Monday, April 2, 2012

French Chair makeover (and again)

I've had this French chair with a wicker back and upholstered seat in the works for a long time, since November last year and I'm finally happy with the outcome. 


I bought this little chair at auction and it was in a sorry state. The wicker was all discoloured, the upholstery was filthy and the wood was not looking too good.  

 

I painted the chair with my home-made chalk paint, waxed it and reupholstered in it a drop sheet. I thought it was a little bare and bland so I never bothered to add the trim as I knew I wouldn't leave it as it was. 



Then in January I bought a Paris stencil from Maison de Stencils and thought this chair would be a good candidate.  The stencil is lovely and cost $40. Maison de Stencils has a fabulous range. go check them out here.

 

However I didn't like it. I thought it was a bit too tacky/try-hard.  Really not my style. So I finally worked out what I needed to do. I've not seen this done before and I am beyond happy with it.  

A woven drop sheet!

This was quite time consuming - all afternoon - but I was able to use a drop sheet I had on hand. The colour of the drop sheet perfectly matches the paint I've used on the wood, but the woven pattern gives it some interest.  I even made my own binding using the sewn edge of the drop sheet.


To ensure that the woven fabric doesn't pull apart, I've used a little glue from the glue gun along the joins. The glue isn't visible but it will mean the weave will be durable) and will be safe from prying little fingers. 



To make the trim I just rolled up some a strip on the edging seam of the drop sheet and then glued it together and then glued it on to the chair. It looks great! 


The corners were very tricky to get looking good especially as there was a lot of material to deal with but I think it's turned out okay.




So what do you think?

I'd love to hear about some of your projects that have taken a long time to get right. Come on make me feel better about how long this has sat in the corner of our bedroom half finished!


cheers 
Fiona

57 comments:

  1. So cool, I reckon that this post is going to go all around blogland!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Karen, well that would be exciting! I've been thinking about doing this for months now but it's taken me a while to get my head around how I would do it and also to get time to do it. but I really love it.

      Delete
    2. I've been in the upholstery biz for 35 yrs and think this is so cute. Drop cloth is popular for slipcovers and I'm looking forward to doing this on some dining seats. Like that you used edging instead of double welt.

      Delete
    3. I've been in the upholstery biz for 35 yrs and think this is so cute. Drop cloth is popular for slipcovers and I'm looking forward to doing this on some dining seats. Like that you used edging instead of double welt.

      Delete
  2. Super cool! I was thinking of doing this with another type of fabric & dropcloth never crossed my mind. How wide did you cut your strips? Did you weave it all first & then cut/shape it to the chair? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi. thanks very much! I'll do a post on how I did this in the next couple of days. I weaved (wove?) the fabric first but on the chair and then stapled and then cut. it is much easier to do on the actual chair as I wanted it to fit well around the corners and I was able to manipulate the width of the edge strips so it all looked good. very fiddly...

      Delete
  3. oh i totally love this solution! it's creative and has great texture!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cassie. I like the texture of it also. Worth the effort, especially when I'm keeping it for our house.

      Delete
  4. Genius idea for the weaving! It looks just right!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Replies
    1. Thanks Marita, I've been thinking about it for months, working out in my head how I could do it all neatly and nicely.

      Delete
  6. That is seriously amazing! I love it!!! Megan

    ReplyDelete
  7. Soooo attractive! How did you make the stips that your wove together?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janie - thanks, I ripped up drop sheet and folded it. I'll do a tutorial in the next few days.
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  8. I love the revamp! The basketweave cushion is gorgeous!
    Hope you'll link up to my party!
    http://www.vintagemauve.com/2012/04/02/mauvin-monday-6-link-party/

    ReplyDelete
  9. It really does look beautiful - and you did a great job! Those corners are perfect!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Catherine - and thanks for noticing the corners, LOL. They took a lot of fiddling!

      Delete
  10. Replies
    1. thanks Adrianne! much appreciate you stopping by and commenting. have a lovely weekend.
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  11. Absolutely gorgeous! The weaving really adds fabulous texture and pattern.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Aimee, it really changes the chair completely doesn't it!

      Delete
  12. Aren't you clever! It looks amazing Fiona :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Meg! How are you? You've been very quiet lately...

      Delete
  13. Oh my gosh this is amazing and absolutely gorgeous. I mean, I have to admit the stenciling was quite nice but this basket weave is elegant and brilliant. Thank you for this wonderful post! I would love it if you would share this at our What’s It Wednesday blog party. Hope to see you there.

    Paula
    ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Paula -i'll link up. much appreciate your comment.
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  14. Love it, Fiona! Very creative and unique with the basketweave design. I like how you did the "cording".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Kathy, and I knew there was a better word than trim. couldn't for the life of me remember. have a lovely easter,

      Delete
  15. Wow, this looks great. Very pretty .I would love for you to stop by My Dream Canvas.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You did such a beautiful job on your chair. I never would of thought of weaving drop cloths. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks! I love how much texture and interest it adds.

      Delete
  17. This is AWESOME! And I totally love the look, the texture....LOVE IT!


    Lou Cinda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Lou Cinda, I'm going to do another one with a tutorial so stay tuned. Happy Easter.
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  18. I absolutely LOVE the weaved fabric on the seat. The chair looks amazing! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  19. totally gorgeous!

    hope you'll stop by my blog where i'm hosting a great giveaway:
    http://hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-giveaway.html

    smiles.

    michele

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love the look of this chair! The weave of the fabric really makes it stand out. Great job!
    I would love for you to share this with my Unveil Your Genius Link Party! (New linky every Thursday). Here's this week's linky link:
    http://taylornorris.blogspot.com/2012/04/unveil-your-genius-link-party-5.html

    Happy Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my goodness... gorgeous! I absolutely LOVE it and I'm with you... the Paris stencil was nice but just wasn't the right look for this chair! :)

    Tania

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Tania. much appreciate you stopping by and commenting. I really love the chair now and I've used the stenicl on other things and it looks much better!
      have a great weekend.

      Delete
  22. Wow! That is a really fantastic seat cover! The entire project is beautiful, but I love something a little different and the woven seat is awesome!

    Thanks for sharing!
    --Katie
    @ Creatively Living

    ReplyDelete
  23. That looks great. I will be featuring it tonight at my Swing into Spring party that opens at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I've Been Featured button. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much Judy - i put the featured button on my facebook! love your party. hope all is well with you,

      Delete
  24. What an awesome idea! I am pinning this for future inspiration! Thanks for sharing.

    blessings,
    karianne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Karianne for commenting - sorry for my slow reply! much appreciated.

      Delete
  25. I love the way the weaving looks! As I sat here staring at it I thought it would look fantastic to do this on a bigger scale on an accent wall! Hmmm.... How can I pull that off! I can see it in my minds eye but not to sure how I can do it! Thanks for inspiring me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks LL, it would look amazing on a big scale. if you do something can you please send me a picture? I am glad to be able to inspire you!
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  26. I love the weave, it is so different. It really looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Tina - I am so in love with this chair. LOL. it makes me smile every time I walk past it.
      have a lovely day
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  27. Wow, I love this...it's just beautiful!

    I would love if you would post it and share it with my readers! Join the Community and share any of your creative project!

    Susan @ Oh My! Creative

    ReplyDelete
  28. Fiona,

    This is truly amazing! I've pinned. And I may need to borrow this idea and make a woven drop cloth pillow for my drop cloth designs Etsy shop! I'm truly inspired ...

    :)

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Linda - glad to inspired - send me a link when you've finished. I'd love to see what you do
      cheers Fiona

      Delete
  29. I adore drop cloth have always loved the "woven look" It's amazing what you have done with this chair - you have truly taken it from trash to treasure!
    I have an unfinished woven pillow that you have just inspired me to finish! Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Mimi and welcome to Lilyfield Life! I am so in love with this chair even a few months later. It's in our bedroom and I see it all the time but appreciate how it looks still! I'd love to see your pillow when you've finished. can you send me a link?
      cheers Fiona

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com