Thursday, August 15, 2013

Finn's Chair

So yesterday Mitch, the boys, and I all hopped in the minivan and drove to the "upholstery farm" to pick up Finn's chair for his nursery (you can see more of his nursery here and here). Yep, add that to the list of farms we frequent here in Lancaster County. We get our milk at the "milk farm", fruit at the "fruit farm", and doughnuts at the "doughnut farm." There's a farm for everything out here. Several weeks ago we dropped off Finn's chair at this particular farm where the upholsterer lady was going to make a slipcover for it. I had gotten the chair from my parents who bought it via Craigslist for $10. (That's right, cheapness runs in the family.) My parents recently moved to Florida and they were looking to get rid of a bunch of extra things that they didn't need. So there I was with open arms. 

I looked and looked for a "before" picture of the chair and can you believe it--I couldn't find any. (What kind of a blogger am I?) But here's a picture of the original fabric. 

It was eh...just not me. Plus the back of the chair was channeled which I'm not a huge fan of. But it was solid, in good shape and is the perfect size for a nursery so I convinced Mitch to let me get it slipcovered. I like to think of it as saving another ugly chair from the landfill (or in our case, the burn pile). And here she be.

I just stuck that pillow there since I had it. (see, told you...pillow hoarder) I like the shape and size of it, but will probably get a different cover for it.

I had gotten the heavy-weight upholstery fabric several years at a fabric outlet right near my house. I think I paid like $2/yd for it. I fell in love with the subtle herringbone pattern--it's such a masculine look and I love masculine details in rooms (good thing since I have a house-full of boys). It's a neutral but has texture to it, so it looks great in Finn's nursery and will transition well to another room in our house when I'm done with it in the nursery.

I do have a "before" of the ottoman. I bought it at a yard sale about three years ago and had intentions of recovering it myself. I even broke it out a couple times to work on, but I never took the plunge. I'm glad I didn't.

The top was ripped open in several places (which only got worse as time went on, as you can imagine with curious little fingers). There was stuffing (from the inside) all over Finn's room. It was really annoying. I'd vacuum then someone else would feel the need to tug at the soft cotton-y stuff some more.

So I brought that along for the upholsterer to do. She made a cute box-pleated skirt for it and piping, and replaced that annoying stuffing with new foam.

This chair is one that has a built-in footrest, so it's still able to function like that (down the road). It's just easier for nursing a baby to have a separate ottoman to prop your feet up on. Oh and the original seat cushion on the chair had piping in the middle of it (in the front), which I think having it piped top and bottom makes for a crisper, more tailored look, so I had her do that for the cover.

And although she spelled my name wrong (all Mennonites do this...that's how they all say my name so I guess they figure that's how it's spelled), you just can't beat that price. I mean really. Especially when Pottery Barn is selling slipcovers for $329-$629 for their chairs. (That's just for a slipcover. You still have to buy the chair!) I'd say I got a pretty sweet deal.

(there's no a in the middle of my name, just in case you were wondering)

So that's the latest edition to Finn's nursery. I'll be putting finishing touches in there and have a full reveal for you soon.

I'm so glad to have that chair back since it's no fun to have to take a crying babe to the couch in the living room in the middle of the night to feed him. Oh and guess what? My new upholsterer friend makes pillow covers. So now I can have an ever-changing selection;)

Have you ever gotten anything upholstered before? Do you have an "upholstery farm" where you live? Not to be confused with a poultry farm. Shoot, guess I gotta get me one of those now.



  1. Wow, what a bargain on upholstering! Wish she lived near me...hey, really enjoyed seeing you and all the things I see posted, especially that barn...thanks so much for taking the time to show us...

    1. Thank YOU for taking the time out to visit little ol' me! It was nice seeing you guys again:) Glad you enjoyed the tour;)

  2. Oh contrare, Kathaleen! You know they got it right!

    best chair for nursing a baby reviews


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