FIRST EVER REUPHOLSTER PROJECT!

[pennylane3434]

Yeah, electric knife! I cant imagine how impossible it wouldve been trying to cut the foam without it.

[OvenOfHappiness]

Whoa!  Totally amazing!  Looks fantastic!

Also:  tell your model to "smize" a little more.

http://ovenofhappiness.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/ovenofhappiness

[ker_pow]

That's so amazing.  I saw a beautiful couch on my sidewalk last week and, though it was missing cushions, wished I could have made it into something like this.  One day.  I have no experience though.  Do you have any tips on how to get started to even learn how to do things like this?

[pennylane3434]

That's so amazing.  I saw a beautiful couch on my sidewalk last week and, though it was missing cushions, wished I could have made it into something like this.  One day.  I have no experience though.  Do you have any tips on how to get started to even learn how to do things like this?

Honestly,  you dont need experience, especially if youre working on something that was free! Just go with your gut and keep working til youre happy with it. Rip it apart and put it back together the way you remember. It doesnt have to be perfect to the way it was before, it just has to be perfect to you.

This couch is definitely far from perfect, and Im sure my next one will be leagues better, but because I just plunged into it headfirst, Im proud of how it came out. Dont be afraid to take on something that might seem daunting like a beautiful street find because the worst thing that can happen is you cut the fabric wrong and end up wasting a yard or something. Itll still end up costing a bazillion times cheaper than a brand new couch from Pottery Barn and itll have so much more character and meaning.

Also, keep in mind that this couch is entirely NO SEW. You dont need any sewing skills or prerequisites to make a couch you love.

[TheMistressT]

You did a wonderful job!  This totally rocks!  And I won't even mention to the boyfriend that damask is just a stylized floral. 

[Clarachk]

I can't believe you cheated on the cushion after all that ball busting, HAHHAA! This couch looks like a labour of love to me. It looks amazing!!!! "The boyfriend" has a good eye for fabric, I do say! You did a fantastic job of the project and I enjoyed the backstory VERY much!!!

[mrsflibble]

awesome job! I'm trying to pluck up the courage to re-foam and re-cover some 1960s swedish armchairs I have....

[LizzyEU]

Awesomely done! Any "learning points" you got from this for your next project?
How much fabric did you end up using?

[elferoni]

Impressive work. Well done!

[pennylane3434]

Awesomely done! Any "learning points" you got from this for your next project?
How much fabric did you end up using?

I want to say it was about 13ish yards. I bought 16 but probably had about 3 left over. Keep in mind, its a pretty petite sofa, so I'd go with 16 for a normal sized sofa (and because more is infinitely better than less when it comes to fabric for reupholstering).

One thing I learned is to remove the staples somewhere other than your bedroom. I still have thousands of them embedded in the carpet that Im too lazy to vacuum.
Oh and check while youre IN the store if you have the correct staples for your staplegun so you dont accidentally buy the wrong kind and spend an hour trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with your staplegun. I swear I thought I was going to break my hand on that thing.

And if youre going to cut foam, spend the 13 bucks on a electric knife if you dont have one. As frustrated as I was trying to form a rectangle into a cushion shape, I cant even BEGIN to imagine what it wouldve been like had we not made the trip to walmart to get the knife. (protip: Target doesnt have electric knives in store during non-thanksgiving season, apparently. Really annoying. Walmart will have one, but if your Walmart is anything like mine, there will only be ONE model and ONE actual knife available, and itll be tucked away on its side, hidden amongst the blenders. Its not next to the knives like youd logically think it would be. No one wants you to have this knife. They want you to suffer.)

I'm probably going to "finish" the cushion at some point in the future. Not soon, but at some point. I'll make a removable cover and a more cushy cushion with batting and stuff, but surrently Im working on about five thousand more home projects and the faux cushion is just fine for right now.