Monday, October 5, 2009

My Mother's Diningroom Chairs, P-2

I finally got three chairs completed! Actually I sound as if it was hard, but really I so enjoy upholstering, it kinda came easy.
Last we left, I had a bare frame with a new veneer seat, replacing the old strapping. Well, I still was a little concerned about the tapered edges so I started my stuffing along the edge, I used my wool batting and folded it over to make it less of a drop.


And then I added a bundle of loose stuffing to elevate the seating.



To finish about the history of the chairs though, as I said I found some different information about the company that manufactured these chairs, like...the company operated until 2000 (making Early American style), it may of stayed longer if it weren't for the fact 175 workers were laid off in 1999.



This photo shows the last of the seating= foam. Foam is nice because it seems to last longer than any other cushion material.
Back to the company, which at this time it was a sprawling 4 sized warehouse with 2 stories, the laid of workers filed suit over unfair labor practices, it forced a shut down of production.



To make the seat semi uniform I used a cover which is actually the dust cover for under furniture but, in this application, it works well.
The company was then sold from S Bent to Samuel Bent Inc., a subsidiary of the Connecticut Furniture Renaissance, shortly thereafter it was foreclosed on.


Wa-la, this is the base and if anyone ever wanted to change the covers from here on in, they have this lower layer which should remain intact for quite some time.
In 2002 the property was auctioned to a businessman for 200,000, the plan was condos, offices and retail shops all in one stop.



This is the beautiful fabric my mother picked, I love it, it however is miserable to work with. It has a loose weave, one way nap and a temperament for unraveling. I think I cured that though, I was afraid if I just used brads, the up and downs of someones bottom would stress the fabric to unravel so I put a small bead of regular glue after the nails as a fray stop.

Even after the town received a 200,000 grant for the re-vitalizing of the chair plant, the factory remained vacant until 2008 whereas it was set ablaze by a arsonist. "The second floor is not salvageable but the first floor remains structural sound." reported the fire chief. Too bad.



I love these, they have a luxuriant feel and look. C&G Design

13 comments:

tina said...

Super good job Dawn!

Kieny The Dutchlady said...

Wonderful job. that chair looks great! It's been years since I've done any upholstering.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Dawn, those tips are appreciated. I have several chairs to recover for my dining room.
Marnie

Lola said...

Lovely job Dawn. They look great. I have done a little recovering & it is rewarding.

Jean Merriman said...

They look great Dawn. I also love the feel of the material along with the look. I like it much better than the leather that was on it. Thanks so very much!!!! Since I bought the material over a year ago, I guess I have to say I probably never would have done it.

Skeeter said...

Now the question. Will Miss Jean get these chairs back? LOL, you really did a fantstic job on them Dawn. What a wonderful daughter you are to mom by perking up her old chairs. Maybe some day I can sit in one of them and have a Lobster! I can dream right....

Kathleen said...

Beautiful job! I can see why the fabric was difficult to work with, but I just love it...very expensive looking. Your Mom is a lucky lady! Hugs, Kathleen

Jennifer Swan Hopkins said...

Hi Dawn, How nice to have you visit me on my blog, thank you for your funny and comforting post. I have been very busy as you know, and have missed our visiting back and forth. My goodness you are so industrious and talented. The chairs are wonderful, lucky mom! I hope all is well with you and yours. Have a great week! xJ

http://MaidenShade.net

Jean Merriman said...

Yup, Mom is a very luck person. To have 4 daughters that all all good to you and their spouses also, there has to be a lot of luck
in ones life and I am very thankful for the luck. It all landed in the right places!!!!

Skeeter you know you are more than welcomed ANYTIME. But I can tell you the lobsters taste better from June to September as that is when the soft shells are around. The meat in them are sweeter and tender than the hard shells. I actually have all my chairs as she unscrewed the seat and only took that home with her. They were down yesterday so she brought and replaced 3 of the seats. The other 3 will wait till the next visit which might not be till Thanksgiving.

Nancy said...

Oh, excellent! Thanks for the tip on undercover fabric.

It IS getting more difficult to find things in Vermont. It started with canned pumpkin, a shortage, and continues each time I look for something. We are being very careful on spending so the buying decision itself is a big step.

The good thing about all this is that I noticed the WalMart in Montpelier was CLEAN! Maybe they can handle that now with a lower stock level.

Skeeter said...

Jean, I had no idea that Lobster taste different at certain times of the year! Wow, learn something new every day for sure! I will keep that in mind and thanks for the tip...

Jean Merriman said...

Skeeter the reason for the different taste is because they shed their shell every year and grow a new shell. Before they shed they have a very hard shell and one need a nutcracker or some kind of a cracker to get to the meat. I have even had to resort to using a hammer to open the claw. After they have shed their shells is when the meat is tender and sweet. The soft shelled ones are called sheders and for the most part a cracker is not needed. Just a squeeze from the hand will open them. Now once in a while you will get them that have barely begun to grow a shell back and those are called a paper lobster as the shell will be about as thin as paper and those are the best!!!!

Skeeter said...

Jean, I did not know this about lobsters. I knew of the Soft Shell Crabs but not the lobsters. Well, now I know… :-)