My sister-in-law gave me this bench. It had been given to her... she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. So she gave it to me.
The fabric was filthy, faded, and worn.
But check out those legs!
(Imagine cat-call here.)
So I pulled out my bins of fabric, and I found a piece of silk/linen blend that wasn't quite big enough, but I had several small samples of the same fabric in different colors.
So I ironed them and sewed them all together. And ironed it all again.
The strip of colored fabrics is off center. I like it like that.
Now for the dirty part...
I took off the legs.
I pulled off the old fabric and carefully took out the old nails. The nails were original square-shaft nails that had been hand-crafted long ago. I wanted to save them to tack the bottom lining back on.
The padding under the old fabric was made from straw. I kept the straw cushion, but added two layers of batting to make it cushier. I kept the vacuum handy for this part. There were bits of straw and shreds of fabric everywhere.
I stretched the new fabric onto the seat, working from the center out.
I used the staple gun to tack the cloth on... making sure to trim around the bolts where the legs attach.
Here's a look at a corner...
To finish it off nicely, I covered the bottom with a lush piece of burnt orange fabric. Using the original nails that I had pulled out of the bench earlier, I tacked the orange cloth onto the bottom, covering the staples and edges of the silk/linen fabric. I love the old nails on this piece. They make the fabric look like it has always been there.
Of course, as soon as I am through, June has to try it out.
(Yes, the art room is a mess... a productive mess.)
And here is the bench in it's new spot...
The fabric was filthy, faded, and worn.
But check out those legs!
(Imagine cat-call here.)
So I pulled out my bins of fabric, and I found a piece of silk/linen blend that wasn't quite big enough, but I had several small samples of the same fabric in different colors.
So I ironed them and sewed them all together. And ironed it all again.
The strip of colored fabrics is off center. I like it like that.
Now for the dirty part...
I took off the legs.
I pulled off the old fabric and carefully took out the old nails. The nails were original square-shaft nails that had been hand-crafted long ago. I wanted to save them to tack the bottom lining back on.
The padding under the old fabric was made from straw. I kept the straw cushion, but added two layers of batting to make it cushier. I kept the vacuum handy for this part. There were bits of straw and shreds of fabric everywhere.
I stretched the new fabric onto the seat, working from the center out.
I used the staple gun to tack the cloth on... making sure to trim around the bolts where the legs attach.
Here's a look at a corner...
To finish it off nicely, I covered the bottom with a lush piece of burnt orange fabric. Using the original nails that I had pulled out of the bench earlier, I tacked the orange cloth onto the bottom, covering the staples and edges of the silk/linen fabric. I love the old nails on this piece. They make the fabric look like it has always been there.
Of course, as soon as I am through, June has to try it out.
(Yes, the art room is a mess... a productive mess.)
And here is the bench in it's new spot...
