Aimee

Choosing Fabric for your Upholstery Project – Part Two: KIDS!

What kind of fabric should I look for if I have young kids? I have three kids, so I am fully aware of their destruction potential (more on that later), however…I am rarely asked this question. Know why? Because parents of young kids know that no fabric can stand up to the daily abuse ofContinue reading “Choosing Fabric for your Upholstery Project – Part Two: KIDS!”

Choosing Fabric for your Upholstery Project – Part One: PETS!

Choosing fabric. It’s the toughest part of any upholstery project, bar none. For one, it’s a big investment! Whether you’re paying an upholsterer to do it for you, or you’re a DIYer who is tackling the project yourself, fabric is going to cost you some coin. You’re going to want to be sure that itContinue reading “Choosing Fabric for your Upholstery Project – Part One: PETS!”

Kijiji Freebies…it’s just good Karma, Baby!

Is there any greater rush than finding a great piece of furniture on Kijiji? Only finding that it’s free, perhaps! Of course, you’ll have to be logged on to the Kijiji site at the precise moment that freebie is listed, because I tell you, those items disappear fast! The sofa above (and its matching chair)Continue reading “Kijiji Freebies…it’s just good Karma, Baby!”

Re-Styling a Classic Kroehler

There was recently some discussion on my Facebook page about whether or not a classic Kroehler chair needed to be reupholstered, or if it was perfect in its original state. The two schools of thought seem to be: 1. Vintage furniture ought to remain intact and as original as possible in order to preserve itsContinue reading “Re-Styling a Classic Kroehler”

DIY: Upholstering a Small Side Chair

If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at upholstery, a small side chair is a great way to start. Unlike a Parsons chair, (view my tutorial of one here), this chair has arms to cut around, and a border (yours may not) so it is a bit more complicated. Begin by stripping the chair,Continue reading “DIY: Upholstering a Small Side Chair”

DIY: How to replace a button

A popped button! Of all the annoying things to go wrong on a tufted piece of furniture, this would be it. And the most common. Here’s what you do to fix the little problem. Remove the lining very carefully so that you can just put it back on when you’re finished. Investigate the problem. WhatContinue reading “DIY: How to replace a button”

Re-Upholstering a Retro Sofa (part two)

Last week, I posted about this sofa, which was a badly recovered retro piece with the original fabric left underneath. It has had some major cosmetic surgery this week! As they say, pictures speak louder than words, so I’ll just cut to the chase for you. This very vintage looking blue-grey, lightly patterned fabric hasContinue reading “Re-Upholstering a Retro Sofa (part two)”

DIY: How to Make Capped Dining Seats

Except for the “straight pullover” style, this is probably the simplest upholstered dining chair to do. It makes a great beginner project, if you are comfortable with a sewing machine. For each set of two chairs, you will need a yard of a plain fabric (or a yard and a half of patterned). You willContinue reading “DIY: How to Make Capped Dining Seats”

Upholstery Tip: How to Fix a Broken Spring

A broken spring on a sofa or chair is a very common problem. With no-sag (also called sinuous wire) springs, it is almost never the spring that is the issue, but the clip that holds the spring to the frame. Luckily, it’s an easy problem to fix…that is, if you already have your sofa apartContinue reading “Upholstery Tip: How to Fix a Broken Spring”

Re-Upholstering A Retro Sofa!

If you saw this sofa on the side of the road, would you stop to pick it up? The story of this project epitomizes my business model, and makes me so very, very excited. When I was first approached by this client, she was asking if I could recover her newer furniture to look moreContinue reading “Re-Upholstering A Retro Sofa!”