The Patience of Upholstering

About 9 months ago, I decided I was going to learn how to sew.  I convinced my always supportive husband that we needed to get a sewing machine, and excitedly signed up for Sewing 101 at Joann Fabric.  The class was fantastic.  If anyone is looking to get a beginner's lesson in anything from sewing to cake decorating to jewelry making, I highly recommend going there first.  I left the class feeling empowered and ready to be the best crafty housewife I could be.

Let me back this up a little bit, the reason I decided I wanted to learn how to sew was because I had ripped the upholstery off of my favorite reading chair without even buying it a drink first.  I started with great gusto, immediately reupholstering the ottoman by wrapping it up like a lovely Christmas present.  After looking at the construction and old upholstery, I realized that the only way to finish her off and make her look like a classy lady was to learn how to sew.

Before: Dirty on  the outside, but gloriously comfortable on the inside.

Flash forward to 5 months after she was ripped of her dignity and 4 months after my Sewing 101 class.  There she sat, naked on my back patio, untouched.  The patient husband had been quietly (and sometimes not so patiently) trying to get me to straighten my act up and bring her back to full lady status, but I had lost momentum and knew I would never get the chair done.  I did not take any pictures of her in her compromised state on the back patio.  No lady should have pictures on the internet looking like that.

Here is one of those moments where all I can say is "Wow, I really got a good one."  I went to visit my grandma up in the Great Northland for Fourth of July (everyone "aw" at what a great grandchild I am), and the patient husband took matters into his own hands.  When he leaves me alone for a week, I sit around and eat junk food.  When I leave for a weekend, he spends 3 straight days sewing and reupholstering my naked arm chair.  Hero cape, anyone?

After!  Isn't she pretty?

I love her.  I love my husband.  I'm spoiled.  He opted not to add a skirt because it would have been too difficult and he just wanted to get the chair done.  No complaints from me.

Chair   $0 (hand-me-down from my great grandma)
Fabric   $6/yard  (a steal at a shop that was closing)  We bought 9 yards, which gave us a lot of leftovers
Staple gun & staples    $20
Blood, sweat, and tears    Priceless

As usual, it isn't perfect (the patient husband may have sewn the zipper to the outside of the cushion case), but it was far less costly and a much better story than if we had paid someone hundreds of dollars.  She's a classy lady again!

I have been working on my sewing skills, and a post will follow to show off my pillow case making skills.