Adding Decorative Nailheads to Upholstery

I finally finished my first major re-upholstery. Yippee!! I have completed smaller projects like the slip cover for our nursery ottoman and glider and upholstered our dining room chairs, but nothing like this. The worst parts, honestly, were pulling the staples. Next in line would be the wings and T-Shaped cushion.

I first saw the chair at our local Goodwill one night and saw that it had been marked down from $25 to $10. At first glance, the chair was in good shape and I had been wanting to try reupholstering a piece for a while. My first inclination was to not buy the chair because the costs of reupholstering a piece can certainly end up costing more than just buying a new chair - a really nice one I might add. It all depends on the fabric.

So, I talked myself out of it. But, that's all I thought about the whole night. I even wished the chair to still be there so I could go buy it first thing the next morning. And, I did just that. I drove to the Goodwill, toddler in tow, and got that chair!!!

I knew the fabric was the next battle. Since this chair was going to go in our bedroom, I didn't want to spend a lot on fabric. So, I again loaded up the toddler and we went to a local fabric store. I browsed the rows of fabric not seeing anything I liked. I was about to leave disappointed when I spotted two rolls of remnant fabric in a bin near the back. I looked at the price - $3.48/yard!!! I almost hit the floor and I started looking around like I was a burglar so no one else would snag MY fabric as I tried to remove the roll from the bin and still keep little man upright in his stroller.

I prayed as I walked to the counter that there was enough fabric on the roll. It was!! 5 yards. I knew some of the fabric was not exactly 5 yards since this was a remnant piece, but I knew that the shorter pieces would work for the arms and wings of the chair. The other roll of the same fabric had 2 yards on it so I bought both -- just in case.

I am not going to bore you with a tutorial - an my camera flaked on me so I don't have all of the photos - Ugh!!. But, here is a really good tutorial I found that I basically followed:
{RE-Upholstering 101}.

Adding the Nail Head trim was an easy process once the fabric was attached.

I purchased the nail heads (not Nailhead Trim- there is a difference) at Joann's. They were $1.99 for a box of 24. I purchased 3 boxes just in case.

They were labeled as Upholstery Decorative Nails so I tried to just hammer them into the front of the arm one at a time with a hammer {a Rubber Mallet is on my tools wish list - using a metal hammer could damage the finish on the NailHeads}. When every NailHead broke with each swing of the hammer, I began to get really frustrated. 

I took a break from the chair and went inside the house {I work in the garage at night due to little man sleeping}. Ah, sleep!! My hubby who is a genius sometimes said I should use a Pilot hole. 

So, I began using Pilot holes. In essence, the wood was too hard for the NailHeads to get through along with all of the batting and fabric. I used the hammer and  a nail to drive a hole. I would then stick the NailHead into the same hole after removing the nail. You do need to be quick about this because the woven fabric will close up again quickly making the Pilot Hole invisible. 

Also, make sure you use a tool to measure the distance between each NailHead so they will look uniform. 

So, there you have it - how to add Decorative Nail Head Trim. 

Here are a few photos of the finished product: 

Decorative Nail Heads {Unfinished Chair}

BEFORE	AFTER

Goodwill Steal: My new adventure in re-upholstery

I have been wanting to broaden my sewing and re-upholstery skills for a while now. Our kitchen dining chairs have been upholstered, the glider and ottoman in Declan's nursery was re-upholtered and I have made a few drapery panels and pillow covers, but I have never tackled re-upholstery from beginning to end.

This project began as the first project for our new bedroom. It also began when I made a trip to our local Goodwill and discovered a Wing Back chair for $10!! I didn't buy it at first, but I did rush over the next morning and snag it up. It sat in the garage for a few days until I decided it needed to get going. I made a trip to a local fabric store and found two rolls of remnant fabric in the sale bins!! I was ecstatic! These rolls were only $3.48 each. I knew I needed at least 5 yards. The two rolls equaled 7 yards.  I spent a little over $30 for all of the fabric. This brought my total to $40! I thought this was a great deal.

After watching several youtube videos, reading several books and researching Pinterest and blogs, I decided I could probably do this.

A few pointers I have learned along the way:

1. Choose a sturdy chair:
Your chair can come from anywhere, but make sure you really look at it before making a purchase. Look at the fabric and make sure it is just worn or a bad choice of pattern and that the underlying foam is not damaged. Also make sure that the chair is sturdy. You don't want a chair that wobbles or has loose parts like arms or wings (for a wing back chair). As with wooden case pieces, also make sure that the legs of the chair do not have deep gouges that cannot be fixed. I also sat in the chair to see if the springs were still springy and I smelled the chair {I know, I know the people in Goodwill probably thought I was nuts!}. I wanted to make sure it didn't smell of mold or cigarette smoke.

2. Purchase fabric that will actually work well for a beginner project:
The rolls that I purchased were remnant rolls. Have the salesperson roll the entire roll out for you. The rolls I purchased were not complete yards of fabric. A couple of the yards on one roll were shorter because they had already been cut. This, I knew, would be okay for me since my chair is small. These shorter pieces will be used for the arms, sides and seat cushion.

3. Choose your pattern carefully:
An all over pattern will work as long as you buy extra fabric for pattern matching. You wouldn't want a large flower in the center of the chair back and the same flower to show up in a different place on the seat cushion. All over busy patterns, dots. paisley or a stripe will work well and will use the least amount of fabric matching. You also need to choose a fabric that works well for the piping if you add that to your chair. Some people cut fabric straight for piping since they don't need to be particular about matching and some people cut piping fabric on the bias {as for striped fabric}. Cutting on the bias uses a lot more fabric, but the stripes will match  up well.

4. Take your time:
It will be uber tempting to just slash that old fabric and rip it off the chair frame, but resist the temptation. I reached this point one night about 11 P.M. when my hands were sore, I had blisters on my thumbs and I still had a million staples to pull. You do not want to damage the current fabric because you will use it for your new fabric pattern.

5. Use safety measures: 
It may not seem like a dangerous task, but pulling old fabric from a chair can cause injury. Keep your eyes covered with safety glasses {Staples often break into pieces and pop out of the wood}. Wear gloves to help prevent blisters. {If you are using a flat head screwdriver or even a staple puller (if you can afford pricey tools, purchase a staple puller http://www.amazon.com/North-County-Tool-Repair-SR850/dp/B00AIH5PRS) to pry staples loose, push away from your body since you could slip and cut yourself}.

Have a container for staples so they are not on the floor or work surface and place tac strips away from the work area. {This chair had cardboard stripping full of staples, nails on the armrest and curve ease on the chair back}

6. Label 
As you remove the pieces of fabric from the chair, label them with a marker or tape. Label the position of the piece and add a number for the order you are removing them. You will reattach the new pieces in the reverse order. Also, take a LOT of photos and make notes. You will want to refer back to these photos as you reupholster the chair.


So, this is what I have learned. Now I need to get back to pulling staples. I am really ready to get the new fabric cut out and reattached!!

Chair Minus the Skirt

New Fabric

I look forward to completing this chair and blogging my experiences. I will not be doing a complete tutorial. There are so many out there already. I will just post links to my favorites! Stay tuned!

New Bedroom Oasis

Since I love any DIY project, I decided that my next should be reupholstering a chair. I have sewn slipcovers in the past {Nursery Glider and Ottoman Slipcover}, covered simple dining room chairs and I have also sewn draperies {Brown Bathroom Drapery Panel Fully Lined}. But, I have never completed a full re-upholstery from beginning to end. Finding a chair for $10 at Goodwill got my wheels rolling and what started as a new project quickly turned into a Master Bedroom Overhaul.

Since we have been in our home, a lot has gone into the planning of DIY projects to take our home from drab to fab {Our version of comfort and vision of what our home should be}. Being the designer that I am, I also have wanted to change a lot of things to make them better.

This goes for our Master Bedroom. When we moved in, we painted this room first and decorated it sparsely. The furniture in this room includes our bedroom set we purchased as a present to ourselves when we were first married {This was the only new furniture we bought}.

Over time, our bedroom has quickly evolved into a messy room where we don't find escape from our daily lives or the kind of comfort we really want {Our Oasis}. The ironing board stays up in one corner and overflowing laundry baskets often find their way into our room before I can get to them.

Our Master Bath has also become a toy box since we bathe our little man there {Wouldn't trade those toys for the most glamorous bath in the world!!!}

We both decided to give ourselves and our home a little Christmas present. We are putting money towards a new, glamorous Oasis instead of buying presents for each other {Ugg boots would be nice, but they are not a necessity}. It won't be a lot of money; though, since we are on a strict budget. We will cut costs with all of the labor and DIY all of the projects in the room. Pinterest is very, very DANGEROUS. LOL. And, we will shop at Goodwill and places like IKEA and Home Goods for accessories which can also be up-cycled with a little imagination.

So, the planning began and is still going. Here is the plan in a nutshell {without specifics- you will just need to wait for the big reveal of each DIY project as it goes into the room}. I am sure you are intrigued by now.

1. New paint color(s) {Paint ourselves to save on labor}

2. Wall treatment {DIY}

2. Ceiling treatment of some sort {Still working out the logistics of this since we have a vaulted ceiling}{DIY)

3. New seating area {See post on Goodwill Steal coming soon}with DIY chair, table and shelving for books

4. Seating Area Lighting {DIY}

5. Bedside Lighting {DIY}

6. Possibly add some sort of treatment to our current draperies {New would be too costly for our budget}

7. Possibly a new duvet cover for the bed {Purchased of DIY} I have never really found one I just fell in love with.

8. New pillow covers {Hubby has never wanted a mountain of throw pillows on the bed since it takes too long to find the bed at night, but I will throw a few I already have in this room with new covers.}

9. Furniture up-cycle {I really am not sure about this, our furniture is still in good shape.} I love to paint furniture that needs it and I know dark wood isn't "in style" these days, but I just can't bring myself to paint all wood. We will see as the project goes.

I will blog on each project as it is completed with Tutorials or links to tutorials with each. I will also try to keep track of all of the costs so you can see where we were able to save money.

Happy reading! I may not be posting as much in the coming months since we will be working in all of our spare time. Sorry hubby, but I will need you for a few things. Remember, I am height challenged : )

Master Bedroom As Is

You can see from the above photo that we have one accent wall and the rest of the walls are a tan color (too light). The furniture includes a sleigh bed, two nightstands, a dresser and a tall chest of drawers. The draperies are two different colors: the blue are nice, suede drapery panels from Z Gallerie (thanks to a gift card from my students one year). We had them in our apartment and I wanted to reuse them in our home, but they no longer sell the color : ( So, I added dark brown black out panels I found at Target. We also have two dogs so their beds stay in our room in front of the window. These will have to stay. The matching lamps came from Home Goods. The ceiling fan is from Lowe's and was installed by my dear hubby. The comforter (too small for the bed) is a winter level down comforter from IKEA as is the Duvet cover.

So, as you can see, it needs a major overhaul. I am excited about the finished product that now lives in my head. Can't wait to see it in person. Stay tuned!!