Do you remember....
.......the days BEFORE Craig's List....?
.......the days BEFORE it was TRENDY to be THRIFTY?
The house we lived in before we moved to Sweetwater had no formal dining room.
I resigned myself to the fact that this room in our new home would remain empty until our budget could accommodate the expense of dining room furniture....
Now even though there was no Craig's list....our favorite furniture store had a discount area called "The Odds and Ends Room"...and we were frequent visitors there.
On a visit shortly after our move.... we found a great Thomasville dining room table that was big enough to seat 10.....for a great price!
I found an image of a similar table so you can see the way it looked when we bought it!
A few weeks later we found "almost" matching chairs.....at a discount furniture store for an amazing $40 per chair......they had ugly beige nubby fabric on them....but they were $40 a chair!
The first fix was to recover the chairs with fabric that looked nice with the federal blue walls....
Can you believe how "country" this fabric is?
But the colors were versatile and looked nice with the beige lacquered wood....hey.....it was the '90s!!!
The walls got painted a creamy brown....and the "country" fabric on the chairs looked so so!!!!
Once again....time for a change!
The family thought I was crazy when I chose this zebra print.....and created slipcovers.
Too funny that now animal prints are all the rage....
"EXCEPT"....
Fast forward a few years...even though animal prints are trendy.....these chairs have seen lots of dinners and the fabric is showing it's age!
Time for another change!
(Are you thinking..."Finally....she is getting to the project"?)
YUP!!!
Here Goes!!!
A trip to the fabric store almost a month ago resulted in the purchase of this great fabric!
Perfect....but I couldn't seem to get in gear to start the project!
I finally got started on Monday thanks to this great tutorial that Julie over at Sew Passionate posted....Her instructions are complete and easy to follow....her technique made me itch to get started....
I was thrilled to learn her tricks...
Making the pattern by pinning and trimming....made the process "almost" easy....
And the technique for sewing the chair seat to the back with a "tuck in" piece...
You really need to read her tutorial.....it is awesome!
I was thrilled to learn her tricks...
Making the pattern by pinning and trimming....made the process "almost" easy....
And the technique for sewing the chair seat to the back with a "tuck in" piece...
You really need to read her tutorial.....it is awesome!
of course I adapted the process a bit.....but the tutorial was ever so helpful!
I have one chair almost done....and the pattern pieces cut for two more....Here is a sneak peak of the first chair almost done except for some hand finishing....
Are you noticing that the legs on the chair aren't beige lacquer anymore?
Well neither is the table.....
another part of the evolution story....
I will share that another time....
Now, I just need to do 7 more chairs.....maybe by July!!!!
Wish Me Luck!!!
I would love to hear how your furniture has "Evolved"....
And if it hasn't....maybe this post has inspired you!!!
Hmmmm......$400 table......8 $40 chairs......a little fabric....a little inspiration....
20 years of thrifty style!!!
Have A Great Day!
Mary- I really like that fabric. It will go with just about anything. That is a big undertaking but at least you have taken the first step. I have a couple of projects I need to get at, too. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteLove the new look and transformation taking shape on your dining room. It Looks Awesome!
ReplyDeleteThe chair looks wonderful in the new fabric, the circles in those colors, a little geometric is all the rage and yours is a great choice, I am sure your gonna get a lot of use out of these and they look fab with your new wall color...
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous fabric and my hat is off to you in regards to your sewing talent!
ReplyDeleteThey are lovely. Budget is how we decorate around here too.
ReplyDeleteI love how you were able to keep this furniture set going strong for nearly 20 years! I feel like I need a new dining room table every other year. I will have to try out some new projects now, thank you for the inspiration! Thanks for linking up with Messy Moms Messy Monday!
ReplyDeleteDanielle from Messy Moms Radio