Tuesday, June 25, 2013

urine luck, part deux

I just got the couch of my dreams last night. Here it is:



Hahaha oh...*wipes away a tear* IF ONLY.

Anyone remember last year, when I posted this, about using my iron to sear some hot cat pee into old satin?

Well it looks like I've inherited another project of the cat pee variety, and I'm super duper excited about it. Okay not the cat pee part, but the project. Meet my new baby.

hot cat pee, again

Tada! Oh boy. I found this on Craigslist, and was instantly in love. And like the true waste-not dumpster diver that I can sometimes be, I said, "Cat pee? Pshaw. I've dealt with that before. Total reupholstering? Easy! I've already reupholstered a wingback chair (that I found next to a dumpster)! How hard could this be?"

Um.

It was free? That's all I can say in my defense. And she's got good bones, really solid, nice wood, and I love her profile. And this time around I kind of know what I'm doing. For example, I know that I need to get fabric I'm sure I'll still love in 5 years, aka the gray velvet I've been longing for these past four years. I need to get a staple gun for the air compressor because last time around I got carpal tunnel from using a squeeze staple gun 40,000 times in two days. And I need to refinish the dumb wood BEFORE I reupholster. Ha.

Really though, as much as I don't look forward to tearing out antique fabric covered in at least a gallon of feline whizz, I really enjoy making or re-doing furniture. I mean, I made this bed for my youngest:

Mal's new bed, unfinished

I built this bench to go with my table.


Years ago, my sister-in-law scored a really messed up orange table that was a prop at Urban Outfitters. The table top was crap, but I loved the legs. After a few years of sitting in my husbands shop, I recently  took them down, painted them, used a wire brush on the painted-over brass toe caps, and attached them to a small pine table top. 

legs all doneorange legspainted over brass caps

chair and table after

Oh and see that chair there? It was six bucks at the scariest ghetto thrift shop ever. Here it is before:

chair before

 I tore off the seat cushion, stripped the wood, sanded the heck out of it, and used some leftover leather I had to re-cover it. I gotta admit, I was pretty proud. Even my perfectionist husband was impressed with that outcome.

I've really made or fixed quite a few things, so I'm hopeful about this new project. Now I have a question for you all: does anyone have any experience with button tufting? Because I'm seriously thinking about changing that smooth back to a tufted one. Thoughts? Opinions? I'm just curious.

4 comments:

Rachel at Stitched in Color said...

You are one brave and Powerful woman! That sofa is really, REALLY scary, but I know you can do it. Makes my life look easy though...

Beezus said...

I don't have any experience with button tufting, but I have a furniture upholstery book somewhere in storage, and I'm almost positive that there's a section on that. From the one button tufting project that I did (a throw pillow) I don't think it's worth the hassle. My hands were so sore from just ONE button. But ... there are a couple of techniques that kind of look like button tufting but are fabric manipulation and I think they would probably be much easier overall. One is where you use something like ball bearings or something similar on the wrong side of the fabric and basically sew that in the fabric, and create a grid or other sort of planned pattern. Then you use that fabric for your reupholstering. I'm sorry I can't remember what it's called when you use this technique, but they have some fabrics like this at HobbyLobby with the BBs or whatever already in the fabric. I made a bedspread for my daybed out of some of it, and then discovered the technique later. I wish I'd known about it sooner so I could have used the fabric that I wanted instead of the fabric that I found. Just email me if you want me to describe it better or take a photo or two. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Love that gray couch. I have been looking at an old vintage slipper chair at a used furniture store for a couple of weeks. It smells bad - I think it's cat urine. I still can't decide whether or not to buy it and reupholster. I'll let you know if I do and whether or not the smell came out. It's a huge and possibly expensive risk. But to get a unique piece of furniture in the fabric you love...could be very worth it. Good luck to us both.

we are the deanes said...

Okay. I am going to admit that upon reading the intro to this post and seeing that picture that we both know and love... I got just a wee bit jealous. Just a wee bit. Okay. I wanted to come over and steal it from you. But anyhoo...

I am slowly saving up for my dream couch and set of chairs... SLOWLY.

The actual couch that you now own is scary looking, but you are right in saying that it has great bones. That is a wonderful start. I am hopeful for you and for the couch. It reminds me of an Anna Maria Horner couch - one of her couches done in her fabric that is so colorful and beautiful.

Anyway. I'm so tired that I'm rambling now. Happy for you. I hope that it doesn't smell worse than it looks like it smells. Ah!