Sofa Restoration: Part 1

Let me begin with the back story...

We found these leather sofas on Craigslist a couple years ago, and I have to say, leather is by far the most practical thing that I have found for furniture that gets used by children!

But, when my husband mentioned that they weren't comfortable for his back a few times, I started thinking, why not sell them for a little more than I paid, (to cover the hassle of moving them) find an old sofa and redo it!

More back story...

My mother was in the upholstery business for 25 years! And I knew that I would rely on her for help.

I had always wanted to really upholster a piece on my own.

I was determined to sell my set before buying something else so I had to wait quite a while and also let some potential sofa projects go. (Good for teaching me patience!)

So finally I was ready to buy! I found this at a local used/vintage furniture store and I knew I couldn't pass it by!

The down cushion was a plus for me, love that!

The joints were a little wiggly, I was hoping that we could somehow glue them, I thought it would be a simple sofa to do, but projects have a way of growing....

It had been re-upholstered at some point, maybe the 70s?

They did a great job, the padding was good and that made it hard to want to like taking it all off. But my husband said that he would re-glue the frame and I couldn't pass up such a great offer!

I apologize for so many pictures! I took them to help me remember how to put it back together!

On the outside back, under the fabric was a layer of dacron, under that was fabric with strips of webbing under that. 

 By the way, I removed thousands of staples, and gained callouses!

The above picture shows how the seat front was hand sewn on, I'll show more on how to do this.

This is the sofa back, (fallen forward) layers of burlap, horsehair, cotton and dacron.

and here is the back with the padding removed.

 Inside on the frame I found the word "Valbrona" and "hand carved" in several places.

Valbrona seems to be a place in Italy which would make me wonder if it is Italian, but why would the words "hand carved" be in English? If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them!

So I stripped this old girl right down to the wood and springs.

The springs were in great shape and I was able to pretty much leave them alone.

 My husband put in a metal brace in the seat and welded a bracket for the back, here he is mixing epoxy glue. We decided to go with epoxy rather than hide glue which was what was used originally. The epoxy was able to do a better job filling in the gaps.

Here is one of the joints reglued. We had the back in pieces! So scary but I'm so glad for his skill!

Next:

Painting and upholstering.

(It starts to get a lot more fun from here on out!)

It is finished!!

And I'm so happy with it!

I don't have time to do a complete step by step post so for now I'll just show the befores and afters.

Update: Click below for details on the project .

                      Part 1

                     Part 2

                       Part 3                

Linking up to:

Miss Mustard Seed

Primp

Fabric Choices

I really appreciated all the advice/support about my chalk painted sofa trim!!

So I thought I would throw out some fabric samples and get you-all's opinions again!

It's free after all and I can use all the help I can get. Who knew these decisions would be so agonizing?!!

These pictures were taken with my phone and are kind of washed out.

This one is so practical, I would not worry about the kids getting it dirty. But I think it may be too fuzzy and thick, my frame is rather delicate and this is heavy, but the colors are great, gray/blue with taupe/green in it.

This was the right blue but I hate the loops, I don't know why I brought it home.

Please don't pick this one!!

These next two diamond patterns are interesting. The pattern would be good for hiding stains, they would wear well, I think. My concern is that they're too traditional, kind of like what you would see on Grandma's sofa, but that could be a good thing....

...what do you think?

This was just pretty but impractical, I had to include it!

This light brown velvet was my front runner. I think it would hide dirt, would be classic,

soft. But would it start to have wear marks on the seats and arms? I don't know.

This one is my current favorite! It has the blue/taupe weave and looks linen-ish. This picture doesn't show the contrasting threads very well, but they are there.  It would make the sofa look more like a french-ish. Which would make me happy-ish, I think! (Sorry!)

I don't think it would show dirt but it is lighter weight than the velvet, would it be as durable?

These fabrics are all about the same price so it's really just about what would be the perfect match.

And I've already decided that I'll have to keep a quilt on it most of the time to keep it clean. I'll train my children to sit on the quilt!!

So please, please give me advice...

Thanks in advance!!!

Indecision.... help needed!!!

I'm in the middle of a sofa project using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the first time and I'm not sure that I'm liking the results.

Let me explain, I painted two coats of pure white, distressed it, which, by the way, was so easy and fun! ( I may have overdone it on the distressing.)

Here is what it looked like:

I love this look, so very light and feminine, but the goal was to age it, to make it look as if it has been around a long time...

Sooo, I put the clear wax on next, and followed with the dark. (Without drying time in between, this is what some tutorials have said works best.)

I worked in small sections, brushing it on and then using a cloth to rub it in and remove the excess.

This is how it looks now:

It does look older for sure. I guess I'm not sure that I want it so brown, do you think it looks dirty? Or like it's faux antiqued in a really shoddy way. I like things to look fresh and I

 don't like faux anything.

Or maybe I'm not getting the procedure right, it is my first time after all. And I'm telling myself that with the fabric on it won't stand out so much.

So, please give me some advice, I would love your input! My husband has put so much work into reinforcing the frame, (we had it all in pieces) and I really, really want it to turn out right!

Thanks so much!!

Sneak Peek

I'm right in the middle of this HUGE project, it should be great when it's done!

I'll share pictures of the progress with you. (Once there IS some progress.)

Have a great weekend you all!

(We are taking the kiddos to Grandma's tomorrow so that the two of us can celebrate our 12th anniversary - 12 years?! where has the time gone?)

Headboard Redone

I bought this awhile ago, painted it, and just now got the fabric on.

The lattice wasn't bad, but I really like it better now.

Please excuse the bedding, I had to pull it away to get a proper shot since the pillows pretty much cover the headboard.

The double piping wasn't as uniform as I would have liked, I didn't have the right sewing machine foot, next time I'll use my Mother's machine.

But it was a fun learning experience!

Before shot:

And after:

Linking to:

Primp

Miss Mustard Seed

Hello, i'm still alive!

I've just slacked off horribly with blogging. I made a list of at least six different subjects/projects that I want to write about.

So, we are alive and busy but I just haven't been sharing!

I think when blogging becomes a duty rather than fun it's time to take a break. But I'm ready to have a go at it again, because I really do like this record of our family and our doings, and I certainly love your comments and hearing how things are going in your lives!

I'll leave you with this picture of my silly little boy, don't try to make sense of it, I don't know why he wanted his picture taken with starbusts in his binoculars...

... I guess it's one way to strike up a conversation with the girls at the mall playground.

Bye now,

Melissa

EAT

We made these oversized letters with some old bead board that I ripped out of a closet.

Inspiration HERE.

They are a little big for the space, but I love them and want to make more!

(I couldn't seem to get a good shot with the light pouring in the windows.)

First Picking

Sunshine

The house is quiet this morning, my daughter still sleeping, my son went to work with my husband.

I've had my cheerios, big day ahead, time with family I don't get to see often, I should be busy.

But I feel restless and not very put together. I'm learning ever so slowly not to ignore these feelings but to slow down and take inventory. What's wrong, why do I feel so insecure?

I read in Psalms about God's great love and protection for me. Just taking the time to be still and listen to what He wants me to hear.

Somehow, my thoughts get all sorted out and I realize that I'm no longer empty, I feel settled and secure.

I feel the warmth of His love inside and then I see this patch of sunshine in a different way.

Before, just a reminder of how hot it already is and how it shows all the dirty smudges on the glass, now, it is a reminder of God's love to me.

 And I think how far away the sun is, and how the light has to penetrate through so much darkness to reach my little living room. 

I'm awed and amazed  and so happy that His great love reaches and cares and nourishes me!

Front Porch Progress : Finished!

Our porch has undergone a lot of changes this spring. The run in with the car in March (read about it HERE) set us back time wise, but because we had to patch the floor, we were able to sand and paint it.

So now, I'm kind of glad it happened. I think...

I love the floor painted, it looks so clean and bright. The dark stain that we put on it before was pretty, but impossible to keep clean, it showed every footprint. And it didn't hold up well at all.

Here it is, freshly sanded and just before I started painting.

I used an oil based porch paint in a dark gray premixed color. I wanted it to contrast with the lighter gray of the siding.

I didn't prime first, but thinned the first coat with paint thinner so that it would really soak in. 

More pictures at different angles...

My hydrangeas are blooming, but they are pretty messy, I'm hoping they'll be happier next year. And the one on the end is down to a single branch, the leaves just keep turning yellow and then brown and drying up. Does anyone know what this could be?

The pillows I made from a remnant of an outdoor fabric that I bought at U-fab. (A local discount fabric shop)

I have more to make pillows for the back porch. Outdoor fabric has come a long way, this is 100% acrylic but so soft and not shiny at all.

So, I hope you enjoyed seeing some real progress - I know I am so glad to be done and hopefully will soon have something to show of the back porch!