Upholstery Class

When I finished upholstering my chair, there was still several weeks left in the semester. I needed to come up with an additional project so I decided to redo this ottoman:

The ottoman took three weeks to complete. And when it was done, there were still two weeks left in the term. I probably could have knocked off early, but I didn't want to risk losing out on an A.

So I redid this bench. I decided to cover the cushion in an indoor-outdoor Sunbrella fabric so it can be used inside or out. The frame, which was silver was repainted in a semi-flat black.

Semester Roundup

Here are a few highlights, lowlights, hints, tips, gripes, and other useless information I learned this semester:

--You will not save money by reupholstering a piece of furniture. By the time you have bought fabric, foam, Dacron padding, cording, springs, and other materials, you're already down a few hundred dollars. And that doesn't even count the basic tools. If money's an issue, you're better off buying a new couch at IKEA.

--The only time reupholstering is worthwhile is when the item is an antique or family heirloom. Or if you need the class for elective credit towards a degree.

--A good quality upholstery staple remover is worth its weight in gold.

--For the Interior Materials class, I had to compile a resource file of different product vendors and tradesmen. Categories included flooring, lighting, window treatments, and green products. This assignment was completed in one afternoon by gathering business cards at a home and garden show.

--Home shows are teeming with some very agressive salesmen. If you make eye contact, they will proceed to talk your ear off. Give them your phone number and you're screwed. I just told these guys that I'm an interior design student and they usually backed off. Translation: college girl has no money.

--I have become enamoured with Mid-Century and Post-War architecture and design. After a lecture in Modern Architecture, I went home and took my Butterfly Chair out of the bedroom. It now sits proudly on display in the living room.

--Paul Klee was an art instructor at Bauhaus. I have one of his prints hanging in the front hall.

--$14.99 per yard for middle-of-the-road upholstery fabric is considered a very good price.

--After 6:30 PM, the faculty parking spaces become fair game. This came in handy for Monday night's upholstery class when I had to lug my furniture and supplies to and from the classroom.

--My commute from home to SCC is 33.5 miles, and takes me through 4 cities--Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, and Scottsdale.

--Both of our cars get roughly 25 mpg. It was costing me about $10 PER DAY for gas to drive to and from school. OUCH!

--During a lecture on Art Deco, my Modern Architecture teacher mentioned Fiesta ware. I didn't even try to contain my glee.

--Thanks to upholstery class, I mostly overcame my fear of nail guns.

--Two words: Green Design.

--My old preschool--First Christian Church--was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

--Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring darkens over time. I guess I won't be putting an area rug in the living room.

--I memorized the locations of all six speed cameras on the Scottsdale leg of the 101 freeway.

--Never try to hand draft a custom entry door when you can use AutoCAD.

--I got A's in all three classes.

Service With An Attitude?

I'm in the middle of recovering an ottoman for upholstery class. Yesterday, I had to stop at a fabric store to pick up some supplies. This isn't a big, shiny chain store like Jo-Ann Fabrics. No scrapbooking aisle here. It's a no-frills, warehouse-type place with bolts of decorator fabric piled high to the ceiling. They also sell stuff like replacement mechanisms for Grandpa's recliner or new bun feet for the family sofa.

When I was there, one of the employees was a woman in her 50s, and she was walking around with a scowl on her face. This broad was pissed and wanted the whole world to know it. In fact, she was none too pleased when I requested to have some piping cut.

And then I noticed her t-shirt. It was sporting the same phrase as the one pictured below:

I dont find the shirt offensive, per se. It would be funny when worn by an emo kid, a smarmy college student, or even a spunky old guy. But on a retail store employee--an employee whose job involves public interaction--it is inappropriate.

.

I have shopped at this store before, and it appears to be a very casual work environment. There's no dress code that I know of. And that's is fine. I'm definitely a champion for discount fabric and low overhead. But why would a business owner allow an employee to give his customers a passive-aggressive "F#&% YOU" through her manner of dress?

Before and After: Chair

One of the courses I'm taking this semester is an upholstery class. For this class, I had to come up with a piece that fit the following criteria:

--It had to be easy to recover.
--It had to be easy to transport.
--It had to fit in my car.
--It had to look cool in the house
--It had to be VERY affordable.

For that, I chose this chair:



There was only one thing wrong with it. It was beige. Boring, boring beige. This wouldn't work with my decor.

This is the finished product. Big improvement...HUGE!

This was my inspiration piece. The above photo was "borrowed" from Overstock.com.

Now, I have to find another project for the rest of the semester. Hmmm...back to the consignment shop!