French Country Chairs DIY

I am starting the new year with my most recent  project. Thanks to Between Naps On The Porch for hosting Metamorphosis Mondays, Thrifty Decor Chic for having us for her Before and After Party, Reinvented for her Trash to Treasure Party , Decormama's  Frugalicious Fridays and last but not least
The girl creative, Just something I whipped up .  Whew, thats a lot of partying!

I purchased these two identical french country chairs off Craigslist for $17 each. They were really sad looking with outdated upholstery and a maple Early American finish. The chairs were very well made and I knew I could transform them.  Below is a BEFORE picture. Sorry, I  got so excited about working on the chairs I forgot to take a picture prior to priming them. You'll have to use your imagination and think of the maple finish that was popular in the 1960s.

Before and during priming

The After Photos

I first lightly sanded the chairs and ripped off the plaid fabric. Next I primed with Kilz and painted the chairs a soft grey/green that was mixed from several leftover cans of paint I already had in the garage. The chairs were sanded for the distressed look and Ralph Lauren smoke glaze applied.

 I knew I wanted a heavy canvas material for the cushions but after pricing the fabric at a local shop I knew I could find an alternative fabric for considerably less than $34.00 per yard! I picked up a large canvas drop cloth at Home Depot for $13.00 and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. Now keep in mind I DO NOT SEW! I had to actually buy a sewing machine for this project. The sewing machine was cheaper than paying someone to make the cushions. It took a little trial and error but I finally got the cushions sewn and the fabric attached to the bottom with upholstery tacks.

 I found a design I liked , modified the design and tried applying it with iron-on transfer. Well, of course I don't have the right kind of printer and the design was  really light and a large part of the design was missing .  I used left over fabric paint and went over the design that was visible and free handed the rest of it.  Okay I know about now you hard core crafters are having a good laugh and  I don't blame you. This little project took me almost two weeks to complete and I know you hard cores could have done it in a few hours. Hubby must have asked me at least 20 times why I don't just pay someone to finish the cushions.  I guess he got tired of hearing me mumble under my breath and throw the fabric on the floor and stomp on it. Anyways my DIY project is completed and I am happy with how it turned out. Just don't expect to see me sew or paint another pillow for a very long time.

Cost of my project: 2 chairs @ $34.00, drop cloth at $13.00 , useless transfer paper $5.00 & upholstery tacks $6.00. Total = $58.00. All the paint was left over from other projects. I did buy a sewing machine for $89.00 but I have already used it for a small project.  Hopefully I'll get over my fear of sewing and tackle some easy projects in the future.

Hugs,

Sherry

Email Me