Stuck for present ideas and want to buy something wonderful, interesting and recycled?

Then come and visit my shop. I have lots of great things looking to be rehomed… Tinker

In January 2017 I started a six week upholstery course. I wanted to challenge myself and learn something new so I thought I’d tackle an armchair.

I hoped to find an art deco tub chair but as they are in short supply, bought a fairly ordinary looking one at auction instead.

As I starting stripping away the old upholstery it became clear that this was no ordinary chair. It was an iron framed chair.

Which meant that the only way to re-upholster it was to sew.

 

 

 

 

 

And sew.

And sew some more.

Four months later – long after the course finished but still turning up at the studio on my own once a week – and having repeatedly stabbed myself with needles and skewers and with cuts across the sides of my hands from pulling thread, I abandoned the chair shortly after completing the first stage of seat padding.

The chair sat in the corner of the studio gathering dust and moths, until 6 weeks ago when I unwrapped it and pretended 18 months hadn’t passed. And so I started to sew again.

And I sewed some more.

And some more.

And then finally, yesterday, I FINISHED.

My chair isn’t perfect. The frame is a bit wonky. My sewing is a bit wonky. But it is a really comfortable little chair.

My friend said it looked like a hug in furniture form. It feels a bit like that too.