Couch cover

I have started the study.  I will show you the progress when I get more progressed.  

Until then I want to show you the remainder of the family room.  This is what it looked like at the beginning of the transformation.

I moved the dining table against the windows and upcycled an old cabinet.  I showed you this here.  But in case you have forgotten, this is what it then looked like

But that left a dirty great big gap to the right, where the table used to be.  Sort of shown in this picture.

I did a bit of reading in blog land and found a video series by Miss Mustard Seed.  She showed how to make a slip cover for a chair.  I just used the same skills for a couch.  The only problem was that the couch had a chaise.  See. 

Not pretty, but it was cheap.

You can find Miss Mustard Seeds video tutorials here, I have given the link to the final part of her tutorial, as this page has links to all the other 5 videos.  When you make the slip covers you make them inside out, so when you turn it right way out everything is on the opposite side.  Doesn't work for the chaise, and my head could not get round how to solve it...other than cutting the chaise off and making a couch and ottoman.  So that is what I did.  And this is the end result.

I love this end result, and the slip covers have come in handy with the kids.  I am about to wash some chocolate off them.  They are just getting chucked in the washing machine.  Gotta love that.

The (almost) end result looks like this



It's not perfect and I would love to improve the pictures on the wall, but they are hubbys sports memorabilia, and I guess he lives here too.

Take care



Dining Cabinet

As per the previous post our entertainment unit was big and ugly.  It just took up too much of the room and dominated the space.  So I went on the hunt for a cabinet to store some of our "stuff" and hold the TV.

I found this one at the local Salvo's store for $50

A couple of coats of paint, a bit of a sand and new door handles, the cabinet now looks like this. Excuse the child lock on the cupboard, but my 1 year old is into everything already!

I have only shown part of the dining/family room as I have another exciting big item to show off.

Stay tuned.

I'm linking this here

Reupholstering Dining Chairs

The improved chairs

This is a post I have been meaning to uhhhh... post.  It was my first major DIY job.  Well, over a period of 5 years, yes, you read correctly, 5 years, I have stripped and stained the chairs.  Last weekend I got enthusiastic and finished off the table.  Which I just love the look of, but frankly, the chairs were letting the table down.


I reuphostered the chairs.  The material is a grey/cream stripped material that I got from Spotlight.  It was an end of roll special.  Although located within the furnishing fabrics, I think that it is very lightweight, so it may not last the distance.  However with two toddlers, and at $8/metre I figured if it lasts me 5 years, I will just change it.

The material has given me direction for the rest of the dining room.  I am going with a majority black, white and silver theme.

The table, I stripped the top and stained it, then put Cabothane over the top.  I was going to strip the legs as well, but saw a table that I loved, that had painted white legs.  So I decided to paint the legs, and thought, if I don't like it I can strip it back, like I was originally  going to do.  When I painted the legs I was just so pleased.  I finally had a peice of furniture I love.  Unfortunately the original table colour was so uuurgly that I have no photos of it. You will just have to take my word for it, it was dark brown, and blurgh.  
couldn't be bothered

I just needed to get on with it and reupholster the fabric.

Dining room chair in progress

Reupholstering the seat is easy, I just unscewed the seat from the chair (from underneath) and stapled the fabric on.  With stripped fabric, just keep checking that it is straight.  and staple all the sides first, then tackle the corners. 

After I did all the chair seats, I tackled the backs.

One chair finished

The backs of the chairs prooved a little more difficult.  I had some staples showing where I had joined the back piece of fabric to the chair.  So, I added some piping to hide the staples. I think that adds a bit of "something" to the chairs.  I love the contrast the black piping adds, and it seems to break up the grey.  Love, love, love it.

The "After" table and chairs.

  

Before

and After

So there you have it.  My first real DIY.  And it is a success as far as I am concerned.