Settee Makeover

Last week I gave you a sneak peek of a big makeover that I was working on. I had intended to be finished this makeover by Friday, however it was a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated. I attempted my first reupholstery  ever and it took me forevah!  I knew the settee was old but I didn't think  it was so old that the wood was petrified! It was so hard to staple and nail through the wood frame that I think my eyes are permanently bugged out from squeezing the stapler, and my hands are forever in a claw position from hammering.  I removed the old fabric, retied springs in the back, added more stuffing to  the back and then started the recovering process. I used canvas drop cloths for the back sides and cushion. I used white burlap for the front and inner sides. I made a cushion with  the seam underneath because I wanted it to be removable to launder but look like a solid seat. I trimmed it in nail head trim. The trim is a little wonky in spots... again because the wood is so hard!! It was so hard to try and hold the tacks in place and try to hammer with the force that it took to drive it , that sometimes they went a little crooked. Oh!  I painted the frame before I put the new fabric on. I gave it two coats of primer, a coat of white paint and a thinned coat of Sharkey Grey. Okay here is a pic of what I started with:

I took this picture after I had removed the original cushion. I bought the settee at the goodwill years ago.  I  paid about 49.00 dollars for it. The original cushion was crispy and stank. It  never made it into the house.

Here is the front view after painting and new fabric. My house is surrounded by trees and that makes the inside very dark. Even after editing the pictures are not great, I added as much light to the room as possible but the pics just don't do it justice. Here's the after:

Front View

right view

      side view           

    

These are the best pictures I could get.   The tootsie roll pillow is just an old bolster that I wrapped a burlap remnant around and tied the ends with seam binding...no sew. I added a vintage doily to the front. Overall I'm pretty happy with it for a first time try. Next up is a chair. I bought a chair from Martha Stewart's line of furniture about eight years ago. It was in the discounted furniture section of the store because it had a tiny rip in it. The frame and springs have held up great but the fabric is shot. It is a rust/cinnamon velvet...velvet is not a  good fabric for everyday family use,besides I'm changing the color scheme so it needs a makeover too. Wish me luck! hopefully it wont take me an eternity to finish it. I'll end with another shot of the after:

after

It was a lot of work but fun and so worth it. I'm anxious to start my chair now. I'm joining the Newbie Party at  Debbiedoos  bloggin and blabbing and Thrifty Decor Chicks Before and after Party and Tuesdays Treasures at  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.and Whassup Wednesday at Elements Interiors.  SNS at Funky Junk Interiors