reupholstered hide-a-bed

[suzeqz]

OK, so, I'm reading everyone's posts and thinking: "Wow, they did a spectacular job!"  I keep forgetting that I've got pics of some of the stuff I've done (with a LOT of help from DH!)

This hide-a-bed was 20 years old; the fabric was getting raggy and stained and the cushions had been torn due to the springs on the hide-a-bed. DH gave this sofa to me as an engagement present (I didn't want a diamond -- I wanted something useful!) and we'd loved it to pieces, quite literally. We'd wanted to reupholster it for a couple of years but it took a LONG time to find fabric we agreed on. (He's into dark neutrals; for me, the brighter, the better!) 

At the start:



I carefully took the old upholstery apart and used it for pattern pieces (17 in all for the back); the foam seen in the "before" picture was all replaced and new foam purchased for the seat cushions as well, as the old stuff was starting to degrade. 

DH also reconstructed part of one end of the frame, as the wood had split and the front was sagging near the leg.  Once we got it apart (you can see the hide-a-bed part leaning against the wall in the "before" pic), I was astonished at how little there is to a couch frame!  It's all fabric and padding!

I also took pictures throughout the entire deconstruction process and wrote PAGES of notes, so that everything would go back together in the right order.

Once the back was assembled, the only other sewing involved were the pleats around the front of the arms and the seat cushions.  Most of the reassembly was done with straight pieces of fabric and foam and a staple gun! 

The fronts of the arms are still unfinished. I made upholstered pieces for the ends as per the original, but DH offered to make some wood pieces to match the coffee table.  Lovin' that idea! 

And the throw pillow was stitched from a couple of napkins I found at Pier One and a pillow form from Jo-Ann's. The napkins had a satin finish on one side and a sueded finish on the other, so I used one of each for the outside of the pillow and now it's reversible!

Almost finished:

[Bunyanka]

wow, if it wasn't for the raw fronts of the arm, I would have thought that was a new sofa! fantastic job!

I got 2 great retro lazy-boys from my aunt (they look like mid 60's-70's make) ..and am not quite ambitious enough to recover them just yet, because of all the moving parts, but you give me hope that it is possible!

[suzeqz]

wow, if it wasn't for the raw fronts of the arm, I would have thought that was a new sofa! fantastic job!

I got 2 great retro lazy-boys from my aunt (they look like mid 60's-70's make) ..and am not quite ambitious enough to recover them just yet, because of all the moving parts, but you give me hope that it is possible!

Thank you!!! And honestly, it's not as tough as it looks. (The hardest part was FINALLY agreeing on the fabric!) As I said, once you get everything apart, it's just a matter of putting it back together in the right order from your notes, and if you can sew a straight seam and deal with LARGE pieces of fabric and a staple gun, the rest is simple. As part of my research (I wasn't going to tackle this project 'til I KNEW what I was doing!), I checked out books and watched some videos that I got from the library. In one, it showed the use of a glue gun to apply welting around the back of a wing chair. A GLUE GUN! Who'da thunk it?!

Those retro La-Z-Boys sound fantastic! You'll probably need to unbolt a thing or two to get to the inside, but we had to do the same with the hide-a-bed and with two people, it was cumbersome but not difficult.  If it still looks daunting or if you really want new fabric RIGHT NOW, make a slipcover. Lay your fabric over the chair right side down and pin it well, leaving room for seams; take it off and sew along the pins. If the chair is tufted (has those big buttons or indents in the back and/or the seat), lay a thin piece of closed-cell foam or even an old towel over it to even out the surface under the slipcover fabric. (Drape the towel over the top of the headrest and safety-pin it to the back of the seat for stability.) Make a big buttonhole where the reclining lever pokes out; it's an easy way to finish a weird-shaped hole. For the foot rest, wrap the fabric around it to get the general size and shape, then cut off the excess and sew elastic to the raw edges (like a great big shower cap!). The elastic will be on the underside, so no one but the cat will see it, and you can slip it off to clean it.

Whatever you do, I want to see pictures!

[p.kok]

awesome job, you basicly build a new sofa:)

[suzeqz]

awesome job, you basicly build a new sofa:)

Which is why it took us nine months to finish it!   

(Did I forget to mention that earlier? We did get side-tracked with other projects at one point so it sat, half-finished, for quite some time...)

Glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback!

[SailorMaat]

oh wow that is amazing. You did an excellent job here. It just shows that anything is possible.

[suzeqz]

oh wow that is amazing. You did an excellent job here. It just shows that anything is possible.

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the comments.  Believe me, I did have my doubts at the beginning, but with the shape the poor old couch was in, I figured we couldn't do any more damage! And ever since we finished it (thank goodness for DH -- I had a horrible time working that old staple gun), I've been haunting Goodwill and Salvation Army for something else I can take apart and put back together. I agree with you: anything is possible, especially after you've done it once already!