Projects 2012 - Part 2 - The Purple Princess

I bought this old ratty chair on Bid or Buy for R250, and it has been standing in the studio waiting for me to do something to it since we moved in Feb.

Then my dad helped me build some bookshelves for a little nook in the house, and immediately I knew where that chair was going to live out its life.

I had a vision of bright, sunny yellow bookshelves housing my very big book collection, and it needed a contrasting colour to show it off to it's full potential. And the purple princess was born!

I first cleaned it up cause it was nasty dirty! Then a good sand, and gave it 2 coats of Rust-O-Leum's Heirloom White. I chose this purple velvet-ey fabric from Chamdor because I liked the colour, and the pattern and it was inexpensive enough so that if I screwed it up it would hurt too much.


So here is the before and after:

I absolutely love how it came out - SO happy that my first chair upholster was a success!


Here she is on her new home, keeping the yellow bookshelves company (those shelves are way too full, I know! When the other 4 shelves are up on the opposite wall, it will look better)

I learned a lot while doing this revamp and would like to share some tips.

1) If it is your first attempt, do not tackle your Ouma's prized riempies bank! Get your hands on something that you won't mind messing up a bit in the process of learning.

2) Don't buy the most expensive fabric - you will cry big tears if you spend big money on Hertex fabrics, just to mess it up.

3) Get the right tools - at the very least you will need a staple gun, a hammer (preferable a rubber hammer) and a pair of pliers. I cursed the whole way through hammering the studs in as my hammer was too big and I was struggling to get into the nooks and crannies.

4) It takes time.. This chair took me about 2 full days (spread over 2 weeks lol!) - and make sure you have all the tools and things you need before you start. I didn't know I was going to want to put studs on this chair, then rushed off to go buy and the shop was closed.

5) Have fun! If you are keen to attempt a project like this, have fun and enjoy the process, even if your first attempt is not perfect.

My girlie also wanted to share in the excitement of the finished purple princess!!

Mwah
xxx