have a seat... or two or three (a before & after)

oh, hai. it's been a (long) while since i last posted anything and i actually feel a bit shy. it's been a crazy two months around these parts - packing to move, moving, unpacking, adjusting, settling in. realizing that i'm completely happy and in love with the new place and neighborhood. especially when acquaintances in the neighborhood have a garage sale and i score three danish modern chairs for $15.00.

on first glance, not too shabby. but let's have a closer look, shall we?

broken arm and loose joints.

dried wood with plenty of dings and nicks.

tears. lots of holes here.

the vinyl's not in that great of shape, either.

the worst? unsightly stains.

over the course of two weekends, i tried to fix up these garage sale finds to bring back some of their former glory. i used teak oil, mineral spirits, oil soap, wood glue, new screws, new fabric, and lots of time at the sewing machine.

i recovered the two smaller chairs in a black-and-white patterned suiting material. one is by the tv stand/art deco buffet and the other is next to my record player desk table (with a few christmas things out).

i chose a vintage style chartreuse chenille/tweed fabric to reupholster the side chair. i've never attempted a box cushion with piping before, but i think it turned out pretty good! let's just not look too closely at the mismatched corners on the bottom cushion... ahem. 

the wood prettied up real nice with teak oil. i have to admit, the green fabric was a second choice (some credit due to keith), but it works so well against the dark frame - i really love it. sewing with this fabric, however, was something else all together. the bottom cushion has it's own name and it's not very nice.

i was feeling charitable with my sewing machine after the top cushion came together much more easily than the bottom, so i put together a quick throw pillow using piping scraps and the houndstooth fabric i originally chose for the smaller two chairs.

i'm feeling extremely thankful to be in a place where i can spread out, refinish, sew, and fix things again! it's been way too long. i promise not to be gone for long - i have a lot of posts lined up for december and a house tour should be around soon!

thanks for being patient while i settled in,