Very nice job! I love these redos!
Diane

belago,

You are very inspirational! I hate to admit that I thought the top left photo was the re-done chair at first, because it looks so nice in that light! Naturally the completed chair looks even nicer! What a valuable skill you have learned.

I am taking an 'easy' route out on my old CL chair. I removed the webbing, the springs, etc and am using 1/2 plywood, foam and batting, and maybe some down. I hope I won't regret it, but I am saving the springs, just in case. Mine had 6 of them.

Thankyou, ladies. :)

my3dogs, I was a little nervous about trying to do the springs, but using the photos as my guide, I was able to get them back where they belonged. I sewed them to the bottom webbing, then carefully tied them with cording, making sure to tighten enough to compress the right amount and also to shape them lower toward the outer edges of the seat area. You can see in the before photos how the springs were tied tighter toward the outside, which helps give the rounded shape to the seat. So I just did it the same way, tying each spring to the other each direction. Then I had to push down on them to get the burlap on tight enough and somehow get the nose of the stapler into some pretty awkward areas!

Your chair should be just fine with the padding over a wood base. I cannot wait to see your chair finished! It is going to be really beautiful, I'm sure. And even though the style is unusual, I know you will make it work in your house as if it was meant to be there.
Wish I could say the same for my little chair! Mine looks like a childrens' chair beside my large scale furniture. It is very low to the ground for some reason, and although quite nice to sit on, it's a good 5 or 6 inches below the other seating in the room.

LOVE this makover!!!! White tablecloth.....saved money too!!!! The woodfinish is to die for! yum!

My chair was loaded with acorns, and 'remnants' (droppings) of little creatures when I pulled it apart carefully. I have to cut the string on the springs to remove the top hunk of padded burlap. It was put together very well, and interesting to see how it was constructed.

I happened to have a big hunk of foam that I got at half price at Joann's ages ago, so I thought, why not use it? I looked at leather on eBay and for a while thought of getting black 'alligator', but decided against that (since I am not staying true to the original construction) and went with a solid navy blue leather. I have ordered the decorative nails, and have batting, (Dacron wrap) and will just need to find a nice gimp, once I get the leather to blend the color with.

Those old chairs did sit low didn't they? The seat on mine was puffed up like Jiffy Pop, so it wasn't too bad to sit on. I just need to make it just as puffy using modern materials!

I hope you're able to get your camera to record the re-build on your next effort. It would be wonderful to see the steps. Do you have another one lined up?

That is gorgeous!

Just beautiful...

double welting, I'm super impressed at your skills; it's gorgeous !!

I'm impressed with your upholstery skills. Are you self-taught? If so, perhaps I'll try the skill. Absolutely love old furniture, but professional re-do is expensive where I live.

Wow! Now I know who I can ask for help when I need to reupholster! You are so talented!

Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS!!!

Thanks again for all your comments.
mythreedogs, it is interesting to see how the chairs are made, isn't it? Although my chair didn't have any signs of former living things in it, it was horribly dirty inside and musty. All of the tacks were rusted, as well, so I had to be very careful removing them that I didn't step on one, or otherwise puncture myself.
I do have a couple of chairs coming up, matching barrel chairs with channel quilted backs. They aren't old, maybe from the late '60's? I have already stripped one of them down but probably won't be able to do any more for a while as I have to find enough reasonably priced fabric to do the two of them. I did take a very detailed photo record, as well as notes, for that one. Fortunately all of the innards are in really good shape so I will only have to recover them. The chair was so pristine inside that all I found was three tiddlywinks and a 1972 quarter. Not even any hair or crumbs inside.

mitch, this is the first time I sewed double welting. If you can sew a straight line on a machine, that will do it. The special welting foot has two grooves on the underside that guide the double cording, and you just wrap the fabric once, stitch down the middle, wrap one more time and stitch again. Then trim off the bit of fabric that is left along the edge of the stitching. It isn't hard, just a little awkward keeping your fabric stretched tight and straight while you sew.

If you looked closely you would see flaws in the work I've done. It is nowhere near what a reupholsterer would do in quality workmanship, but for being able to make a new chair from old for very little $$, it was worth trying to do this.
rioritarae, this is my second chair I tried. I have another thread a few pages back showing my first project. It was either throw the chair out, or try to do something with it. I made loads of mistakes, but I also learned enough to try another one. And, it gives me something to occupy myself with. I have always enjoyed having some kind of hobby and enjoy teaching myself to do things. :)

Very impressive and I love the look of the tablecloth as fabric . I still have only removed all the old from my chair that I found on the curb. It has the exact same stuffings as yours and M3D's chair. I also had lots of rusted tacks to remove. I haven't had time to do anymore to it as well as not knowing how to do it. It is almost identical in style to another chair that was posted on another thread...can't remember whose it was. Anyhow..you are wonderfully talented. c

Very nice! You're making me want to rip apart a chair and have at it! :)

VERY nice! How do you attach the double welting to the chair?

Thankyou again for commenting.
Trailrunner, do you have a photo of your chair before you stripped it down? I would be interested in seeing it.
Thanks Shee. Your dining chairs turned out lovely! Nice job and I love the fabric you used!
Zulabel, I glued the welting with a hot glue gun, but I might add some small decorative tacks, or even just gimp tacks, which will add a wee bit of detail. The original beige gimp had tiny round-headed tacks or nails and I liked the look of them around the trim.