Polka Dottie

So I'm always lookin for a good chair to redo, right?  And I've got just about everyone I know keeping a look out for me whenever they are out n about.  My future sister-in-law noticed this guy (and by "guy" I'm referring to the chair) on the street across from her house.  She emailed me a pic asking if I thought it was worth it for her to grab it.  "Uh, of course!" 

Now, given the look of the house across from them, I gave her a heads up to keep it in the garage for a few days and test its "smelliest".  Happy to report it is smell free :)  So we trucked it from Erie to home and I got to work. 

The idea was to (slowly) revamp the living room furniture which currently housed a sloppy sofa and uncomfortable loveseat that both looked like they belonged in a frat house.  A recent curtain gig yielded me enough leverage to convince Dan to buy a new couch - nevermind the fact that we've only gone to two stores and I'm relatively picky.  Also, for being such an awesome interior designer at work, I won 30 square yards of free carpet which is exactly enough to do our whole living room.  In replace of the loveseat - which created an awkward walkaround area from the kitchen to the living room - we decided to use some of the chairs I fix up instead,  which brings me back to the chair. Whew, that took a bit.

Anywho, I stripped it down to the stuffing...

There were no stains or smells or gross stuff (which automatically stops any further work on my part) so I was free and clear to press on.  And press on I did.  I needed to buy a new seat cushion since the original one was in sad shape.  I also found really great material at Joann's that worked with our living room color scheme (and was a really fabulous pattern).

Piece by piece, I put the chair back together - I took plenty to photos of the disassembly to know how things were supposed to go.  And my cute little bug served as just the right prop to work.

Me workin hard on the last piece of the puzzle

What, you don't have a glass of wine while you work?? ;)

No, these aren't medieval torture devices, they're just some guys who help me out on some tough projects - a rubber mallet and webbing/upholstery stretcher.

The Big Reveal

before

after

At one point, I considered searching for another chair similar to the first to sit beside it.  But now that the first one is finished and that ugly loveseat is outta the way, I like not having to walk around anything to get from the kitchen to the living room.  Plus, we're only two people and I have plenty of small chairs in other rooms to pull out for company.

Sad old loveseat by the side of the road...hopefully someone will take him home...