Not Sew Fast!

So although recovering chairs and barstools doesn't necessarily mean a sewing project don't let it fool you into thinking that it it'll be easy!

With the assistance of one kitty (Apache) and one puppy (Bella) as well as my wonderful father-in-law, I set out to repair and recover my dining room chairs which had suffered years of abuse at the hands of my husband's batchelor-days-friends and numerous D&D game nights...don't ask!


I was looking for a fabric from which I could easily brush animal hair (being a mommy of a puppy and two kitties, this is a huge plus and which would tie the room's color scheme of gold and scarlet together.



And I found it, thanks to Liz Claiborne Home Decor Fabrics and JoAnn's Fabric and Craft clearance section. HELLO, $12/yard and 56" width! :D







So -- armed with a staple gun, common screwdriver, woodglue, galvanized steel repair plates, and my cordless powerdrill -- my father-in-law and I began our project.





...Five hours, one screwdriver-gouged hand, a pack and a half of staples, six beautifully covered and repaired chairs, and three smashed fingers later....

TA-DA! (Note the puppy who makes an appearance in EVERY photo!)

I ended up with a few extra yards with which I'm planning to make a table runner with a contrasting fabric and a tree skirt as we keep our Christmas tree in this room so I'll have to save those projects as another blog entry.

I was actually so pleased with the result of the chairs that after my father-in-law left I decided to finally recover the two Italian barstools at the kitchen island as well with some nice fabric I had on hand.