02 August 2011

Patio Chair Redo...or Redon't

In case you think you might be the only person that has DIY disasters, this post will reassure you that everyone gets in way over their head sometimes...

After starting this project I quickly discovered I really didn't know what I was doing. I've had these two patio chairs for probably four years and they were beginning to show their age.
The fabric along the seams of the seat was starting to separate.
For fabric that was literally thread bare, it was ridiculously hard to get off. As I was trying to get the fabric off in one piece (so I could copy the size) I also found those chairs were reeeally good at hiding dirt (and one spider, eek!).

I won't dive into all the dimensions and details since the chances of somebody having the exact same chairs is kind of slim (that and I really have no idea what I'm doing). I cut the new fabric (that my sis got me for my bday!) based on the size of the fabric I took off of the chair. Does anyone else's living room look like this during a project?
This is a preview of what I was hoping for...thanks to some strategically placed chip clips. : )
Things were going pretty well, I got the back of the chair connected and even managed to find 2 of the screws that disappeared somewhere along the way.

Unfortunately that's the end of the good luck on this project. I couldn't get the cross bars off of the bottom (who uses a totally round screw anyway? It's absolutely impossible to remove) so my plan to sew first and then slide the seat fabric on went down the drain.
So for the moment this is the chair.
Not awesome. I'm just glad I didn't take both chairs apart, so one person can still sit on the balcony! I'm not exactly sure where to go from here. I'd really like to have 2 chairs again. I thought about trying to fashion some kind of hard platform for the seat and then make a cushion out of the fabric...or something. Any ideas?
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7 comments:

  1. Susan - those totally round screws sound like rivets, if they don't have a screwdriver slot or anything in the top of them. They are pressed in on a machine. You can drill them out and put regular screws back in there, but you may not have the stuff to do that. You could make the slip-on covers on the bottom, but make only the front 3-4 inches a sleeve, and then for the part that won't slip on because of the crossbars, use velcro or tie closures between the bottom and the sides. The other options would include weaving a seat on like wicker, or making strips of your fabric and doing a weave that way, or as you said, making a hard panel seat and adding a seat cushion on top of that. The weaving option could also be done with round cords of your material. - Jeff Lentz (e-mail me any more detailed pics or if you need clarification: jeff(at)lentzclan.com)

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  2. Oh no! I have absolutely no advice for you but I completely sympathize with you. ;) I do LOVE that fabric though!

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  3. Sorry you're stumped but Jeff sounds like he knows the way around it.

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  4. ... and the fabric is nice! :)

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  5. Love the fabric and email Jeff :)

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