Another Burlap Chair


          This is a story about a chair. An unwanted ratty old sewing chair. It was a throw in when we bought the Juki industrial sewing machine from a sweet little old lady who had a quilting obsession.

          The hubs saw junk….I saw potential.

          This chair is probably from around the late 60′s, so at least 40 to 50 years old. And it appears to be hand crafted judging by the large old nuts and bolts used to attach the corners on the inside of the seat’s storage.

          Junk or treasure

          The above photo is just after I sanded off the flaking dark brown stain. The vinyl covering on the removable storage seat was tattered at the corners and the chair pad was showing through.

           I had some toile fabric in a cream and black print from my grandmothers dining room curtains….but I hesitated on that thought and several months passed before I took another look at the chair. ( Was this the project I would use that precious material for? )

          On one of my excursions to a garden nursery ( I stalk them every weekend… it’s an addiction ), I saw some huge coffee bean sack’s for $1.50. A sucker for burlap, I grabbed one to hold on to for that perfect thingy thing some day.

          Oh!

          Fusable Backing

          Foam Cushion

          Stapling on

           

           

           

           

           

           

          For the fabric, I removed the old vinyl covering and used a Jiffy marker to put a little arrow on the disassembled pieces to mark the correct way up so when I stapled my fabric on, I was keeping my lettering going the right way.

          I used the wood seat and back rest forms to trace out the pieces of fabric and backing I would need leaving a generous seam allowance to get it over the edge. The fusible backing will give the burlap sacking a strong firmness so when I’m pulling on it to get it over the edge, it doesn’t stretch out. A necessary step not to be skipped.

          I tossed the old cushions and used the wood seat form to outline my new foam for cutting. Then I stretched the fabric over and stapled to the back. The back rest came in two pieces so the raw edges got sandwiched together. But for the seat, I recycled the original seam covering and reattached it.

          I gave the wood a distressed look in the usual manner, hitting it with some chain, painting on a loose layer of paint, sanding again after dry and then using an antiquing medium to add some ‘grittiness’.

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

          I love this chair. It’s perfect….


          signature


          September 14th, 2012
          In: Dipity, Home Decor
          By:
          Comments: 25
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          25 Responses to Another Burlap Chair

          5. This is actually an old sewing chair. The seat comes off to store sewing supplies underneath. I have one just like it that I picked up at an antique store forever ago and have been racking my brain as to what kind of cool fabric I wanted to re-cover it with. Now I know. I LOVE the burlap! Great job!

            • Yes this is a real sewing chair… the old lady who sold us the Juki threw it in. It had a whole bunch of old patterns inside and some cool wooden spools :)

          12. Your chair looks amazing! I just bought a dinette set to refurb and told my daughter i wanted to cover the chairs in burlap! I found you on her site, Trendy Treehouse…i would love to have you stop by my blog for a visit. Just joined your site, NeeCee at pinecreekstyle.blogspot.com

            • Hi Julia….if you read through the tutorial you will see that I ironed the burlap pieces to a fusible stabilizer. It gave the burlap a stiffness desirable and more durable for the use of refurbishing the chair. I would recommend this step…otherwise your chair may begin to unravel over time :)

          22. Thanks Shelley, but I am referring more to the burlap you get all over you just from handling it. I want to cover an ottoman in burlap; but, don’t want to wear the burlap… make sense? I’ve heard some wash it and I’ve also heard nightmare stories about washing it.

            • Oh! Sorry Julia, I mis-understood. I don’t think washing it is a good idea, I suppose it depends on the quality and the weave of the material your using but I just think it would get mangled in the wash. I did my project outside in the summer but the fused backing does stop the fraying. I would suggest going to cutting table immediately to iron board to keep the mess in check. Now….does anyone have a suggestion of how to control the mess from faux garlands and trees? I have fake pine needles everywhere!

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