8.11.2010

Shed treasure revisited

Remember this post?  Where I found all those awesome things in my creepy shed?  I was really excited about these folding chairs:

I planned on leaving them like they were, until I looked a little closer:
Some were in worse shape than others, but there was no way I was going to sit on any of them.  I pushed on one with my hand and one of the bands completely ripped.  So I did this:
{Don't mind the junk in the background}
I cleaned, primed, painted, cut outdoor fabric into strips, bought new screws and nuts (the old ones were all rusty), and now:
The thing is, I'm just not feeling it anymore.  I wish I had chosen different fabric or a different paint color or both.  That's probably why it took me so long.  It was almost right after I got home from Joann's that I decided I didn't like the fabric as much as I thought I did.  That always happens to me- If I don't have a very specific idea of what I want and I just get too overwhelmed at the fabric store so I pressure myself into just making a decision.  Does that happen to other people?
It probably didn't help that the Mimster was with me and she started to get really bored and hard to handle.
I know what I want now- I wish I had gotten plain canvas.  I don't know about frame color.  I probably would like this blue with canvas, but how cool would copper spray paint would have looked?  Or yellow.  Anything would be awesome with plain canvas.  And then I could do awesome, colorful outdoor pillows.
Sigh.
Since I've only finished this one chair, I'll probably just leave the others until next year, when I'll redo them again.  I'm sure not going to invest anymore time into these when I don't absolutely love them: they're very time consuming.  To give you an idea, here's the time/cost break down:

Removing the old fabric: about 45 minutes for all 4 chairs
Priming: I don't know.  I did 2 coats, though.
Painting: Also don't know.  I never finished because I ran out of spray paint and was not motivated to buy more.  It took about a can per chair.
Buying fabric:  Not long enough. It cost about 30$ for all the fabric (50% off)
Cutting it into strips:  Probably close to an hour to cut for all 4 chairs.  There were 14 strips per chair.  I used the old brown strips I took off the chairs as patterns.
Spraying the fabric with a clear coat of indoor/outdoor spray paint:  I only did this for one chair.  It's definitely a good step, though.  It made the fabric stiff, which made it easier to work with.
Zig-zagging up the sides of the strips:  I never finished this, even for the chair I put together.  I did it for the solid apple green strips, but not the striped strips.  It wasn't worth the time.  Even just doing those took over a half hour and almost an entire spool of thread.
Putting it together:  Like an hour per chair.  The hardest part was poking a holes through the fabric.

Yikes.  Too bad one of my bigger projects this summer turned out to be such a bust.  Ahwell, at least I know it works, and now I know what I want them to look like.  Next summer.
{A close-up of the zig zag along the edges of the strips}
{I folded the fabric into triangles on the end, which meant poking through 4 layers of fabric.  I used a nail, then stuck the screw through the whole.}
There you go.  A good idea gone wrong (not horribly wrong- just not as wonderful as I thought).





17 comments:

Jackie said...

You are kidding! I love them! I would sit on it, with a smile on my face! SO CUTE

superh2ogirl said...

I think they are great! But I understand not being happy with someone you chose. Sometimes I don't think ideas through very well. But they look fabulous!

-Nicole
www.craftmysoul.blogspot.com

Kat @ Black Kats Design said...

I think it turned out really cute. To save the fabric you could paint the chairs a cream color for next year and only redo the one. I don't know how many times I've taken fabric back to Joann's (don't cut or wash it) because I changed my mind when I got home. In fact, I have some on my dining room table to go back now!

Thanks for linking up to the “Cheap Thrills Thursday” party at Black Kats Design. I hope you had fun and will join in again next Thursday!

Kat

www.BlackKatsDesign.blogspot.com

Staci J said...

No Way!! That is sooo cool! You just made your own chair:) LOVE the color choices too!!
Visiting from justsewsassy.com
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Suzanne said...

I love it. Maybe you need to put it "away" for a few days and then go back to it. Sometimes when I've worked hard on a project I don't like it until I'm away from it for a few days. I truly think it's fabulous. I love the colors -- so chic and whimsical!

Suesan said...

I love the effort and I like the fabric, but not so much all together. I feel your pain on the fabric choices. I frequently do this same thing. I love the copper idea, but I've been doing a lot of copper and the teal blue together.
Don't get caught up in all the ideas out there. Let the piece speak to you and your tastes. I often let a piece sit until I know what to do with it.

Good luck.

Stop by my site and see some of the fun projects I've been doing. http://froufrugal.blogspot.com

InMyOwnStyle said...

Hi Kashia-

We have all been there after doing a project, but I think you are being too hard on yourself. Your chair came out great. Your skill alone in tackling the re-strapping is remarkable. If you would like different fabric then maybe each chair can be a different color and fabric. Maybe stay within a certain color scheme, but give each chair it own personality. This would create a very nice outdoor set. This type of chair is a clasic and your redo is truly remarkable.

My best- Diane

Rachelle @ Adventures in Creating said...

Aw I love you chair! I'm sorry your not happy with it. Maybe you can do 2 in the green and 2 in something else? Either way your hard work really paid off.

gail@myrepurposedlife.net said...

I really like your chair! I think you should do the others.
gail

Funky Junk Interiors said...

Oh my gosh.. I would NEVER have tackled this! You're amazing. Truly, what a pro outcome!

Donna

Miss S. said...

I love them too. I know what you mean about pressure with the kids. Grrr!

Thank you for doing this. I was actually just staring out my back window at some faux wicker chairs on a frame I need to take apart & had no clue how I'd redo them. Now I do!

Duchess said...

OK, I seriously love this too, but if it's not you, it's not you. I'll look forward to seeing the others done how YOU want them. Great job on your trial run, though.

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

Looks fabulous--I love these old webbed chairs, remind me of my childhood!

Anna said...

wow that is amazing, very cool!

Robin said...

Love this! You have to link this to my Upcycled Awesome Linky party at http://tinyurl.com/Upcycled10

1bellastager said...

Great Job! You should come to my "Restyle Your World" linky party on Monday...saying goodbye to summertime.

Blessings,
Jen

Tricia said...

I love it! I have DHs childhood folding chair and I am totally doing that!