The Quilted Chair

During Spring Break we took off for Northern California for a week of relaxation at the home of my high school friends.  While there, my friend Connie talked me into helping her recover an old chair with quilts that she was saving for such a time as this.  Neither of us had done reupholstering before, but hey, we can watch youtube instructional videos like the best of ’em.  And we looked at pictures in a book at JoAnn’s.  Anyway, we succeeded and now I’m addicted to recovering old furniture.  I would love to find a little girl’s plush chair to make over for Zaza’s room.  However, our dear friends also sent us home with several more additions to Zaza’s room…. so a newly recovered chair would be a squeeze for sure.

Here is your photos essay on recovering a chair with old quilts…. something you always wanted to know, I’m quite sure.

Gather as many of your people as possible for tack removal.  This is not a fun job, but most necessary.  BUY the little hoof shaped tool for $7 at JoAnn’s and you won’t be sorry!  We even used most of the old tacks again.

We saved all the batting as it was in decent shape.

We used the old cover as a pattern for the new pieces.

The bottom was really easy…. compared to the top and back!

Connie made miles of welt cord piping cut on the bias for ease of turning corners.

We fluked out and unknowingly used a chair that had these nice wooden pieces on the bottom to hide all our tacks.  Sweet!

The wedding knot on the back looked adorable!

Two different quilts with Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern were used on the front.  The green piping tied all the quilts together and it is adorable! Can’t you see why I want to do another one?!?

One-of-a-Kind Handmade Purse!

This bag is called Mia’s Story after a beautifully illustrated tale of a little girl who lives in a South American village.  All of the Bags for Zaza are hand made of  up-cycled fabrics that have been donated for the cause.  What’s the cause?  The adoption of our little South American princess. 

The straps on the bag have bits and pieces of a remnant for a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt that was pieced by my great grandmother and her sisters.

Inside the bag is a little Asian surprise… two little men embroidered for your viewing pleasure.  They were once the front of a little Oriental shirt and the red frog closure is still there too!  There are more photos on the Bags for Zaza page.

To bid on a bag, please go to  www.BagsForZaza.blogspot.com  and help bring an orphan home!  Thanks for looking and for telling others!