“We have this old chair in the barn,” he started the conversation, and with that, he had my full attention. We talked on the phone for a while, we emailed back and forth, and then we finally met.
The chair had seen better days. The young man was so excited when he told me about the chair and his family. Christmas was coming up and when he tried to find the perfect gift, the chair came to his mind.
It originally belonged to his wife’s Grandfather. She inherited the chair but they didn’t know what to do with it, so it ended up in the barn for about 20 years.
I loved the idea -of course, I did. I wanted to see and touch the old piece, and I couldn’t wait to see the fabric he had chosen.
Old furniture can look fabulous with bright and modern fabric, but that’s not what he wanted. He liked a gray fabric which disappointed me at first, but I have no say in it. It’s not my piece, it’s not my call.
I didn’t even try to convince him otherwise, when I heard that his wife wanted to have a prayer room in their home. That’s something I don’t know anything about. Part of my job is not to judge fabric or taste and for sure not people.
I started working on the chair. I stripped it down to the wood frame and restained the legs. I carefully took the old fabric off, because even if it’s brittle and torn up, it can always be used as a pattern.
I have no idea how it happened but somehow the old fabric, the pattern disappeared. Either my helper, my husband or I must have thrown it away by accident, and I almost fainted when I found out.
What looks so easy, is actually somewhat complicated. Two fabrics (back and front) have to be sewn together to form channels, which are then stuffed with either polyester filling or cotton, to achieve the fan form. Without going into detail, let’s just say there was a lot of improvising involved.
The end result made me proud. When the man came to pick up the chair, he brought his little girl with him. “Mom is going to cry,” she said when she saw the chair and her comment made me smile. I would love to be there when she sees her Grandfather’s old chair. Perhaps I will hear about it.
So, may I proudly present the “new” chair:
Work that can only be done by skilled labor, like what you did here, will always be needed. At best, as in this case, it may also only be appreciated by the few who really need something done right, with attention to detail and often a some TLC. That is what makes this story, and this piece, truly something special! Thanks for sharing your gift with us and with your customers.
Gorgeous!
Looks great! What a wonderful gift!
So impressive!!
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome!
You are awesome , my friend !!!! Such amazing talent and skill you have to bring this old chair back to life with such beauty. I am in awe. <3 <3
You are very kind, Lisa!
just saying the truth 🙂
What an incredible job you’ve done! It must be amazing to bring something so sad back to life. 🙂 🙂 Wishing you good health and happiness for the festive season.
You are right, it is a very good feeling. I believe in second chances 🙂
An amazing and beautiful transformation. Several words come to mind: resurrection, renewal, restoration, revival. But, to me, for the man’s wife, the gift would be one of re-connection with her grandfather.
I like re-connection, it’s perfect.
That’s unreal. It’s simply beautiful. What a wonderful gift to them!
Thank you so much.
You perform magic, Bridget. Seriously!
Although I had never thought of it, of course the ‘old’ would provide the pattern for the new. It’s so obvious now that you’ve said it. There’s a metaphor for life in there 🙂
I hope he manages to keep it a surprise until Christmas. A gift like this would be hard to keep a secret. Yes, there will be tears.
I like these stories about your work. They’re so interesting!
The old pattern can be very helpful and you are right, it’s a metaphor for life itself. Interesting how it works.
I am glad you liked the post and the chair.
It is lovely …. it looks so simple and elegant – no-one would guess how hard that simplicity was to achieve. I think it should be known as the swan chair since swans have to paddle frantically to achieve their graceful appearance
Perhaps that’s the art to make it look simple. I love the idea of the “swan chair.” Merry Christmas my friend.
I’m glad the Swan struck a good chord. Merriest of Merries to you too 😊
It looks amazing.
It’s lovely!
Beautiful work! I really enjoyed the post. A helpful act always makes a great story. Thanks for sharing.
This is just fabulous and will bring great joy. I have some idea of the kind of work involved – you can be VERY proud of this.
Thank you, Hillary. I hope she will love it and the chair will see many more years in this family.
Great job! We e tried reupholstering before, and is not easy. 😃
It has always been a hobby, it became my living when I semi retired.
Looks like you got it down. 😃
Wow what a transformation! Well done 👍
Wow!!
It’s beautiful, the grey fabric kind of fits it… You do great work.
Thank you, Willow
WOW I am in awe of your skills Bridget.. Just beautiful work.. I have only recovered hard back chairs which are somewhere on my blog.. This is fantastic.. 🙂
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas too, and a Happy Healthy New Year xx
Thank you Sue. Happy Christmas to you and yours. May we all have a peaceful and healthy New Year.
💖
Looks amazing! Wow!
Thank you, Benjamin
You should be rightly proud. A lovely “new” chair.
Thank you, Peter