5.11.2020
DIY striped or plaid cube ottoman tutorial
I have been meaning to do this project since last fall!! Quarantine energy kicked in, I guess, and I finally did this fun simple upholstery project. Full tutorial below!
No comments
staple gun
Showing posts with label staple gun. Show all posts
11.07.2012
SO proud of my little upholstery project. Nailhead Parsons chairs makeover!
Another pretty cool house project to share with you today--a major makeover I did to these Parsons-esque chairs I got for super super cheap on Craigslist. The fake leather was all scratched up and peeling, so I saw them a great candidates for an ambitious DIY project! Upholstery!
I've never done real upholstery before, although I have big plans... some chairs that need recovering at my house!... but I had a pretty simple job of tearing the old chairs apart at the seams and using the fake leather pieces as my pattern pieces, then sewing, stretching back on, and stapling... plus this inspiration: Nailhead trim. I figured, why not make it interesting? Like these...
Source: chairs1000.com via Suzannah on Pinterest
Here's some of the interesting part, the insides...
So when I made the new covers, I duplicated it a little, althogh I didn't use piping--used nailheads instead.
Have you ever tried nailhead trim? OUCH. I used a hammer to push them all the way in, but pushed them in in the beginning with my thumb... it was tingly for a week after, and just now just barely feels normal again... yikes. But, so pretty!
I used some of the basic canvas from JoAnn in the utility fabrics section. It comes in lots of colors and is extra wide, and is easy to work with and 100% cotton (although it's pretty loosely woven). I had THE hardest time deciding on fabric for these. Pretty happy with them now, though! I gave them a coat of scotch guard, too, since they are for the dining room.
After!
Dining chairs done, first sort-of upholstery project success!
20 comments
I've never done real upholstery before, although I have big plans... some chairs that need recovering at my house!... but I had a pretty simple job of tearing the old chairs apart at the seams and using the fake leather pieces as my pattern pieces, then sewing, stretching back on, and stapling... plus this inspiration: Nailhead trim. I figured, why not make it interesting? Like these...
Here's some of the interesting part, the insides...
So when I made the new covers, I duplicated it a little, althogh I didn't use piping--used nailheads instead.
Have you ever tried nailhead trim? OUCH. I used a hammer to push them all the way in, but pushed them in in the beginning with my thumb... it was tingly for a week after, and just now just barely feels normal again... yikes. But, so pretty!
I used some of the basic canvas from JoAnn in the utility fabrics section. It comes in lots of colors and is extra wide, and is easy to work with and 100% cotton (although it's pretty loosely woven). I had THE hardest time deciding on fabric for these. Pretty happy with them now, though! I gave them a coat of scotch guard, too, since they are for the dining room.
After!
Dining chairs done, first sort-of upholstery project success!
10.03.2012
Here it comes... Profesh headboard tufting tutorial!
I'm really, really excited to share this one with you guys... I've been thinking about recovering our DIY padded headboard with some tufting and/or nailheads for some time now, so it was one of the first big projects I did in the new house.
I would say that I have pretty much failed before when I've attempted a classy, simple padded or tufted headboard look--previous attempts here for you to see. ;) This time I wanted to do something much better, so I've really been doing my research!
There are TONS of great photo tutorials out there for padded headboards, and a lot of them use the same basic methods, but it wasn't until I found this tufting tutorial for classic, old school horsehair upholstery, from a workshop by a very impressive professional upholsterer, that I saw that I was going about it all wrong. I couldn't imagine how my tufts would get tight enough because I was trying to come in from the back, pull really tight, and tie them off--but when really, the pros seem to do it another way and anchor in the back but tie off in the front! Then you don't have to put the pressure on the button so your covered buttons don't pop apart and your tension doesn't loosen behind your heads. You'll see what I mean...
So like I said, there are tons of tutorials and I've pored over many of them, and I think I've taken away some wisdom from many--and put together this version for you. I think of this as a tufting tutorial, less than a tutfted headboard tutorial, since while I reeeeeally admire people that cut their own fancy curved shapes and drill their tufting holes... I was able to do it a little simpler, using the frame I already had. But the tufting's the complicated party, anyway!
So here it is, a combination of my favorite techniques, a little like the professionals do! Here's the tufting tutorial!
OMG, ta-da!!!
Done! It was a labor of love but I'm so so so happy with it and I feel quite the sense of accomplishment! I recommend you try it out! ;)
Still playing with the rest of the room, but that headboard sure anchors things!
28 comments
I would say that I have pretty much failed before when I've attempted a classy, simple padded or tufted headboard look--previous attempts here for you to see. ;) This time I wanted to do something much better, so I've really been doing my research!
There are TONS of great photo tutorials out there for padded headboards, and a lot of them use the same basic methods, but it wasn't until I found this tufting tutorial for classic, old school horsehair upholstery, from a workshop by a very impressive professional upholsterer, that I saw that I was going about it all wrong. I couldn't imagine how my tufts would get tight enough because I was trying to come in from the back, pull really tight, and tie them off--but when really, the pros seem to do it another way and anchor in the back but tie off in the front! Then you don't have to put the pressure on the button so your covered buttons don't pop apart and your tension doesn't loosen behind your heads. You'll see what I mean...
So like I said, there are tons of tutorials and I've pored over many of them, and I think I've taken away some wisdom from many--and put together this version for you. I think of this as a tufting tutorial, less than a tutfted headboard tutorial, since while I reeeeeally admire people that cut their own fancy curved shapes and drill their tufting holes... I was able to do it a little simpler, using the frame I already had. But the tufting's the complicated party, anyway!
So here it is, a combination of my favorite techniques, a little like the professionals do! Here's the tufting tutorial!
Materials:
Padded headboard frame (or whatever you wanna make... bench?)
Fabric--I used this perfect grey cotton blend velveteen I got on JoAnn clearance!
Covered button kits, however many you need--I used 19 3/8" buttons, a serious pain with that thick fabric
Really, really strong upholstery thread
A really big needle
Washers or zip ties or other strong anchors
Your trusty staple gun
Your trusty staple gun
- I started with a bead board headboard frame that my dad made me with some 2"x4"s, L brackets, and a big piece of bead board. I've used it several ways before, and it's great that the bead board holes let me put the buttons wherever I want!
- I used 2-3" thick foam from JoAnn, cut to size. It was a super pain to cut, had to use intense scissors. But again, I had done that already. Looks liked you could also use that green foam stuff plus a layer of batting to soften the lines.
- Figure out where you want your tufts to go. Inspired by several fave headboards (I counted the buttons on each row!), I decided on 6 on the top row, 7 on the middle row, 6 on the bottom row. I measured and centered them--again, easy with the peg board.
- I wanted to go for real, true, deeper tufts on this headboard, so I learned I needed to cut away the foam or padding around each button. Duh, that makes sense. Here it is one step ahead...
- The important part: Come at your tufts from the back out to the front; when you tie the buttons on the front, you'll cover the ends of the threads. So anchor each tuft with a washer or other strong base. I used these little washers but gave them a strip of tape to protect the thread from their cheap metal edges; this part probably wasn't necessary, but I wanted to be extra safe.
- I quadrupled my thread and sewed from the front of the hollowed out foam hole to the back, looped around my washer, then carried the needle back to the front. Leave really long ends on the thread.
- This method involves sort of a two-to-three step process, but it's worth it. Now, lay your top fabric over the headboard and position it. I anchored mine with some staples at the center top and center bottom, but you can't know where it will end up going until the tufting is in since the depth of each button/tuft takes away from the fabric's width and length.
- Loosely position your fabric in the center tuft and re-thread the needle with one side of the dangling threads. Sew through the fabric. Then repeat with the other side of the thread, spacing it out a little.
- That's the beginning of the tuft! Now you can tighten the threads and tie a double knot! I checked the backs for my washers' tape alignment on this part.
- Repeat! A lot! I also learned from this upholsterer that you want the folds of the diamonds to point down. Maybe it's so you don't worry about dust collecting or something. So play with your tufting and folds, position as you want them, all that. I followed the grain of my fabric so I knew each tuft sucked in about as much fabric as the others.
- Now you can staple the fabric to the frame at the top. I started at the top and made the pleats of the diamonds the way they would have wanted to go had there been more tufting there.
- It was suuuuper helpful to watch myself in the mirror as I did this from behind the headboard. Trying to make the downward-pointing triangles all look the same and all.
- Staple the sides and bottom of the frame.
- The fun part! Attaching your buttons! Okay, so the needle-from-behind method is really a three-step process, since you have to thread your needle again and put it through your covered button back.
- Again just double-knot those threads together, but this time they're under the button. Carefully clip threads!
OMG, ta-da!!!
Done! It was a labor of love but I'm so so so happy with it and I feel quite the sense of accomplishment! I recommend you try it out! ;)
Still playing with the rest of the room, but that headboard sure anchors things!
3.21.2011
Another DIY cover for this footstool
I did a lot of home improvement projects this weekend... yay! It was so great to have two days without firm plans or going out of town. I made major progress on painting the bathroom, which already looks so much better!, and will have to show you pics soon... trust me, it is a great transformation. But I also did some curtain-hanging and recovered a footstool for our office.
About the office--used for my fiance's books, flatscreen, and study area, it was full and had comfy three chairs but no couch to sit on. So, to accommodate more seating and overnight guests, we recently bought this sofa bed/futon thing on Craigslist... It's $180 new at Target, I paid $50 for a 4-month-old one!
More pics of the need it filled when I do a big before/after post once we get the house done...
Anyway once we had comfy seating for movie-watching, we needed a footrest! The one we had in there was cute, but didn't go with the manly black furniture. The walls were already painted sage green when we moved in, so it has that man cave vibe.
Anyway I had this footstool, which I recovered more than a year ago, but wasn't too attached to.
Next project: pillows for the black futon. I'm thinking a nice solid grey... rather than try to match the blacks perfectly. The office is not done yet!
Boy, I love staple gun projects, though. So easy and fast, and what a big difference!
2 comments
About the office--used for my fiance's books, flatscreen, and study area, it was full and had comfy three chairs but no couch to sit on. So, to accommodate more seating and overnight guests, we recently bought this sofa bed/futon thing on Craigslist... It's $180 new at Target, I paid $50 for a 4-month-old one!
Anyway once we had comfy seating for movie-watching, we needed a footrest! The one we had in there was cute, but didn't go with the manly black furniture. The walls were already painted sage green when we moved in, so it has that man cave vibe.
Anyway I had this footstool, which I recovered more than a year ago, but wasn't too attached to.
And I had some sturdy black canvas, you know the kind you can buy in all the basic colors at JoAnn's near home dec and the outdoor canvases? It's just cotton, but nice and basic. 60" wide and only $9.99 a yard, then I used a coupon. So I took off the floral print and covered the footstool in the black!
Boy, I love staple gun projects, though. So easy and fast, and what a big difference!
11.05.2009
Staple gun ottoman
10.31.2009
DIY Padded headboard!
Success!! I made the padded headboard I've been thinking about since I moved into this apartment. It's in version 1 at this point, but it is great to have it up there as I'd hoped!
My dad was kind enough to put together the frame out of 2"x3" boards and a big beadboard piece, and I bought a few yards of "Nu-Foam" at JoAnn with my 50% off coupon. I glued the foam on and then covered it with a tan fake leather that was $3/yard on clearance. I put seams on it rather than pulling and stapling, to give it hard edges. My plan is to make changeable covers in fun fabrics that fit the 60" by 48" padded portion and slide them over the vinyl. That way, I can wash the changeable fabrics and keep moisture out of the padding. Perfect for reading in bed! I bolted the legs to my cheap metal Hollywood bed frame with two bolts on each side, through holes drilled in the wood. Nothing fancy, but it works.
The total cost was... about $20 for hardware/wood/bolts and about $15 for the two yards of fabric and three yards of NuFoam. Plus the staples, and other fabric pieces I will make into slipcovers. All in all, a success!
4 comments
The total cost was... about $20 for hardware/wood/bolts and about $15 for the two yards of fabric and three yards of NuFoam. Plus the staples, and other fabric pieces I will make into slipcovers. All in all, a success!
10.15.2009
Finally finished the chairs!
I just screwed in the last chair seat of my table and chairs set. The set isn't completely done yet since I have to paint the table still and am a little intimidated by this task, but I got the seat covers sewn and stapled on all six chairs. Check out a couple of the side chairs:
2 comments
Eeee! Yay. The print is a Waverly floral from JoAnn clearance ($4.50 a yard!), although it's still full price ($29.99 a yard) at the other JoAnn and from special order there. I have a lot of extra so I will have to do something coordinating but not too matchy-matchy. The backs of the chairs are a coordinating acetate, sort of changeable, about $3 at JoAnn clearance. The braid is the cheapey, ubiquitous home dec braid, but in a cool matching color, from Mill End. This project required a lot of staples and hot glue.
Look at the "before" on them:
Aren't they hideous, in the 90's dark green/maroon plaid and floral? I think so. I am not 100% happy with my recovering and painting job, but it is a huge improvement!
After I tackle painting the table and leaves, I can finish up decorating the dining room (finally)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)