I’ve always been interested in upholstery. It’s such an impressive set of skills and is super helpful if you buy secondhand furniture.
I finally decided to take a class from Atelier Douce France because my “new” sewing stool desperately needed to be reupholstered. I actually liked the color of the vinyl, so I attempted to find a similar fabric at Mill End. I briefly entertained using this mid-century modern-esque design, but felt a solid color would be easier to manage.
Unfortunately, the fabric I chose was deemed too stiff to work with in this workshop, so Anne let me purchase a yard of this fun geometric fabric that I thought would coordinate with my sewing machine covers. It’s by Pierre Frey and is described as:
… [a] geometric pattern [that] plays on contrasts of color and black and white, in a particularly dense cotton velvet quality, combining cut and épinglé velvet. This graphic and playful carved cotton velvet revisits a work by the Russian constructivist artist Lyubov Popova from the early 20th century.
Next, I cut three layers of foam to create the crown of the seat. I knew foam cutters were awesome, but finally getting to use one was super exciting. I also needed to bevel the edge of the topmost piece of foam.
Once all the foam was cut, I got to use the gravity fed glue sprayer to secure the foam layers together and to the plywood base. The bevel let me create this perfect mushroom cap.
The studio space was so nice and the other participants were working on some intense projects! Before the workshop, I didn’t realize that a multi-session project was an option. It definitely is, which is awesome! The class size is limited to four people and Anne circulates to each person throughout the day to demonstrate. It’s an incredible learning environment and Anne is so knowledgeable, kind, and fun.
After prepping the foam, I could then start stapling the fabric. Pneumatic staple guns are so cool!!! First I put in a bunch of temporary staples, which are just shot at an angle making them easier to remove. After checking the tension and the fabric’s pattern, final staples are added and the excess fabric is trimmed away.
Holy crap, industrial machines. Seriously, this studio’s set up was SO NICE. I only got to sew one seam and finish the edges, but wow… do I need industrial machines?!
The original vinyl was held in place by a metal circle that pinched it in place underneath the the rim . The new fabric was too thick for that to work, but now there’s a fancy dust cover on the bottom that hides the plywood, plus the fabric wraps the whole way around the metal rim.
I wrapped up probably an hour and half before the workshop was supposed to end because my stool was one of the simpler pieces. I am definitely going to do more projects with Anne! I want to redo my dining room chairs (4), my computer chair, and maybe even the BIG project of my grandparents’ old recliner and foot stool.