My brother’s pair of retro sling chairs needed some serious TLC.
Since I appointed him host for our family Thanksgiving, I agreed to reupholster these as well as his dining room chairs. This pic doesn’t adequately demonstrate how desperately they needed a redo. The chairs had come from another relative and suffered many years of abuse from cats in the family: stains, fur, and extreme grime. I recommended a full overhaul with a more exciting color.
Step One: Deconstruction
The chairs consist of a fabric sling suspended from the upper back bar and extended to the front bar. Two cushions are placed at a right angle atop the sling for added comfort. It took some effort to release the slings, but my brother figured it out. He also cut away the covers of the foam cushions (which did not have the convenience of a zipper) and sent the lot to me.
Step Two: Sewing
Using the pieces I received as patterns, I cut out corresponding pieces in the new RED(!) fabric. The slings were an easy task — just long strips with side hems and loops on each end through which to slide the slats. The cushions were a bit more of a challenge since my brother wisely wanted zippers installed for ease of removal and cleaning in the future.
Step Three: Reassembly
We thought sliding the new slings onto the frames would be an easy task. Unfortunately, we hadn’t anticipated one small hitch. The sling fabric actually wraps around one of the bars and is held in place by a dowel that inserts into a slot in the wood. We tried to slide the dowel into the slot with the red fabric attached. Much like my waistband after our turkey feast, it didn’t fit! The new fabric was just a hair thicker than the old canvas.
All’s well that ends well. My brother expanded the receiving slot with a Dremel® tool, and we eventually got the slings in place. Then it was just a matter of stuffing the foam cushions into their new covers.
And here’s the pop of color these chairs needed!
The red fabric I found was textured for visual interest but also crazy soft. These chairs are now super comfy and finally clean. We just have to figure out a way to keep kitties off of them!
One project down. Then there was the Great Thanksgiving Chair Reupholstery Family Project… but that’s a story for another day!
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