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Are you ready to tackle some upholstery but not sure where to start? I can tell you from experience NOT to start by tearing everything down without a plan! That was my first attempt at upholstery and I remember wondering what the metal pieces that I was tearing off were for and how do I get the right measurements…it was a disaster. Instead, take a minute to read through these next 5 steps to get a practical view of the job ahead.
1. Take Detailed Pictures
We all love a good before and after shot but I am not talking about that here. I want you to take a picture of every part of the chair. The front, the right arm, the back of the left arm, the bottom, the weird part with the funny seam, how the inside arm is stapled down, everything! As you look at the chair you may think, “That makes sense, I’ll remember how to do that”, but you won’t, trust me. There is a lot to this process that requires a lot of focus on every part. Give yourself a leg up and take as many detailed pics as possible.
2. Measure Everything
Have you started tearing down yet? If so, stop right now! Get out a tape measure, a cloth one if you have it, and start taking these two measurements: left to right, up to down. There is more to it but for now just these two measurements. Start with the Inside Back (the part you put your back on when you sit) and measure from top to bottom, then left to right. Now write them down. Do that again for all of these parts:
- Inside arm (from the part under the cushion all the way around the roll of the arm)
- Base (part under the cushion)
- Lip (part under the cushion where the back of your legs touch)
- Outside arm (from under the rolled edge of arm to the frame of the chair)
- Outside Back
- Cushion
Once you have those numbers I want you to add 4″ to each number with exception of the cushion. That part is covered in another post. These additional inches will give you enough fabric to pull the through the frame and secure it.
Now you can start tearing down. Go slowly, pay attention to what you are taking apart and keep the pieces as templates. You can compare you measurements to those pieces and get a better idea of what you need for each section. Be weary to just use the templates, they will have warp and have probably been cut down after stapled onto the frame to reduce bulk.
3. Find Your Centers
Have you ever worn a shirt that feels just a little off and you’re always tugging at it? That is because the fabric was not centered before it was sewn. You will have the same issues with upholstery. To avoid this you will need notches. It is a patten technique to let you know where you are going as you sew, or in this case uphoslter.
Take you cut pieces, fold them in half and cut out off the tip of the fabric at the fold. When you lay out your pieces you should see a triangle. This is your notch. Now, when it’s time to put the Inside Back piece on you will have know where the center of your fabric is and can match that to the center of your chair, the center of the cushion, to the center of the Outside Back. See where I’m going with this? It also helps with even distribution of tension on both sides of each piece.
Quick Tip: Mark the centers on the frame for each part of the chair.
4. Know When To Re-Use Or To Buy New
I did mention these were practical steps, right? Let’s say you bought a great chair from the thrift. Now you need to do the sniff test. Yep, you’ve got to put that nose right on up the chair and take a whiff. If you smell anything unsavory then you need to replace whatever is underneath. Sometimes this means foam, but it ALWAYS means you replace the Dacron. That is the polyester or cotton batting sitting on top of the foam to give the chair it’s soft look.
5. Take Your Time
This is not going to be an afternoon project if the chair you chose is fully upholstered. I’m talking to those of you that saw a Wingback chair and thought it would be a good first project. This was me on my first attempt at upholstery. Didn’t go so well! Every part of the process will take some time and some problem-solving so don’t rush it.
I hope this was helpful but am always happy to answer questions. Leave a comment if you need some help with your upholstery project!
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