If you ever go to secondhand shops in search of bargains, look beyond what you actually see. Sometimes you will find a treasure in disguise - as I did with a pair of tub chairs. Although they looked absolutely disgusting the frame was still sturdy and all that was needed was to replace the padding and recover.
At a cost of R75 each, fabric that cost R400, I now have two tub chairs that look new and cost me only R275 each and retail at approximately R1000!
You will need:
- Fabric to cover
Note:
Measure the item from side to side, top to bottom and 'guestimate' how much fabric you will need. I can't be precise here as every chair differs in dimensions and shape. Rather have too much fabric than too little - you can always make a cushion with the leftover!
- Extra thick batting
- Strip of felt
- Curved sail or upholstery needle
- Bosch Tacker or staple gun
- Needle and matching thread
- Pins
Here's how:
1. Strip off the old fabric and batting and remove any loose staples or pins in the framework. Unfortunately I wasn't able to remove this is one piece to use as a template for the fabric. I also removed the seat support to be able to get right down to the timber frame.
2. Position the batting over the entire frame without overlapping the layers, which will result in bulking of the batting and causing the cover to look bumpy. Start by placing the batting at the bottom of the chair and up and over the armrests back down to the bottom. Use your tacket to fasten the batting to the frame at the bottom (see right).
3. Lay the fabric over the batting, starting at the front arm rest, round the sides and back and to the other front armrest. Allow sufficient excess fabric to tuck and fold over the armrest.
4. Use your tacker to fasten the fabric to the underneath of the frame on the inside and then, pulling tight so that the fabric is taut, fasten to the underneath of the frame on the ouside. On both the inside and outside fold the fabric under. You will need an extra pair or hand here as you need to fasten and pull tight.
5. You will have a lot of excess fabric on the inside and the trick is to fold and tuck under into the curved corner so as to create a seam on both curved corners. It make take a lot of adjusting, but by pinning and smoothing as you go along, eventually you will get it right! Once the tucks are pinned, use a curved sail or upholstery needle to hand sew the pleats (see right).
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