The Ugly Duckling

by Bonnie Shirley Coates

9 Materials

$20

8 Hours

Medium

I discovered this tattered chair at a flea market several months ago and just knew I could do something cute with it.

Sometimes you have to look beyond the outward appearance to see the beauty underneath.

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This chair had seen better days; the wood did not match up well, the cushions and springs were worn. But the bones were great and I knew I had to have it!

The back cushion was completely missing.

Staple holes were all over the back.

The webbing and filler material were rotten.

I always start by removing all staples, nails, upholstery, filler, springs... taking it all the way down to the frame.

It is not a difficult process but it can be unpleasant, at times....

You never know what you will find.

Once I took it down to the frame, I painted with white chalk paint, waxed, lightly distressed, and attached new webbing.

Next I added the foam to form the cushion. As you can see, the foam was uneven so I had to add batting and Polyfil to get it just right. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo after I evened it up.

I purchased this cutter quilt at a flea market. It was quite dirty but I was able to get is clean. I desperately wanted to use the embroidered rose but I just could not get it to look right.

I cut out several possible backs and pinned them in place until I found the perfect look.

It is not perfect but I am happy with the results

Ta Da!!!!

It looks absolutely precious in my "pink room"!

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Chalk paint
Wax
Sand paper
Foam
Polyfil
Webbing
Staples/staple gun
Gimp (trim)
Cutter quilt

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5 of 11 comments

Judy on Apr 06, 2017

Chair looks really cute and vintage looking. I also like your chenille bedspread showing on the left. They are so hard to find.

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- Bonnie Shirley Coates on Apr 06, 2017
  Thank you! I must admit the pink Chenille is actually only a year old from Miles Kimball. I do have several vintage ones that are only good for cutters but I have a contact in Canton, Texas (monthly flea market) that sells them. She always has a nice selection.
  
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- Joanie on Oct 10, 2019
  
  Blair.com has a nice selection also.
  
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Miriam Illions on Apr 07, 2017

That is seriously impressive.

1 Reply
- Bonnie Shirley Coates on Apr 10, 2017
  Thank you!
  
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