Refurbished Rocking Chair

Sarit N.
by Sarit N.
Before I had my baby I knew I would want a rocking chair, but they are so expensive! A friend of mine was giving hers away, so we got one second-hand, make that third-hand. It was waiting for us tipped over and soaking in the rain (my friend was originally going to throw it out!). First we dried it up and conditioned the wood because it had become really dry.
I tried salvaging the cushions, but there was no way. Even if I was to cover them in fabric, there was hardly any cushion left. So I decided to make them from scratch.
I took some cardboard and scissors and cut out a stencil of the cushions. I had to make the stencil bigger, because the previous cushions we're so tiny that they didn't even cover the seat entirely.


I went to a mattress warehouse and chose the thickness of the foam. (The seat is thicker than the back). They cut it out according to my stencil. Then I bought 2 meters of fabric, and I measured it out. I made sure the fabric would include the sides of the cushion as well.


Then, using my mother-in-law's sewing machine (I'm trying to get one myself, but I can't afford one yet), I sewed up the covers, leaving one side open, to fit the cushions in.


After smushing the cushions in, I sewed up the last side by hand. In order to attach it to the chair, I ironed small folds of fabric, sewed them up, and attached it to the cushions. The ties keep the cushions in place perfectly.


As for the chair itself, there were smudges of paint, nail polish, and marker. I used a small amount of acetone to remove the stains. Then we sanded down the wood, stained it, and varnished it to give it a beautiful shine.


It now sits in our living room, and we use it all the time.
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