OLD CHAIR RESCUE

I am not sure how it has happened, but old chairs seem to be drawn to me...
ok, I love old chairs.

For years I made all of my own clothes and did alterations for awhile. Now that clothing has gotten so cheap, patterns and fabric expensive, I fit "clothes" on furniture. For anyone who slipcovers, you know what I mean. It is pin, measure, pin, pin, pin and sew for a good fit.
In 1983 we bought a good quality dining room table and chairs.
The chairs to my dining room set were very out of date and not very comfortable. I still love the round pedestal table, but the wooden chairs with all the spindles were not comfortable and a pain to dust. (They look like the ones in Miss Kitty's Long Branch Saloon.) I was looking for new chairs, but did not want to spend alot of money to get quality chairs that would hold together for the rest of my life


A few years ago I was passing the local hotel liquidators and saw parson’s chairs stacked in a pyramid in their front window. I could not pass without stopping. I made a deal with the owner came home with 8 of them. I really only needed 4, as I do not entertain much anymore.

Over the past few years I recovered a few of them and sold them, as they were a nice chair for small spaces. Mine just sat in the dining room looking tacky. They were turquoise and a bit stained, but I wanted just the right fabric for them. They are comfortable and very sturdy. (The legs were originally a dark blonde.)





I decided to start out with a removable and washable slipcover. I loved them, but after awhile the wall color was changed and I wanted a more old world look. The fabric covers were too cottage looking. Notice the little pillows for back support. Of course the diningroom curtains matched for a custom look.




I found the tapestry fabric, but unfortunately there was not enough for the backs and seats. The light stained wood on the legs did not lend itself to being very old world, so I sanded, painted and faux finished a dark wood look on the legs. (I did try to remove the stain and restain, but it just did not work.)

Got the backs done and started to look for the perfect olive green fabric for the seats……I really wanted a dark olive green. That should not be too hard to find, right? WRONG!
Several times I bought yardages in different colors thinking it would work, but I did not like them. A color in the store does not look like the same color when you get it home! (Anyone like spicy coral or teal?) But you can never have enough fabric, right?

2 years later….well, I found some, but it was not upholstery fabric. It is the perfect olive color, but it was not upholstery grade or decorator fabric. Yesterday….I decided that I was tired of looking at the turquoise with the tapestry and just DID IT. I am very happy with them and this will work. They do not get a lot of use, so they may last my lifetime, who knows.

So the point of this chair saga? Decorating is an ongoing process. Once again….recycle, reuse, repurpose, redo! (P.S.My old chairs have a new home at my daughter's house.)