Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My Creative Space: A Little Humble Pie

When I went to Judy Seidman's slumber party, I stuck to the chairs.  And the sofa.  And had I sat on the floor in the hallway, I'd have stuck to that, too.  Judy's house was swathed in a layer of vinyl, and I, omniscient at age twelve, was horrified.  "What kind of family," I wondered, "wraps their furniture in Saran Wrap?"  I never went to Judy's again.

Fast forward more years than I'd like to discuss.  And imagine my turmoil as I shambled shamefacedly into the fabric store to purchase enough vinyl to defend my dining room chairs against the daily onslaught of grubby fingers, spilled spaghetti, and banana "fingerpaint" that fill our days.  I studied my Crocs as Millie---who was clearly having a stinker of a day to begin with--- manhandled the unwieldy bolt onto the cutting table, lopped of my three yards, and rang up the sale. 
In my own defense, we use these chairs seven days a week, (at least) three meals a day.  And we've had them for a good seven years.  But still, when I plunked my roll of vinyl on the dining room table, I was faced with a tableful of chairs that looked  like this.  (And, no---this is not "the bad one."  I assure you, each was more dreadful than the last.)



So, armed with a pair of school scissors, my trusty staple gun,  and a set of curtains I'd rescued from the attic, I began the revamp.  And after the first one, I gotta tell you, I started to get a little pumped.  (Which, I'm sure, had nothing to do with the how my short assistant was entertaining herself while I worked.)

Yeah, let's go ahead and cover those suckers while we've got the vinyl, hey?  And don't talk to me about off-gassing.  I'm not listening...
Pretty sharp, no?  Here, look closer.


See what I found inside the first chair?  Can you explain how that got in there?  Me, neither.



So far, I've got 5 of the 8 done.  The remaining three are going to require a little more finesse than I can manage just now...they're from a different set (see Shani's chair above?) and have piping and lots of tricky curves to contend with.  Of course, I discovered all this after I hacked the existing fabric off of them, but I'll figure it out...

And forgive my miserable shot-in-the dark photos...I was too excited to wait till morning to share these.  See what the rest of the world is up to over at Kirsty's.


20 comments:

  1. Awesome!! Nothing like moving to get a fresh start!

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  2. What an epic job! Great work.

    xB

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  3. I'm liking the stonework in the back ...

    And those chairs look fine. Filthy dining room chairs, there's nothing more humiliating when you have other adults over, sitting in the evidence of old dinners.

    I'm with you ... and if it's a really hot sticky day, those vinyl chairs will make funny, rude noises when your kids peel their sweaty thighs off them!

    Gags galorious!

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  4. well done! they look amazing, and strange little surprise tucked in there too.

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  5. Fabulous! And very child friendly, love that...

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  6. My creative space!!!
    http://aystudios.blogspot.com/

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  7. Those chairs look fabulous Wendy! The fabric is beautiful and you have done such a professional job. ha ha Even though I think vinyl is a little "Everybody Loves Raymond", if anyone needs to use it, you do - especially on dining room chairs that have such pretty fabric now :)

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  8. Sorry, I've just realized I misplaced that "ha ha" - it goes with the vinyl part, not the professional part! They really do look great xo

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  9. He he. We have lovely white Italian polyeurethane chairs around our glass dining table, has survived 8 years & counting. Looks super stylish & resists all manner of paint, food & dirty hands!! I do scrub at it, but they such a difference it makes when your youngest is nearly 7. It was a great investment buy & has done this family of 6 nicely. Love Posie

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  10. They look great Wendy, love the new (old) fabric. You'll just have to provide a towel with each chair in summer...you know, to wipe the sweat off after a meal. xx

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  11. WOW Wendy you've done an amazing job! Handy woman you xo

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  12. They look brilliant!!! Love the chair style too. Well done :-) Just joined your blog - we love big families - can relate :-)

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  13. I think I had the same reaction at Judy Seidman's house too ;)
    ...I sorta like vinyl now though. Very practical and sometimes, like in this case, it's pretty nifty looking!

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  14. Okay. First. I love your furniture!
    Second
    I love your guts using the awful vinyl and making it look wonderful/amazing/practical/upmarket and user friendly to the max!
    Why havent I found your blog before? I think it was your name that put me off. Allow me to explain. I have the same name and My Lovely Mother named me after the next door neighbour's kid. So that was original. She and I are polar opposites.

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  15. The look fantastic AND they're super practical. What's not to love.

    And, realy, using vinyl to reupholster the dining chairs is NOT the same thing as putting that chunky plastic over the top of fabric, so rest easy!

    I popped over here from Chicken Willow's comment box and I'm so glad I did. Great blog in so many ways. x

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  16. Your chairs look great! I used Mexican oil cloth cover on my kitchen/dining table for years (colorful & funky) but now all tables & chairs in my kitchen/dining area are plain wood... not comfy but easy to clean!

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  17. You make me laugh Wendy!
    i wonder whatever happened to all the Judy seidman's.
    have a really happy week.

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  18. Amazing work!!! I love vinyl.. I have chairs sort of like the one you showed with the piping and I just duct-taped one of those clear plastic chair covers from BBB onto it... cause they have plastic ties but they never last... hehe .. your project seems much more realistic and nicer than duct tape but but but.. i don't even know where to begin!

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  19. MOTHER! IT HAPPENED!

    don't you feel accomplished?

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Thanks for taking the time to comment...it makes me feel a little less like I'm talking to myself again.