Saturday Chair Project - After

Here's how I went from:

   

                             this                               to this  

for only $4.95!

The chair project from yesterday is finally done.   A few notes . . .

 I used a hot, dry iron for the Paris postmark from the Graphics Fairy.  Just as the video says, you can't over-iron.  If you have to tug at all to lift the transfer paper off the fabric, iron some more!

When it's transferred, it easily peels off.  But, you see the transfer paper around the letters?  :(  

 I found that after washing and drying the fabric, the excess transfer paper dissolved a little more.  At least it isn't shiny - that's the good thing!  And maybe after enough people sit in the chair, it'll blend in even more!

There she sits, stripped down to her underwear!  And then the fun part - painting and distressing.

From this . . .

to this!

Now, here's what I did and some comments on what I should have done! 

What I did:  I printed out the graphics fairy Paris postmark onto Transfer Artist Paper (TAP) and cut loosely around the design, then ironed it on.  It transferred very quickly!  I bet I only ironed with a hot, dry iron for about 10 seconds and it was transferred!  

What I should have done:  I should have cut as close as possible to the graphic printout before ironing it on the linen.  It looks fine and I bet I'm the only one who could tell the difference, but the little bit of transfer paper I left around the design didn't completely disappear.  So, take the time to really cut it closely.

and

What I did:  I took the chair into the garage and went full blast with my palm sander.  I mean, full blast!

What I should have done:  Maybe start out with a piece of sandpaper in my hand and take it slow and easy.  It doesn't look too distressed in the photo, but in real life . . . it's pretty distressed.  You can always take more off . . .   So, I ended up retouching the REALLY distressed areas with a little paint.

But, it's done and I really do like it . . . but it's kind of like going to someone's house for dinner.  It always tastes better when someone else cooks.  Well, if I saw this chair in a store I'd REALLY love it, but I know where all the little glitches are . . .

-Nan

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Saturday Chair Project - Before

 I found this chair at Goodwill last week for $4.99!  There were also two side chairs, but I only wanted the one with the arms.  So, today is the day to fix it up. 

 Yes. 

$4.99!  

Someone had torn off the "sold" tag, and then changed their mind.  

I've lucked out like that before.  

What were they thinking???  It's $5!!!

 It has great cutwork and curvy details.  

There are no missing pieces, cracks, or chips!

 Beautiful arms -

 and great details on the legs.

  The seat is in good condition - the whole thing just needs 

some paint, and a new seat cover.  

For the new cover, I'm using off-white linen with a really great nubby texture.  Make sure you prewash and dry your fabric to get all the sizing out and allow any shrinkage to occur.  The washing and drying of the fabric also allows the "nubs" of the linen to come out more, and if the sizing is still in the fabric, the transfer won't adhere as well.

I'm also using this beautiful Paris postmark graphic from The Graphics Fairy.  The Graphics Fairy states, "The letter is addressed to Madame Sugat? Sugart? in Paris and was sent from Boulogne, as you can see by the postmark.  This wonderful ephemera image dates to the 1830s."  

I wish I knew more about Madame Sugat!  Little did her friend know that his/her handwriting would end up on a chair in Wisconsin!

Oh, and don't forget to reverse the image of any script before printing!

To transfer the graphic, I'm going to try TAP (Transfer Artist Paper) that I found at Michaels.  There's a great video for it's uses here.  This is supposed to be the one iron-on transfer paper that doesn't leave a plastic-like sheen on your fabric.  It's also washable.  

We'll see.  

So, that's what my day holds.  Results will be posted tomorrow . . .