I’ve done some research and thought I would try a few suggestions on how to restore damaged leather seats.  

I started with Chair 1 and a product that I had on hand:  Neatsfoot oil. 

I’m not really sure when I bought it or for what project.  But it was on hand so I started with this.  

Here is one coat:

Here is two coats:

And here is three coats:

Apparently the leather really needed to be moisturized.  I never treated it at all.  Lesson learned!

                                                                               
 

I am pleased with this but will be trying several other methods as well.  Next up will be saddle soap.  I have 5 more chairs and 5 more methods to test!

The post How to Restore Leather Seats appeared first on Shop at Blu.

This year I pulled out my cushions and they were so sad!  The Alabama sun has bleached the fabric and since I “splurged” last year, I refuse to splurge again this year.  

Here is one outdoor cushion at the end of last year’s season.  Prepare yourself…they are dirty even after spritzing with bleach and water.  There is not even a sign of the cute pink and white buffalo check pattern that once rested on the surface.  Dirt and debris settled into the tufts and permanently stained the fabric.

I even scrubbed the cushions gentlywith a mixture of bleach and water.  It was after I took the time to scrub them that I decided I was still going to use them.

I get so tired of dirty cushions! So I decided to grab some paint and get to work. This seemed like a cost effect and quick solution to renew my cushions. 

I have painted other fabric pieces, most notably a sofa.  You can read about the sofa upstyle HERE.  Painting fabric can be tricky.  The best advise I can offer is to practice first.  Read up on various techniques and then actually try them yourself BEFORE you jump into your main project.  

Since these cushions will remain outside, I was not worried if they did not have a soft texture.  Actually, if you use straight paint, without diluting it with water, the final texture on the fabric will usually feel stiffer than fabric and more like vinyl.  For my outdoor cushions, this would be perfect.  A stiffer texture would allow them to be easily wiped off or hosed down…depending on how vicious our rains should be here in Alabama this season.

I had some of my sweet friend Kellie Smith’s paint left over from a previous project.  Kellie is the creative genius behind Velvet Finishes.  I grabbed some VIVID and a brush and got busy.

And here they are now, completely refreshed with VIVID, a vibrant red from the Velvet Finishes paint line.

I still have a little touching up to do and I will be painting the chairs with a fresh coat of white.  But in the meantime, these beauties are brightening up the deck!

A fabulous group of my blogger friends are linking up their projects in The Inspired Makers Challenge:  The Outdoor Edition.  Check out the projects below and enjoy the inspiration!

Lisa @ The Purple Hydrangea | Kim @ Farmhouse Made | Sarah @ 1915 House
| Denise @ My Thrifty House | Anika @ Anika’s DIY Life
Kellie @ Gratefully Vintage | Sam @ Raggedy Bits |
Leanna @ Faeries and Fauna |
Victoria @ Dazzle While Frazzled

The post Quick outdoor cushion upcycle appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Our generous sponsor this month is Spoonflower.  We were invited to select a fabric of our choice so I chose Fletching Arrow/Northern Lights Grey:

Spoonflower has so many beautiful patterns and fabric selections.  You can even submit your own patterns to create original fabric designs!  Their fabrics are vibrant, colorful and inviting.  Check out their wonderful selection here.

Sponsorship Disclosure:  Some or all of the hosts of The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest receive monetary and/or product compensation from the sponsoring brand, Spoonflower, in order to complete their themed projects. Spoonflower will also provide the prize package for the contest winner.

Where to Begin

The instructions state to wash the fabric first.  After drying it, I spread it across the chair wrong side to chair and began pinning the fabric to fashion a slip cover.

I was relieved to discover that the back of this modern upholstered chair was removable.  It was connected with two nuts and bolts.  So I easily disassembled the chair.

Once I removed the back of the chair, it was easier to replace the fabric.  I used a pin and tuck method on the bottom of the chair to fashion a slipcover.  Then I simply stapled the fabric to the bottom of the chair.

The top was a little more complicated because of the curved back.  So I had to sew a few darts to fit the form.  The project went more smoothly than I had expected.  Thank the Good Lord for removable chair backs!

The Final Reveal

I am super happy with the results.  Now to decide which of my kids get this beauty in their room!

This project was created as part of The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest, a monthly contest where bloggers are challenged to flip a piece of furniture using products provided by a wonderful sponsor.  

 

This is my second entry into an upholstery challenge.  You can read about the first one here.  Let me say that upholstery is challenging, to say the least.  My first project was very humbling.  But with each attempt, I learn new skills.  So have faith and give it a try!  Start with something small like a chair seat or a simple ottoman.  Build your skills and then attempt more challenging projects.  

A special thank you to our hosts and especially to Spoonflower for providing such  a wonderful array of fabric choices for this project!

I am sharing this post with the following blog hops:

Another Loverly Blog Hop:  Take a Seat is graciously hosted by Juliet of A Loverly Life.

Stephanie at Gathered in the Kitchen

Nicole at Adorn the Table

Ikorn Crafts

A Loverly Life

The post Modern Upholstered Chair with Modern Flair! appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I am all about creating things I love for my home at a fraction of what it would cost to buy new!  So when Gina Luker of The Shabby Creek Cottage tossed out a Drop Cloth Challenge to a bunch of bloggers I was ready!  I needed a quick and easy drop cloth project.  I have been drooling over all of the farmhouse pillows that are everywhere on Pinterest and Instagram these days.  Time to make some for me!  And really…can you ever actually have too many pillows???  I think not!  What an easy way to update your decor in a few minutes! Simply switch out your pillows!  Better yet…use a Drop Cloth as fabric!

I recently had someone consign an estate at my store, The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment.  I love handling estates!  It’s like Christmas Day!  You just don’t know what you are going to find.  Every time I grab another box or bag of goodies I get excited.

Donna, a friend of one of my dealers, had recently moved and decided to down size.  She had some fabulous Mid Century decor items.  In the lot, I found two 22 inch pillow forms!  Perfect for this Drop Cloth Challenge!  It’s been a busy month at the store so, again, I chose an easy project…Drop Cloth pillow covers!  I wanted to make changeable pillow covers so I could keep the same pillow forms, switch out the covers according to the season and store the covers flat when I am not using them.  No big clunky pillows to store from season to season…just the cover.

Supplies for Drop Cloth Pillow Covers

One drop cloth, any size

Scissors

Sewing machine

Silhouette Machine (for stencil) but you can free hand your design

Black craft paint

Small paint brush

Two 22 inch square pillow forms

I had a huge section of Drop Cloth left over from a project from April  when I recovered an ottoman.  It was a pretty complicated project for me, being my first upholstery project with real cording and all.  Read about it here.  I’m still snickering about that project!  It was for the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest and the theme was Mix N’ Match.  What do I do?  A plain Drop Cloth ottoman, no pattern, no color, nothing mixing and matching!  I was so overwhelmed by the actual upholstery project that I solely concentrated on just that…getting the darn thing completed.  Well, live and learn is the lesson!  It turned out pretty good for my first project but I certainly did learn a lot in the process!

I have basic sewing skills.  Translation:  I can pretty much sew a straight line.  So this project needed to be simple.

The Drop Cloth that I had was so huge that it was actually pieced in the middle.  I really liked this seam so I decided to use it in my pillow for added character.

Getting Started with a Plan

I cut  three 24 inch x 24 inch squares out of the Drop Cloth.

One square will be the front, the other two will comprise the back with a pocket so I can slide the pillow form in and out easily.  Sounds simple, right?

Time to Sew!

I finished one edge on each of the back pieces.  Note:  I did take a shortcut since one piece of the Drop Cloth had a finished edge already!  Yay!  I love shortcuts!

Next, I folded this over to create the pocket.  I sewed it into place.

I did the same to the second back piece.  Then I simply sewed all of the edges of the four sides together making sure to have my pretty sides facing each other.

I turned the cover inside out.  To my surprise, the pillows fit perfectly!  And I had a beautiful pillow cover, pocket and all!  I removed the pillow forms to apply the stencil to the fronts.  I used my Silhouette machine to create a stencil for my first pillows.  I simply selected a few messages that I like.  I used black craft paint to stencil the sayings onto the pillows.

Hopefully these pics make sense.  This was soooo much easier that I thought it would be!

The only snag in this whole project occurred when I wanted to stage the pillows.

Apparently I didn’t realize it was nap time!   Her Highness does not like to be interrupted during nap time!

This project was so very easy that I will be making many more pillows!

The post Drop Cloth Decor appeared first on Shop at Blu.

This is our ugly olive colored ottoman.  We bought it new with a living room suite when we moved to Alabama…almost FOURTEEN years ago!  It is about as worn down as an ottoman can get.  Kids, cats, dogs, feet, even a ferret have contributed to the demise of this ottoman.  But I still love it because of the size and durability!  I thought it would be a great project for learning how to reupholster an ottoman.

About two years ago, I bought a drop cloth from Lowe’s with the intention of slip covering all of the olive furniture.  I didn’t want to waste money on expensive fabric if my reupholstering skills turned out to be non existent.  Everyone was using drop cloths for slip covers because of durability and ability to throw them in the washing machine.  So I decided to try this.  Um…that never happened. What better way to test my abilities than with this ottoman!  Easy right???   Here we go!

I was fortunate to obtain a replacement foam top from Fairfield World, the sponsor of the March Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest.  I received this foam free in exchange for writing this post on how I used their product.  More about this fabulous sponsor and wonderful contest at the end of this post.

I must admit that I was very intimidated by the thought of this project. A little history on my sewing experience…I’ve dabbled.  I’ve made Halloween costumes for each of my 5 children.  Over the course of 20  years I have made 4 complete and 3 partial costumes.  On a PASS/FAIL scale, they would rank just barely over the PASS ranking.  But PASS is PASS, am I right?  I can mend simple clothing fails.  I can hem most pants, skirts, dresses.  By hem I mean the bare minimal hemming!  I do buttons and darning.  I have successfully applied patches to shirts, vests and uniforms for 3 cub/boy scouts and 2 brownie/girl scouts.  So what I’m saying is I can do the basics.

As the deadline loomed closer, I delayed.  Finally, I searched the web for instructions on how to reupholster an ottoman.  I selected this video by Kim’s Upholstery .  I was planning to outline all of my steps but there is no chance that I can do that as eloquently or thoroughly as this video…she simply nails it!  You’re welcome! That makes this post so much more simplified for all of us!  I watched Kim’s Upholstery video from start to finish and I realized, I CAN DO THIS!  That video totally lined up all of the steps and gave me the confidence to tackle this project.

SUPPLIES

I already had my drop cloth.  I purchased 10 yards of cording from Hobby Lobby.  I cut my fabric per the video instructions and I dusted off the sewing machine.  To create the cording , I needed the zipper foot for my sewing machine.  I knew that it came with one but I had never used it.  I googled zipper foot to see what I was looking for.  Okay…that looked familiar.  I had what looked like the two parts for the foot and was able to assemble and attach it to the machine.  Ten minutes later, I had my completed cording!  Easier than I thought!

DISASSEMBLING THE OTTOMAN

This step was easy.  I flipped the ottoman over, unscrewed the legs, removed the dust cover, and pulled the fabric off of the bottom.  The ottoman cover is actually a slip cover that is slipped over the ottoman and stapled in place on the underside.  The most complicated part of this project would be making the pouch in which to insert the replacement foam cushion.  All of these steps are outlines in the video above.

I had alot of help with this project.  This is Levi, his job was to protect the integrity of the ottoman by guarding the removed cover.

This is Mia.  Her job was to protect the integrity of the new fabric by remaining with it at all stages of the project.  She was on it, in it, under it…

This is Bella.  Apparently she is the mechanical engineer.

And this, of course, is Pop!  He is pretty much in charge of whatever he wants to be in charge of and he refused to be upstaged by the pets.  Here he is smoothing out the drop cloth.

Things I learned during this project:

• If I’m going to continue on this path to upholstery, I need an industrial machine. I broke 8 sewing machine needles.
• Always have at lease 2 spare seam rippers. I wore out one seam ripper.  Mia ate another.
• My scissors need sharpening.
• Sections of my cording are as crooked as Ridge Avenue (shout out to my Philly Roxborough friends).
• 75% of my corners look great.
• I need to work on my measuring and seam allowances.  Apparently that age old phrase muttered so frequently by all of the DIY experts and woodworkers is transferable to sewing…Measure twice and cut once.  I over estimated resulting in saggy sections.
• I will never, ever, under any circumstances critique another upholstered piece of furniture with cording that is not perfectly uniform.  Trim is a daunting and seemingly impossible task.  In this case, close is a win!

Remember that this is my very first attempt at trim/cording and any sort of upholstery that involves sewing!  That said, I think I did pretty well.  Here she is:

Did you notice the STRAIGHT sections of cording???  The flat surface on top?  The taunt fit of the base?  ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE MY FRIENDS!!!  And remember that practice makes perfect!

I have completely stepped outside of my comfort zone with this project and I am really satisfied with the results, wonky wavy trim and all!  Thank you to the FFFC for pushing me to venture into new arenas!  I have definitely built my confidence with this project, as well as my skills.  I will continue to try to master the cording and covering of ottomans.  My next task will be to slip cover the chair that matches the ottoman.  Don’t look for this anytime soon as my fingers need to heal from the staple and needle pricks.  I also think that a stenciling project will be needed in the future because of the light color of this fabric combined the high traffic use for this ottoman.  At this point I am wishing I took advantage of the second contest sponsor Spoonflower, a company that helps you make custom fabric, wallpaper and gift wrap.  Just imagine the possibilities!  Mind boggling!

ADVICE FOR NEW UPHOLSTERERS

Do your research!  Watch videos to become familiar with terminology and techniques.  I have watched several of Miss Mustardseed’s Upholstering videos.  Marian has an entire library devoted to this art.  Kudos also to Amy Chalmers of Maison Decor for the great video she made while reupholstering a beautiful french chair.  My advice for those of you considering a project is to watch as many videos as possible.  Start small and work your way up to larger and more complicated projects.

As I stated previously, I tackled this project in conjunction with the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest.  This is a monthly contest in which bloggers are challenged to complete a furniture project utilizing products from a fabulous sponsor.

The theme for the March contest was Mix and Match.  The sponsor was Fairfield World.  They have a wonderful selection of foam, batting, fabrics, interfacing, fillers, and pillows.  I selected replacement foam for the top of my ottoman.  It fit perfectly!  I will be ordering more from them as I continue on this journey to update my living room furniture.

Our hosts for the contest this month are Charlotte from Ciburbanity, and Colleen from 58 Water Street.  Be sure to check out their wonderful projects as well as all of the entires for this month’s Mix and Match contest!

If you are a blogger and are interested in participating in future FFFC, send an email to  info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com!

Please share some pictures of your first upholstery project!  We all need encouragement!

And thanks for stopping by!

The post A First Attempt at Upholstery – How to Reupholster an Ottoman appeared first on Shop at Blu.

So far I have sprayed dressers, chests, bookshelves, picture frames, lamps, signs, chairs…it would probably save time if I listed items that I haven’t sprayed with my Finish Max!  This product saves sooooo much time on pieces with great detail like chairs, and wicker, and porch swings.  I decided to use my sprayer on something totally unconventional:

A sofa!  Why not??!!

Have you ever tried to paint fabric?  It takes a while and many many coats of paint!  So I figured why not save some time and energy and give the ol’ Finish Max a whirl!!!

I have painted several fabric items in the past.  Not every project was a success.  There is definitely a learning curve involved with painting fabric.  I have used plain latex paint…don’t try that!  And I have used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint…which worked well but the paint is a little more expensive.  So this time, I tried my own home made version of chalkish-like paint.  And I am pleased to say that it went rather well!

I used a recipe that I found online several years ago using unsanded grout, water, and latex paint.  I don’t have an exact recipe, rather I approximate and it usually turns out fine.  I use about 1 cup of water mixed with 2 heaping teaspoons of unsanded group.  I mixed this in a small beverage blender until smooth.  Then I added about 3 cups of latex paint in whatever color I desired.  I blended this very well in the blender.  Then I strained the mixture right into my Finish Max paint container.  The mixture was more watery than regular paint.  All of the reviews I have read about painting fabric stress that you must keep the fabric moist and the paint watery.

First step, before I filled my paint container, I used my Finish Max to spray the sofa with water to dampen the fabric.  I simply filled the Finish Max paint container with water and liberally sprayed the entire sofa.  I made sure the entire sofa was wet and then I dumped out the water and filled the paint container with my home made paint.

I started on the back of the sofa to test the process.  I figured I needed to practice to I should start on the back.  Once coat was barely noticeable.

I feared my home made paint would not be suitable so rather than continue with the entire sofa, I let that part dry and then did a second coat.

The second coat covered better and by the third coat I was more confident that the project would be a success so I completed the first coat on the remainder of the sofa.  I let that dry thoroughly and continued with a second and then a third coat.  By the end of the third coat, the sofa was covered nicely and I simply had to add more paint to several area to even out the coat.

 I was amazed at how well the paint covered the burgundy fabric!  The finish seems durable.  I did not sand between coats.  The final texture is not super soft fabric but rather a firm giving texture, if that makes sense.  A final coat of furniture wax made this baby ready for use!  This is a great technique for someone with a small budget who owns a sofa with great bones but a hideous fabric print!

Here are some close ups of the final product:

Thanks to this month’s hosts from The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest, Evey of Evey’s Creations and Lynn of Fern Avenue.  Check out their posts for the Spray it Pretty contest HERE and Here.  If you are super creative and would like to participate in future FFFC projects, get more info HERE.

And thank you again to Homeright for providing me with this wonderful time-saving tool!  I hope to be carrying these beauties soon at my store, The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment!

The post Spray It Pretty! Paint Fabric-a sofa! appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I’ve had this gorgeous vintage sofa in my store for probably 4 years now!  I was immediately smitten with the beautifully carved wood.  Even the gaudy gold didn’t turn me away since I have an uncontrollable love for things Italian-made like these items currently in my store, The Blue Building.

But I must admit that I have been super intimidated by the very thought of how to overhaul a vintage sofa.  I can do simple upholstery but every time I would inspect this piece, I would walk away shaking my head. Me?  Completely overhaul a vintage sofa?  Yeah right!

The fabric  was torn and outdated but I loved her immediately!  My first plan was to reupholster this beauty with my own crazy quilt fabric.  I have been saving these examples on Pinterest since her arrival!

It started out, as so many of my projects do, as THAT great piece that will be a show shopper!  I was saving it as my “special project”.  Needless to say, until yesterday my “special project” sat untouched in the same condition in which it some arrived 4 years ago!

Over those 4 years, she did have a few different looks but you must admit, that fabric really can’t go incognito into any vignette!  But I tried.

Finally the inspiration came at The Chapel Market this past October.  I wish I had a better picture but take a look at this beauty from Littleville Blue.

Littleville Blue simply stripped the fabric off of this beautiful settee to nail this exquisite vintage look!  The cotton batting might be a little too primitive for most mainstream taste but it certainly makes a statement…and gave me some much needed inspiration.

Here she is…stripped and ready to go!

This was so much easier than I thought it would be.  I started by simply grabbing the trim from the top right edge of the sofa.  It was a little tough to tug on but once I got it started, it pulled off easily.  The fabric was even easier.  Since it was old, it pulled right off.  I had to work at pulling the stripped fabric from the very edges and needed to remove all of the upholstery tacks.  Many of the tacks came out as I yanked (technical term) off the fabric.  This, couple with the dust from the old fabric, was the most tedious and annoying part of the process.

She still needs a good vacuuming and perhaps some touch up paint around the edges but isn’t she beautiful???  I suppose I should have waited on this post until she was prissied up but…I just couldn’t wait!  I think I will still keep her with the intention of eventually completing the crazy quilt upholstery.  In the meantime, however, she will blend nicely into every corner of The Blue Building!

The post How to overhaul a vintage sofa for FREE! appeared first on Shop at Blu.