Sunday, November 28, 2010

Ever recover a couch?

Hello Again!
I was in Missouri a couple of weeks ago visiting my family.  My sister and I coordinated our time so we could be home at the same time.  She thought it'd be nice if we recovered an antique couch for Mom.  Mom helped me recover a couch and chair several years ago so my sister decided I could do this with Mom's guidance and her assistance.  We had one week to accomplish it.   Here's a picture of the couch before we ripped it apart.  I can't tell you much about it.  It was my great aunt's couch.

I have no idea when the couch was made, but it was stuffed with horse hair,  cotton and some stuff that looked like straw.  It was made of hard wood, but I don't know what the wood is.  It also had more than its share of tacks.  It took a long time to remove all of them.  Once all the fabric and tacks were gone, we made a few minor repairs to the frame and springs.


Mom decided some of the old cotton and straw were still good so we reattached it to the couch.  We added new batting to the arms and started on the back.  We got a little farther along than this picture shows, but I wish we had gotten more done.


Here's a close up of one padded arm.


Here's a picture of the fabric the couch will be covered in.  The couch will be covered in the peachy beige fabric.  It has small squares of teal in it so the teal fabric will be used for a bolster pillows.  


Mom kept saying we got the hard part done.  She can finish it on her own.  No problem!  No problem for her.  She also has a chair in this room that she had started.  She's older now and doesn't have the strength and energy she used to, but she'll finish these pieces when she's ready.

We had a great time working together.  My sister and I kept telling Mom that they make couches in this design now.  After the first day, we told her we'd chip in thirds and drive her to any furniture store in the US to buy what she wanted.  Who knows, maybe we'll plan another trip home to finish the couch.  One week just wasn't enough.  Of course, we had to make time to visit with our dad too! ... and brothers, sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews.  I also met our new great niece Mary Margaret, aka Molly.  What a cutie!  I crocheted a blanket and hat for her, but forgot to take pictures of them.  Sorry about that!  I do have pictures of Molly and that's what counts!

How was your Thanksgiving?  I hope you had fun times with family and friends!

2 comments:

Sheila said...

That is an ambitious endeavor and all the hardwork will be worth it. Glad you had a great time on your visit.

My Thanksgiving was beautiful enjoyed being with the family and ate too much food.

Ruth said...

Wow! I once had a Queen Anne chair I intended to recover, but it never happened. I hope your mom's couch gets finished soon...post pics if you can.