A couple of weeks ago, Bre & I were shopping at Goodwill and found this chair on the sidewalk out front. It was comfy, but really ugly. Seriously ugly. So ugly in fact that I looked it over and thought “That’s a great deal,” and walked away. Then I came home and the thought of that poor chair started haunting me. It was $4.99 – a measly $5 – why in the world didn’t I buy it??? The next morning I woke up and decided that I HAD to have the chair. So, I got dressed, went to town and headed straight to Goodwill. All the way there I thought, “If that chair is still there then it’s coming home with me.” And it was still there on the sidewalk.
I took off the tag and walked inside to pay – and joy of joys the ticket was the color of the day – which meant my $5 chair was now a $2.50 chair – hurray! I paid, loaded it into the truck and went home. I put it in my living room, threw a blanket over it until I decided what to do with it. Originally, my plan was to slipcover it. Oh how I love a good slipcover! But, I was intimidated by her curves & lines, so she sat under the blanket for nearly 2 weeks.
Once I built up my courage, I realized that it might be easier to recover it than to slipcover it – so that’s what I did. I scoured Pinterest to learn how to reupholster it. I read up on double welting tutorials (Much To Do With Nothing has the BEST!). I carefully studied the lines of the chair & thought long and hard before I began cutting a $10 Big Lots drop cloth to pieces. But it worked.
So what did I learn? A) Just jump in – don’t let the fear of a $2.50 chair eat at you for 2 weeks. It’s kinda silly now that I think about it!. B) Reupholstering this chair took WAY longer than it should have because I didn’t have the tools or the knowledge going in. Yes, it does look good – but that $200 fee to let someone else do it better than I did would have been well worth it – and it would still be a bargain for such a cute, well built chair. C) Walking away from a deal might not be such a bad thing after all – hey, I did get it half price by waiting a day 🙂
Tomorrow we’re gonna talk about that little pillow – it’s been after me for 2 years!
Shared at Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday
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Renewed Upon a Dream says
Wow that’s amazing for your first time! It looks so nice! I’m really into using drop cloths for projects lately. You did a really good job on this chair 🙂
Desiree @ The 36th Avenue says
WOW!
You did an amazing job!
marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says
You did an unreal job. The chair is wonderful and I love the contrasting welt. Hugs, Marty
KL says
I love it!! Looks great!
Melany @ Project Anthologies says
Shut the front door! That is AMAZING. I love it.
Farmer's Wyfe says
Now THAT is a transformation…and great advice!! I need to go paint that wall that I’ve been avoiding!! 🙂
Lesley says
Yep. Now I know why you never sleep!!! LOL Awesome transformation. and, yes….I let the pros recover mine. lol
.Amelia.Bedelia. says
Hokie smokes!! That is amazing and GORGEOUS!! Way to work-it girl!!
-Amy
Kendra says
Amazing! And a Drop cloth?? Who would have thunk;) Love It!
Shabbytochicdesigns says
Awesome transformation! I am scared to reupholstery projects, but I am determined master it one day in the future ha!
Angela says
Great work! and it’s really cute without the skirt.
Sara @ thesherlockshome says
Great job! I love that the trim is a different color.
scrapmebaby says
Nice job! I have had a chair in my garage since early summer because it scares the crap out of me!! LOL, it was also a $5 chair:)
Maybe you wanna come up and do it for me…
Linda says
I love it! You did a great job….thanks for sharing.
Zondra Art says
The chair really looks great! You did a great job! I love the colours:)
Judy says
You did a great job on the chair, but I know what you’re saying. I reupholstered a craigslist chair a few months back and in the end I had to really wonder if I would have been better off spending the $200 to have it professionally done vs the 18 hours it took me to reupholster it. I did have the satisfaction of knowing I created it. That was something to hang my hat on while I waited for the blisters to heal on my fingers. Lol
Gail says
That $2.50 chair looks GREAT! What an amazing transformation.
Rhiannon says
shes a beauty! lucky you didnt walk away from such a deal, but I do know what you mean about all the work. I have 2 craigslist chairs for uh…. i am embarrased to say… about a year that i still have yet to cover
Backwoods Cottage Pam says
I agree, our time has value. There is many things I could do myself that I end up having more professionals do base solely on the time I can save. I could’ve been painting more signs to put on my website and getting paid more than I would’ve save doing something myself. Sounds convoluted but I know many understand. Yours did turn out lovely.
Kim@Snug Harbor says
That turned out really nice. I like the drop cloth idea.
laxsupermom says
It looks amazing! I can’t believe this is your first go at upholstery – gorgeous job! Thanks for sharing.
Pinecone says
It looks amazing!!
xo
Ashlyn
GirlRural.com says
You did a great job! Sadly too many pieces of great furniture end up at the dump. Some of this old furniture is meant to be saved. Your chair turned out great!
Angela says
Your new covered chair looks great and comfy too.
You did a wonderful job.
Hugs,
Angela.
❀❀❀Ðαωᾔ❀❀❀ says
Gina,
You did a great job with the chair and it looks so much more modern. It was nice to hear it was a challenge, I often wonder if it is a big job. Thanks for being honest about the whole process.
Indiri @ Turning Stones says
Wow, you did such a beautiful job! And for such a steal, too. Lovely!
Amy@Natural Vintage says
I’m loving your blog! Such great ideas and fantastic tutorials! Thank you!
NanaDiana says
You did a wonderful job…I can’t believe that you have never done it before. It looks great…everybody has to start somewhere. The next one will be much easier!;>) xo Diana
Deneen@dreaming-n-color says
You’re braver than I am! Looks much better!
JBs Country Cottage says
I agree – You rocked it for the first time attempting such a thing. Great job!
Jackie Paulson says
I have to say you are so amazing, I tried to recover a chair and it did not work like yours. Bravo, I love this blog.
Shabby Jen says
I love drop cloth fabric. I wash mine in hot water and dry before I use it. It’s so soft and cozy feeling! Your chair is gorgeous!!! Just beautiful!!!
Happy Fall!!
Mom Taxi Julie says
It looks fantastic! You did a great job!
janet says
WOW…That came out really nice..
Janet