Tapestry fabric reupped on kitchen chairs
I've already upholstered the chair, and so that is a done deal, but I am concerned now about how to maintain them. First I am concerned with snags, and second I am concerned with dirt. Here's a photo of what I did:
These are chairs that I bought in 1989 when I lived in Culver City, and I've had them in storage in my garage in L.A. since moving to Westchester from Venice in 2009. I like them in my kitchen in Cathedral City now, and so I'm very glad that I held onto them.
The tapestry fabric is rather heavy and thick (making the upholstery job a bit more difficult than usual), but it's more comfortable than the leather that I had on the chairs before. I had reupholstered these chairs in gray leather in 1992, and I had to remove that in order to upholster in the tapestry fabric.
How do you care for tapestry upholstery? I'm beginning to worry that it might not be all that practical, but I have enough of this fabric to reupholster both chairs again. I also have other tapestry fabric I could use
as well as pink leather (which I have two hides of)
I am hoping that I will be able to maintain the zebra tapestry for at least a couple of years.
Comments (30)
Lars
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Wrong color oriental; correct with chairs, drapes, blinds colors?
Comments (7)Thank you for your responses! They're very helpful and have provided food for thought. As obvious as it seems now that you've both said it, I would not have thought to limit myself to just the cream and soft green. I kept thinking I needed the burgundy at least. But I can see now that it and the peach would only exacerbate the orange, pink, and gold problems. Ingrid, I'm glad you came down on the side of the cream shades, since that's what I prefer. There are not that many to choose from that are all cream, that have an interesting pattern with the vertical element, and that can be gotten 84" wide, but I still have a couple more places to check. I need to find out if the stacking height is more or less for woven woods than that of 2" wood blinds. There's actually not as much pattern as you may think from my description--DH says he doesn't think of the sofa as being striped, it's so blended. And the rugs both have small patterns, not the strong ones you usually think of when you think of orientals. The colors of the "green" rug look perfect from a couple of directions and in some light. After reading your comments, I went down and stared at everything for a while and thought about all of the colors again. I've got cream etched filigree panels for the dining room where I am trying for a light airy look, since it has white bookcases and gets sun from the windows on 2 walls all day. However, there does not seem to be enough heft in these panels to use them in the living room due to the slate fire place wall, and a piano, double pocket doors to the DR, and the entry doorway on a second wall. The other 2 walls will only have the windows, the drapery panels, and a half size grandfather's wall clock, so at night, when you can't see the trees outside, they look blah, and seem like they would be more so with plain cream panels. There will be no space on these walls for any pictures to add color. There's really too much green in the room now, which is why I'd thought to look for a blended subtle pattern for the drapery panels. But since you've both said soft green or cream, I'll skip the peach. The panels will be closest to the wing-backed chair, a chest, and the piano rather than the rugs, so do you think they can stand a subtle pattern? Since the rugs have small designs in them, could I have a larger design in these as long as it's very muted? Or maybe an interesting pattern in a green weave that catches the light in an interesting way and makes it look like several colors of green? Although I really don't want to repaint a just painted house, I'm wondering if another color would bring everything together in the living room. The room seems disjointed and lacks a warm, cohesive feel. It's 16x20 so it could stand a darker color than what is there now and still not feel small. Any ideas for paint colors in case all else fails? I've seen so many beautiful transformations with paint both on this forum and the kitchen forum. If I did a cream and soft green blended pattern for the drapery panels, I would probably use a different pattern with the same colors for the 2 chairs which will be on the other side of the room from the windows. Would a slightly darker version for the ottoman that would be under the windows work between the wing backed chair and the sofa (they look pretty boring near each other), which at a distance almost seem to be the same color? I also am thinking of making a wide runner for the orangey cherry coffee table to subdue its influence! I'll keep an eye out for something interesting when I'm at the fabric store. I'd like something a little more colorful, but I'll have to be careful! As much as I'd like to pull the burgundy and pale peach from the rug, I hear you both when you say stick to the cream and green. The wing back chair and sofa definitely need some contrast, so pillows in these colors will provide some. Both the FP slate and the rug have multiple colors of green, so I can have both dark and soft green pillows along with the cream ones. Ingrid, glad you made the comment about linen-like or textured--I'll keep that in mind when I'm looking. myredhouse, we can't sacrifice the rug, because in spite of its color faults we LOVE the designs and some of the colors. We'd originally planned to buy a new sofa so DH could slouch (hard to do in my camelback!), but not enough money. We're sacrificing the 2 GREEN chairs to buy 2 that match and are more comfortable. Anne...See MoreBest fabrics for living with cats? Decorating with cats in mind.
Comments (34)I've had so many cats over the years I've lost count. All have been indoor/outdoor but live "in" in the winter. We have found leather furniture to be best for upkeep with animals in general be they cats, dogs, birds or children... Never really had an issue with furniture clawing. Years ago I found my oldest cat had developed a 'love' for an old wooden box, 24X18X18(antique ammunition box I kept magazines in) This became the scratching post. If this wasn't handy sometimes she would use the decorative logs in the fireplace. So I've kept it handy. If the cats scratch they go there. Original kitties passed away, current two have not developed the scratch thing yet. Cats scratch to mark their territory. Scent in their paws. I've hissed at cats all my life, everyone in my family does. Keeps em honest......See Morehelp with fabric for ottoman
Comments (5)I really like your room because it looks very comfortable and relaxing. You have quite a few patterns in there so I would say "blend". Is the paint color more along the color in the first pic or the second? In the second one it looks like a warm golden color. You have lovely warm wood tones and earthy colors and I would choose a complementary color from either the rug or tapestry. I would suggest pulling a color from the chair but I can't really tell what the colors are, at least not on my computer. Best of luck on your endeavor! If you need any help, you can email me through my home page. Don't forget to post pics ;^)...See MoreDirections for painting an upholstered chair
Comments (20)Here are some instructions Magnaverde (www.magnaverde.com)gave over on BHG a while back on painting a sofa: ""Forget all that nonsense about teensy bottles of expensive paint medium from the crafts store. You don't need anything more than regular latex semi-gloss paint--and a lot of guts. I found a beautiful Baker Chippendale camelback sofa, with cool curved arms and a fat down cushion, but it was covereed in a hideous glazed chintz in the ugliest colors I ever saw. I found some great yellow wool damask to reupholster with, but it would have cost me $3OOO just for the fabric and trim, so I painted my sofa instead. Everyone freaked out when I told then the plan, but it worked. I was planning on painting my living room dark green, so I decided to go with red leather. First, I painted the whole thing with bubblegum pink semigloss latex paint, using the widest foam brush I could find, and brushing it on in long strokes front-to-back and up + down. Think of that as the primer coat. I let it dry 2 days, and sanded it super lightly with fine-grade sandpaper to get rid of the burrs--and there were a lot of them. When I couldn't feel any more sharp things, another coat of paint, spread thin. Dried and sanded again. Then spread--with my hands--a thin coat of raspberry red semi-gloss paint I had deadened a little with brown to make it a little less vivid. Because it was a deep color, there wasn't much white filler in the paint, so it was almost like a glaze or stain, instead of paint, which is just what I wanted anyway. I just smoothed it on, like suntan oil, and worked it into the pink paint. I let it build a little thicker at the back, on the inside of the arms and at the back edge of the loose cushion, so that the paler, thinner red took on an air of wear at the high points. I let it dry 2 days, then CAREFULLY sanded the few new sharp things, and touched up those spots with my fingers. I let it dry 2 days, then waxed the whole thing with regular paste wax. After it was dry, I polished with a soft cloth, then dusted with talcum, and vacuumed it all off. It was a little stiff the first few days, but now it not only looks like red leather, it feels like it. This worked great on my ugly glazed chintz, and probably would work on any smooth fabric, except that some may have more burrs and therefore require more sanding, but I wouldn't try it on anything with a heavy texture. And no, the paint doesn't peel off. And no, it's not stiff, either. Think about it--it's latex paint, and essentially, that's what's in those little bottles of fabric medium."...See MoreLars
last monthlast modified: last monthLars
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last monthlast modified: last monthMaybe I need to make two sets of seats! I also like the pink, and my brother picked it out before he knew I had the zebra. If I did decide to have a wild party (which is unlikely, although I've had my share of them), then putting pink seats in place would be helpful.
When I first got the pink leather (also free from work) back in the 1990s, I had planned to make myself a pink leather jacket, but if I had, it would not fit now. I'm thinking now of making a pink leather vest. I didn't make the leather jacket because it is never cool enough here to wear it, except on a few early winter mornings. By the afternoon, it is always too warm, and I do not go out late in the evenings anymore. I had a reversible pink/black bomber jacket when I lived in San Francisco, but it got stolen when I was in a limo-bus wreck on the way to the Houston airport. I loved that jacket and was unable to replace it when I got back to SF.
Plllog, I'll take a photo of the reverse side of the fabric tomorrow. It has a bit of a grayed out look, and so I'll do a close-up so that you can see the detail of the weaving.
My biggest fear is getting chili sauce on the seats - not that I've ever done that, but when I was eating a tamale from Cárdenas today, I noticed that my hands got red oily stains on them. It made me think that I should have used orange fabric, which is something that I had considered at one point.
I have six yards of this fabric, but I decided that it was too formal for the kitchen.Plllog - I absolutely never have anything in my back pockets - I always carry a shoulder bag when I go out. When I make pants for myself, I do not even bother to put back pockets in. I do not know why anyone would want to sit on something in a back pocket.
The snags I am concerned about are from when I might chip a fingernail - that seems to be happening to me more lately now - probably because of my age. I do file my nails often (especially when I am sewing), and I keep clear nail polish handy for when my fingernails get damaged.
Lars
last monthlast modified: last monthWe have almost no flies. Instead, we have Black Phoebes, which hunt and catch flying insects, including (unfortunately) butterflies.
I can also wear this Cabana jacket (that I made) to keep flies away
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
last monthNice Cabana jacket .
Something I came up with some time ago. :-)
darch
Lars thanked dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o mLars
last monthOkay, I will vacuum the seats from time to time, and I will be careful when I come in after vacuuming leaves and dust/sand from the patio. We get sandstorms here from time to time.
plllog, Here is the reverse side of the fabric:
I think you can tell from this that it is very sturdy fabric.
As for back pockets, when I made a suit and slacks for my brother Kevin (back in the 1980s), I did put hidden back pockets in the pants, but I told him to put his wallet in the inside hidden pocket in the jacket when wearing the suit. I put hidden pockets in the front of the vest, but I might have left them basted shut so that he would not use them!
Lars
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