CL 'Balloon' chair is (95%) done!

11 years ago

I've been working such long days lately that weekends are the only time I have to work on it. In the after shot, the seat cushion cover is not pressed, and I have not yet covered the cushion with batting. I just wanted to see how it looked 'almost done'.

Before from CL ad -

During - Riley NEEDS to 'help' with every chair. I had just started the arm cover that he is resting his head on, when he jumped up and held it down for me.

Almost done - seat cushion cover needs pressing and foam inside will be covered with batting to plump it up. Colors aren't accurate as the sun hasn't come around to the nearest windows yet.

I did the back first in a striped linen, so this is NOT an almost done pic, but the only one I have of the back. The only damage to the approx. 60 year old chair made in Taylorsville, NC is that 1 x 2" piece or missing cane on the upper back; not bad for all those years.

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Comments (22)

User
11 years ago
Oh my...once again you have shown your incredible talent and great taste in colors and design. Congratulations !! Beautiful. c
maddielee
11 years ago
Gosh! That IS pretty! great job, very professional.

ML
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Ladies, you are pumping me up with happiness. I can't tell you how much I enjoy working with these chairs and my beloved fabrics. Allison, there was about a 6" long chunk of wood gone from the upright support of that broken arm in the 'doggie chair'. That 2 part product is mold-able like clay and I just got it as close to the shape as I could, pressed it onto the arm, and let it set up overnight. I then sanded and carved it down a bit to match the other arm. I'll have to see if I have a before pic of that and then take one now. Oh, I also plan to use that product to make new tops above the arms where you see the holes in the natural wood in the 2nd pic below. That's where the original horizontal top was attached. (a bit cut off in the CL ad pic) Part of that top is now mounted inside the upper back, padded and covered with fabric. Sujafr, here is the blue one a bit further along, although I just propped the being re-glued arms in place for this shot, which I sent to the seller. I found a solid Waverly twill that matches the darker blue in the fabric, and will have welt outlining the upholstered parts for a crisp definition. You can just see it at the top where I pinned it. patty-cakes, I'll keep them for a little while, just to enjoy the fruits of my labor/fun, and then try to find good homes for them. I might list a few on Craigslist!
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Your chair will be wonderful to see when you finish. DD and I stayed at Hotel Monaco in Portland, OR some time back and enjoyed seeing balloon style chairs there in a part of their extended foyer. I had not remembered exactly what theirs looked like, (just had fun sitting in them), but this photo below was one from their website...and it's a much smaller style and has more open arms, but still with the covered top. I love the fabric you're planning to use and think that will be so great looking. BTW, thanks for the info about Joann's since I've been eyeing a home dec fabric there, so this wkend will be a great time to get it! Can hardly wait to see your finished chair.
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Thanks, ladies! I started to pull the old fabric off the balloon chair yesterday, and gathered up my little sample jars of chalk paint to see what I'm going to concoct for a color. I need to get some 1" foam for it, as that is what is between the front and back fabric on it. My young carpenter friend, who I've sort of 'adopted', was here yesterday briefly and I told him I was going to glue the 'throne' chair back together this weekend, so I could start to get that fabric on. You should have seen his unhappy face, as he looked at me and said, 'REALLY? You've got enough chairs down there to keep you going for months, and it HAS to be that one this weekend?' He WANTS to do it, as he IS a carpenter, and he has strap clamps to use, and he has detailed for me how he'll do it. So, that is why the balloon chair is underway, and I'll admit that once I got to tearing the fabric etc, off that one, I was just as happy as if I was putting fabric BACK on the 'throne'.
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jea2007, are you referring to the first chair in this post, (the throne chair) or the one with the cane 'hood'? The throne chair is an antique Eastlake style, and the other with the cane is called a 'balloon or porter's' chair. I do strip them down to the frame. You are correct in your thought that you replace the worn stuff, foam, batting and all, and then cover with fabric and attach the trim. You can use the pieces of fabric you remove as patterns for the new pieces. Actually hot glue is commonly used to attach trim on upholstered items. I haven't used it to attach the fabric though. What I did to get started was to just Google 'upholstering', and read blogs and watch YouTube videos. There are hundreds of them out there. There may also be books in your local library. If you don't sew or do crafty things with staple guns, you may want to do some reading or video watching before you buy your fabric and other supplies. Good luck! It's hard on your hands and arms, but very gratifying.
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Irish2
11 years ago
You are just TOO talented! Love the transformation.
Plus, any projects that showcase the "kids" kicks it
up a notch in my eyes.
lazydaisynot
11 years ago
Yet another beautiful and impressive transformation! And lucky you to be working with such a handsome assistant!
ttodd
11 years ago
Magnificent!
teacats
11 years ago
Fantastic -- just so very elegant and charming!
Fun2BHere
11 years ago
Love Riley the "assistance" dog. Love the chair.
cat_mom
11 years ago
I wish I lived near all you talented folk so I could learn how to do this stuff--the chair looks awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ghostlyvision
11 years ago
Absolutely beautiful, m3d!
yayagal
11 years ago
You chose the color and fabric perfectly just like everything you do. Kudos!!
livvyandbella
11 years ago
Wonderful job...as always! Love it!!
Sujafr
11 years ago
Sooo inviting now! I love your fabric choices and how beautifully you've upholstered it. The lighter frame color you did really works with that.
lynninnewmexico
11 years ago
It's beautiful! Your vision, as always, is right on the mark with this one! Big congrats!
Lynn
loribee
11 years ago
Will you please keep this one?!?!? Or I'm swinging by... :)
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you for your continued support!

Irish, that may be one of my favorite pics of Riley. He loves that chair, even without the seat cushion. He is very close while I'm working on any of them. The content took on his face there shows a very happy boy.

loribee - I'm happy to say that this one is spoken for! My favorite local shop, the Mustard House, wants it for either her shop there, or one of her booths in other locations, one being Freeport a few miles from LL Bean. She also wants some of my painted pieces, so I'll have more room to work!
suzanne_sl
11 years ago
My DH and I were admiring Riley, such a sweet face. Do you have a cat? They specialize in helping you quilt.
Laurie
11 years ago
I always love seeing your latest work of art...it is beautiful.

Is the seat cushion separate/removable from the chair? Did you put a zipper in the back of the seat cushion cover? Did you need to replace the foam in the seat? If yes, what type/density and did you cut it yourself or have someone cut it for you?

-Laurie
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi, Suzanne - No cats..I'm afraid of what Riley might do to them. My dogs have always 'helped' me with any project, such as sewing, painting, wallpapering, you name it. It's nice that they want to be so close, but they end up with paint on them, sitting on fabric, etc. I had to pull Riley out of that chair and put him in another, as he did NOT want to get out of it. My dogs don't nap or sleep on the floor, they are always in a chair, sofa, bed... :-) My upholstered furniture is covered with sheets. They're great on cold nights!

Laurie, the original foam cushion was in perfect shape and custom made for the chair, so I was able to reuse it. I used the old cover as a pattern and put in the zipper. I am going to cover the foam with batting, although the original was just the foam inside the blue fabric cover. I have replaced the foam on other chairs and I buy it locally. I get the densest grade and I cut it myself with an electric knife.
finz2left
11 years ago
My goodness. When you first posted the chair I thought "Ick. No way will that ever look nice. Not even similar to the RH chairs!." EATING MY THOUGHTS!!! That chair is gorgeous and you have a vision and talent I clearly lack.

Bowing to you!!!
desertsteph
11 years ago
yes the lighter wood and fabric makes a huge difference in it!
it's beautiful.

and lucky you to have such wonderful help with it. He likes to help his mama!
My3dogs ME zone 5A
Original Author
11 years ago
finz2left, I love your comment - thanks! That is what is SO much fun about these chair projects, to buy an icky looking one, and make it look totally different.

Riley is at my side no matter what I am doing. I'm very lucky that he is so close to me, but he has NO separation anxiety at all. Whew! I crated him ONCE when I left the house to do errands last fall (I adopted him on 11/15/11) and then took a chance and left him loose in the house. He was perfect! I think because the other 2 are so good, that he just takes his cues from them.
pricklypearcactus
11 years ago
Your balloon chair is incredible! You are a very talented reupholsterer and clearly have a knack for finding amazing items. Love the fabric choices on the chair. Riley is such a beautiful, endearing pup. Thanks for sharing.

CL 'Balloon' chair is (95%) done!

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CL 'Balloon' chair is (95%) done!

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