Slipcovered Wing Chairs

Look at this chair.  Isn't it beautiful? 

For a while I have been stewing about my furniture arrangement in my living room.  I've wanted a couple of chairs to add to the space to fill it out a bit.  So, I've been casually looking the past few months for the perfect chairs at the right price.  Now, I'm sure that if I was better at escaping to the thriftstores and rummage sales daily or even weekly, I would have found something long before now.  However, shopping with 3 kids, active boys no less, is not quite on my favorite things-to-do list.  Luckily I scored on a pair of wing chairs recently.

 I knew they would be perfect in the space with a little transformation.  I love the lines of the chair and the legs.  The cushions are in great condition.  The blue fabric isn't even in that terrible of condition.  Its a little thin and worn in places but there were no holes or snags.   However, I don't like the blond stain on the legs.  If it had been a natural stain, I could have lived with it, but I really don't like opaque blond stained wood on anything.

 So, my transformation vision included painting the legs dark brown for a start.

The second half of my transformation plan involved giving the actual chairs a face lift.  Do you follow Miss Mustard Seed?  I adore her blog.  A while ago she wrote a tutorial series on sewing slipcovers, and I have been anxious to try my hand at them.  I knew these chairs would look fantastic in my living room covered in a nice natural canvas.  As per Miss Mustard Seed's instructions, I used painters' canvas drop clothes that I bleached and washed before sewing.  Then, after pinning and sewing and pinning and sewing for many hours, I am finished!   For instructions on making your own slipcover, please head over to Miss Mustard Seeds blog and watch her 6 part video series on sewing slipcovers.  Here is the link for the first video.

I just love the way these chairs turned out.  I can't stop admiring my handiwork.  I couldn't be happier!

Little pleats at the bottom edge.  Its fun to have a feminine touch here and there in such a boyish home!

I put buttons on the backs to close up the sides of the slipcover. 

I love having wing chairs in my room with my antique piano.   I also really love having more cream in the room.  When I first painted the chairs flanking the piano cream, I was worried that they looked weird since all of the other painted chairs in my house are various shades of blue and green, even though I loved the addition of the cream to the room.  Adding these wing chairs completes the look.   My living room is slowly starting to come together.  I will eventually be painting that corner curio cabinet (maybe green?), and I really could use a coffee table or ottoman in the room now.  I've also got a stack of fabric and pillow forms just waiting for me to take the time to sew into throw pillows for this room.  Maybe next week...  For now, I am going to enjoying curling up in one of the wing chairs reading a good book.