The Bench is DONE! Before & After Pics

Finally, the little bench that was a big headache is done. And the hiccups experienced along the way feel so worth it, now that I look at the pretty thing she has become. It's a gratifying feeling, to know I DID this! From a plush, new cushioned seat to a paint transformation - my new bench looks shabby chic and romantic. I love it!

Remember what it looked like originally? Well, just in case you didn't catch the first post about tearing out the cushion here's a link to read that post, and the BEFORE photo....

And here is Miss Lovely is now...

Look at those curves!

Have I gotten her from every angle? Here you can see the three simple tufts in the cushion.

And there's the little pillow I made from the Waverly garden collection of fabrics. See the curtain? That floral pattern is from this collection too - I found it just yesterday at a consignment shop! 

Even Charlotte had to get in on the picture-taking action. Doesn't she look pretty?

And not to be outdone by the dog, Saxon posed for a pic too!

I left the back open because putting another cushion up there would have required work I wasn't really willing to do, and frankly, I like seeing the open lines. It looks more contemporary now.

For those interested in the recipe for the paint makeover - I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Two coats of Old White followed by clear wax. Then I distressed with fine sandpaper, and gave it a patina with a coat of dark wax.

I had considered selling this bench. Now I think she's a keeper. I'll be moving it around my home, looking for a permanent place to settle her in.

I've started working on another little bench. It is a much simpler project and should take another day or so to complete. Keep watching!

The tufted bench seat is done!

The seat is finally done! I say that with a lot of relief because it was something I've wanted to complete for weeks now.

As you know, the seat on this bench was originally covered with 2 pieces of fabric to make 2 small, rather flat cushions.

After removing the top cushion on the back first, and discovering endless staples which led to blisters and a backache during removal, I decided the seat cushions would have to stay. Covering them up was the answer.

I bought 2 pieces of 2-inch foam, batting, fabric, a button cover kit, nylon thread and a long upholstery needle. I watched a tufting tutorial on The Fab Housewife website, and went to town yesterday.

Here's what I did. First I measured the length and width of the seat and decided where I wanted my 3 tufts - spaced out evenly. Then I used hubby's drill to drill 3 holes into the back of the wood seat. I cut my foam to the correct size, and laid it over the old seat. (the seat came out of the bench frame easily thank God) Then I cut the batting and laid that over the foam. Next I cut the fabric and that went over the batting. I flipped the whole thing over, and pulled it all tight and started stapling it down to the underside of the seat.

Then I worked on my buttons. I bought a handy little kit at the fabric store that made covering buttons easy. After 3 were complete, I threaded the needle with long nylon thread. Here's where it got messy. This thread was transparent and thin. The video said to fold it twice, so there would be 6 pieces to give it added strength. Well, after hours of trying to use this thread and pull it tight, it just kept tearing. I finally resorted to using yarn (thank you Kristi!). I had watched a different video online with this technique and yarn was the ticket!

So, here's the actual tufting technique: thread the upholstery needle with yarn, insert through the drilled hole in the back of the seat, push it slowly through all the layers until it comes out the front side. Then slide one of covered buttons onto the needle, and reinsert the needle back through the hole. The tricky part is finding the drilled hole again. I had to wiggle the needle around until I got lucky and found the hole.

One I got through the drilled hole and pulled the button taught, I then clipped off the needle and pulled the yarn very tightly, which sank the button deeper into the foam, and gave it the tufted appearance. When it was as deep as I wished, I then knotted the thread at the back. You might be wondering how I kept the yarn from sliding into the drilled hole - I anchored it with washers. Just tied it to the washer before I even inserted the needle in the first place (another trick learned online). The washer kept the yarn from sliding into the drilled hole.

So, without further adieu, here's a few more shots of the finished seat...

After finishing this seat, I gave the bench a quick coat of paint in Old White. Today I want to finish the painting and waxing. So, tomorrow you should get to see the finished piece. Yay! I can't wait - hope you are as excited as I am!

The Bench that Might be More Than I Bargained For

A couple of weeks ago, as I was anxiously awaiting the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop, I spied a little bench at one of my favorite consignment shops in Haymarket, called The Very Thing. First, let me tell you that this place is a stone's throw from my house, and I visit it nearly everyday. I have found some great things there - unusual stuff I wouldn't get anywhere else - ever! Like a Hillary Clinton-autographed & framed illustration of the Christmas room in the White House, which I couldn't wait to surprise my mother-in-law with this past holiday!

So, this bench was in one of their small rooms, flanked by about 5 pillows and tucked behind even more items. It was like a chameleon - hidden in its habitat. It was so plain-jane, it had virtually disappeared among the other stuff. Perhaps that's why there's was a sale tag on it for $75.00. Furniture doesn't go on sale too often at The Very Thing, unless its been there for a while. Believe me, their stuff moves fast. I have sold countless things there, and one day I scored these two fabulous chairs within minutes of them arriving into inventory.

Anyway, I might have overlooked the bench if I wasn't looking at things through new eyes. Eyes that searched for old or otherwise unwanted things hungering for a makeover. The bench fit the bill. But not for $75.00. So, I offered $50, and was bingo - she went into my truck!

Here it is, waiting a turn for new life, in my garage...

When I spied her I thought, "ooh, I can reupholster the seat and back cushions, too!" I've done that before. I had noticed at The Very Thing that the cushions were already peeling up from the wood. Upon closer inspection, it appeared they were just hot-glued down. So I figured that removing them would be easy-breezy, right?

WRONG! Here's where this project got hairy...

I went into the garage to look at her and imagine what color I was going to paint those lovely spindles and curved arms. I don't plan to paint this piece until I have few more under my belt, and feel more confident about not ruining it. But, I wanted to at least start on the fabric portion. So, I attempted to remove the top fabric on the back. Remember, I thought I would just be a matter of pulling it off. I started slowly, and could muster no more than turning down the edges. So, I got out a flat-head screwdriver, thinking I needed something to get down inside further. I poked, prodded, and felt like it just wouldn't give. Something was holding it tight. And like any woman who can't open a stubborn pickle jar, I called my husband.

He too had problems. I'm thinking, "that's some damn strong glue," when he gave it all his brute strength (Hubby is a big guy with big muscles). Off came the fabric - the FIRST LAYER of fabric!
I was so excited - it was like unearthing a piece of history, seeing the older fabric underneath. Then I joked with Hubby that perhaps there was a copy of the Declaration of Independence under the seat cushions!

So here is what we removed:

And here is what we discovered underneath:

The two fabrics are very similar. Part of me wondered why someone would bother to cover it with nearly the same fabric. Maybe they didn't like the little frilly edging? At any rate, look at the above photo - see all those staples? Those staples were from the first piece of fabric Hubby yanked off. Only the edges had been glued down - to hide all of these staples. We knew there was no way to pull this next layer off.  Plus, as a very inexperienced seamstress, I know my limitations. I have no idea how to make piping to hide staple edges, like the last person had done. Nor, was I really wanting to take the time to learn. (I am impatient, and just wanted to get this done easily without having to turn on my sewing machine)

We decided it was easiest to remove the back panel:

I initially thought I would salvage the wood, recover it, and wood glue it back in. But, it turned out the wood, was just some cheap, paper-thin material that splintered, cracked and buckled in our hands.

And that wasn't the worst part. Here's what the bench looked like now:

Two rows of staples. And I mean a lot of friggin staples! I spent 2 days pulling these things out with a pair of pliers. I got blisters and a backache from this crap.

Hubby pulled out a few before he gave up and went back inside. It would have been much easier, had the row of newer staples not kept breaking in half, leaving us with tiny pieces of metal sticking out of the wood. The first row and older staples were much stronger and in most cases came out in one piece.

So, the next step was to sand down the leftover bits of staple still lodged in the back:

I borrowed my neighbor's Dremel and sanded down the bits of metal. Hubby came out to find me doing this with sparks flying. He said I looked like I was welding. Ha! Once I was down to wood, the next step was to sand the area smooth, as some of the staple left holes and lifted wood. I used very course sandpaper.

And here is what it looks like now. Very smooth! You can still see the row of embedded staples, but at least you can't feel them anymore (or risk being stabbed in the back when seated).

So now that the back is ready for paint, I have decided that I will not be adding new upholstery to the back again. I rather like how the empty spaces look up top.

And I will NOT be going through this whole procedure again for the seat. See how the seat, propped against the wall, has 2 individual cushions? I can not yank even one more staple! Instead, I plan to add plenty of batting over the whole thing, cover it and replace it as a single cushion. I promise to share pics of that too.

What I can show you now, is the very pretty fabric I found for this job:

It is Waverly home decor fabric, which I purchased on sale at Jo-Ann's Fabric. The floral, called "Fairhaven, from the Vintage Florals Collection, " will be used on the seat cushion. The ticking, called "General Store, from the Ticking Stripes Collecion," will be used to cover a pillow form I got. I figure a little pillow on the bench will look very pretty. And I loved both these fabrics so much, I just couldn't choose!

My next step with this project will likely be the pillow or seat cushion. I want to paint a few other items before I start this. Hopefully the rest of the work will be easier!