Upholstery Class

I have not written about what I have been doing in classes lately, so here is the update. In March I was working on the Tab Curtains for the living room.  I did finish the pair of curtains for the single window but ran out of the matching thread for the double windows on the living room’s south side.  I ran all over town and still could not find a match then I tried the internet.  There were problems with back orders and it took a month before I found the thread at my front door.

During that time I was glad to have the 1930’s chair to work on.  As I have said before the fabric is removed in the reverse order as it is put on.  The first thing to remove is the dust cover on the bottom of the chair but it was already gone.  So I first marked all the pieces with a marker.  Once that was finished I started pulling all the tacks attaching the back fabric to the chair’s bottom and around the outside arms to the top of the back gentle pulling the loose fabric from the frame.  Because of the curved back all the back pieces (fabric and batting) came off as one piece.  I will leave it as one piece until I cut the new pieces; there will be less a chance the piece will be pulled out of shape.  The chair was lined with a white fabric to keep the batting and fabric strength and support, that also needed to be replace.  By the time I finished, there were tacks everywhere.  I try to keep them from getting on the floor but there still a lot to pickup.  When I take a chair apart I always need to check the bottom of my shoes for tacks in them and there are usually 1 to 3 tacks in either shoe.

The next class I started to work on the inside of the chair.  Again I started pulling tacks along the bottom of the chair to loosen the inside back, nosing and seat lining.  I did my best to keep the pieces together where I could.  The inside back and nosing with seat lining came off as two pieces.  The nosing and seat lining is the last piece off and the first piece on.  The seat batting was marked before pulling it off.  I have been taught to keep the batting and mark it so it can be used as a template for the new batting.  The edge roll was removed and should be replaced.  The roll is use to support the edge and keep the cushion in place.  The burlap covering the open space on the inside back was pulled too.  The only thing left that is not wood is the cardboard supports on the inside arms and inside back.

 

When I brought the chair I knew that I needed to do so bracing in the back and found what was causing the problem.  The left back leg was cracked and the chair’s base near the cracked leg also was crack.  Note: To determine what side of a chair is right or left, stand in front facing it and the chair’s left side is the same as your left hand and versus.  I talked to a guy at work about fixing it.  He suggested that since the crack is almost complete that I would be better break it off and gluing then trying to use a syringe to inject the glue.

 The chair is on hold since the thread came in.  I want to strip the chair's finish off first and then fix the leg.  I hope to complete the curtains for the living room double window by the end of May and I am look forward to working on the chair.  I cannot wait to see the finished chair.