love, to the attaching piece of fabric. my next idea comes in: Hem tape. This worked well until I had to staple that piece of fabric to the bottom and it started pulling... hence exhibit A:

(I will fix this later.. more to come)

And now, presenting.... my first completed project!!!

Linking to:

http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/

http://www.houseofhepworths.com/

http://www.paisleypassions.blogspot.com/
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/

In the begining there was me... and some stuff I bought to re-finish.

I have embarked on my first refinishing project. A little about me.. I am a 20- something year old girl that is discovering many new things about life. In a way, just starting to live. I want to share my new love for re-finishing things for my home, and my experiences in trying new things.

At this particular moment, I am on a learning journey about refinishing things. from re-upholstering, to painting, maybe a little electric work... who knows. When I get an idea, I will do a little research, ask around and get to it. I want this blog to be a bit of a "how to" with some personal touches added for fun.

I currently live in an adorable rented cottage, so no major remodeling will be occuring... but I am in love with all things Hollywood Glamour and luxurious. Crystal, mirrored furniture, laquered pieces, silk, sheers, etc. I love it all and am slowly creating my own glamourous space, piece by piece.

My first project is this lovely bench...

THE BENCH. (sorry for the poor quality pic, this was pre-camera)

More to come later...