Jenny Lind Chair- Part 1

I have been given the task of redoing a chair for my husband's cousin's daughter. I am terrible with this stuff so does that make her his second or third cousin? Shall we just call her Megan and be done with it so I don't confuse myself more?

Like this past spring when I turned the clocks back instead of forward? I had post it notes all over the house to remind myself to "Spring Forward!" And then I decided that Saturday night would be a good night to start a Downton Abbey marathon. At 11:30, I got up for some strongly needed nourishment to get me through the rest of the episode, and noticed one of my signs. In my haste to get back to all things English, I did not actually READ the note and just saw "clocks". I thought to myself, "Go turn the clocks back now." So all the clocks got turned back at lightening speed. As I was patting myself on the back for being ooooh so efficient, I realized "OMGosh,  that means, I'll get to watch ONE more episode. Yippee!"  And I plunked myself back on the couch for another hour of 1940's goodness. 

Yep, majorly missed church and did not even realize this until I started to get the kids ready for said church and they were like "Why are we going at 10:30, we never go to the late service?" and I am like "What are you talking about, it is 8:30 people!" 

And because I had watched 6 hours straight of nothing but people speaking with an English accent they also wondered why I was asking them in my best Queen Elizabeth voice! 

Yes that was when I was way blonder than I pay to be.

Sorry for the tangent. Just like you all to know that although I may appear to be brilliant, alas I am normal like the rest of you. Oh you didn't think I am brilliant? Maybe I am in need of more low lights and a much more humble opinion of my blondness.

So the task at hand was a Jenny Lind chair that Megan's grandmother had redone several years ago. Megan is starting out in a new apartment and wanted this chair modernized.

So I thought I'd share some progress photos with you.

Before

Aunt Kay did not want this fabric to come off.....ever. It was glued, tacked, and then stapled on the inside and then held in place on the outside with more tacks. Aunt Kay was a very thorough person in life as well. She used to scare me. She was very straight forward and didn't hold anything back. I appreciate that now. I miss her.

 

The seat also had several layers of stuff. Fabric, muslin, wool stuffing....

with a grass mat! Literally grass was under this mesh. Love finding out how they did things in days gone by. It did not look like it had been touched so I figure Aunt Kay went right over the old wool. I think she would have gotten a kick out of the grass skirt.

Once I had everything off, the springs were in need of some re-tying and they were missing some twine in parts. A great tutorial series is available from Design Sponge on upholstering from the ground up.  I used it to learn how to tie up these overgrown springs.

They sat about 7 inches above the wood which made for a very uncomfortable seat.

Tied down into a nice neat dome shape and ready for some burlap. But first I need to paint it a deep espresso and let it cure for 2 weeks before I start upholstering the rest.

In the mean time, we thought we had a mouse.

Either it is a mouse from Three-Mile Island or we have a another problem... 

A mouse with onion breath.....in the immortal words of Roy Scheider

"We're gonna need a bigger boat"

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99