At one point this week, I started thinking that I’d actually complete this challenge early. LOL. We are halfway through and I still have my work cut out for me.
When thinking through the ORC, I wanted to challenge myself. Even before I knew what room, I would be tackling. Its been years since I sewed anything major. Maybe a few small projects here and there. I have always seen my mom sew and reupholster furniture but I have never really done it myself, outside of dining cushions. SO I decided whatever the ORC ended up being that I wanted to brush up on my sewing skills. My freshman and sophmore years of high school, I took interior design classes. We learned a little bit about architectural history and design eras, but honestly we learned how to sew pajamas and a tote bag. Or at least those were my take aways. With those unfortunate projects, I did learn a lot about the sewing machine and how to sew. I haven’t put it much into practice since 2005. That knowledge, much like my Nana’s sewing machine, was a little dusty and slow to start. In the end we have some reupholstered box cushions.
Another significant challenge with reupholstery is the price. I typically avoid re-upholstery projects due to the cost. Decent fabric is typically $20/yd on the lower end. To me, its only worth re-upholstering if you LOVE the piece you already have or you get a piece for free or really cheap. I got our Braxton Culler Rattan sofa at goodwill for $60. Thankfully I didn’t have to think about having to reupholster a frame. AND I got rid of the back cushions bc they smelled a little funky. So I only needed 3.5 yds for the 3 box cushions. I ended up having some extra so I am thinking I will be able to make two pillows with the remnants. I went with a pattern here, because pattern instantly elevates an overall design. At least, that is my option. We also have two club chairs to reupholster. I found these on FB marketplace for $25 ea. I love the shape, the swivel base, and the comfort level. With these pieces, I stuck with a solid fabric. The curved arms and shape of the chair would make it pretty challenging to match up the pattern. As a newbie to reupholstering, I am not up for that challenge. AND it would require more yardage, which means more money. So my goal when I went to my favorite fabric store was to find the fabric for under $10 a yard. After some digging through the remnants bolts, I found 10 yards of a perfect slate blue solid fabric for only $7.95/yd. Also I did this shopping with an 18 month old when I forgot the stroller at home. So I was trying to stay objective. Yardage for both the sofa and chairs under $10, Solid for the chairs, pattern for the sofa, fabric that would hide pet hair, fabric that could clean easily, and style/color keeping up with our overall fresh feel. I am hoping to recover the chairs over the next week but we are headed to Austin, TX next week for my sister-in-laws’ wedding! We are so excited and have lots to prep for our trip so TBD what I get done on this end for week 4 of the ORC. As always go check out the super talented designers participating here. I will also be sharing some of my favorites over on IG.
