$12 Goodwill find....she had lovely bones and they were strong
Before deconstructing, I drew lines at every seam to use as a guide. I also had a pad and paper to make good notes about each step and what I found as I worked deeper into the chair. Basically, I took it apart in the exact opposite order I reconstructed.
Lots of old fibers and materials were found but I worked hard to save as much of the original filling/batting and liner as I could. It was in fine shape and had no smell issues or anything. After getting her taken apart, I concluded I was giving her her 3rd dress :)
Hundreds and hundreds of tacks lined every inch of this baby...."Really? Were that many tack necessary?" I thought. Well....I learned ~ YES....I ended up putting nearly as many back in as I took out.
I was lucky to find that the webbing and springs were in fine condition!!!
My attempt at making photo notes was silly because as I went I realized the steps were sometimes done out of order...though I referred to these deconstruction photos MANY, MANY times during the reupholstering phase.
Her original pink was a lot brighter....I just knew with a fresh dress....she would be a new girl!
Cutting the fabric on the bias for the piping/trim was KEY to making it bend as desired.
The sweet little legs needed a little wood glue and one new peg ~ my husband was kind enough to help me along in that department.
the back piece...each section came off so nicely that I just saved them for my pattern later on.
the arms were the trickiest part to re-do.
Slow, careful deconstruction is so important....I saved each piece so I had a logical pattern. Also....I marked them with notes, arrows, positions and sequences. The deconstruction gave me my process...backwards.
There were at least 5 times I considered giving up on her but then just cleaned up my mess, went to bed and slept on it. Take it slow...I was told. I did and it worked out.
A few coats of a soft white on these pretty little legs and she was a new girl!
I struggled a little to get the print to lay right on the seat but then just let it land the way it did on the back welted part...ok I guess.
Ta-da....Isn't she just precious? I couldn't be happier with the final product! My daughter just loves her new chair and can't wait to place it in her new bedroom!
