Central Square Chair Sale: 19 Hours

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Buttons were threaded through the back of the chair with a giant foot-long needle. It is important to decide on whether or not you want buttons before the back of the chair is attached. Otherwise you'll be doing a lot of staple removal and cursing...

Once the buttons were threaded I tied a slip knot. This allows the button "depth" to be adjusted. The cotton keeps the slip knot from sliding around as you make adjustments. Once all of my buttons were even, I tied a final knot to fix them into place. I had to learn how to use a sewing machine for the next step: Making double-welt trim to cover the staples. Stay tuned!

Central Square Chair Sale: 18 Hours

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After draping and cutting the fabric, which I actually wanted in a sage green but couldn't find, I tacked and stapled it around the cushions. Because this was the final layer of fabric, I had to be very careful and precise when stapling to make sure all of my lines were symmetrical. Spur of the moment I decided to add buttons, which I created with a button machine and navy blue scraps, to the back of my chair. Here they are just pinned up so that I could move them around before deciding on a final position. Also, that crazy math in the background has nothing to do with furniture upholstery...

Super Supermarket Sarah

I love London. Supermarket Sarah is a clever little shop that is part webstore, part flea market. Sarah sets up little booths you can either shop online or by appointment at her store location in West London, which also happens to be her home. The online experience is very cool. It's like window shopping, but you can buy stuff! Sarah sets up several booths filled with items ranging from artwork to shoes to vintage electronics, which you can select and purchase right off her wall. I love this concept. It combines all the fun of perusing junk stores with the convenience of online purchasing! I would also suggest checking out Sarah's blog.

Central Square Chair Sale: 15 Hours

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After the foam was in place I measured, cut, and stapled cotton muslin over the seat and back of the chair. The muslin holds the shape of the cushion and prevents the stuffing from popping out in all directions. Next comes...you guessed it...FABRIC!

Central Square Chair Sale: 13 Hours

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Once I had a few even layers of cotton down I cut a piece of one-inch foam to cover it. Foam is not the easiest material to work with. My foam in particular was very soft and tore easily. I had to work with a partner and quickly staple the foam down evenly on all sides to prevent it from taring out of the staples. Who knew furniture upholstery was a team building activity?

Tossed & Found by Linda & John Meyers

I read an article in a recent issue of Design New England on a new coffee table book called Wary Meyers' Tossed & Found: Unconventional Design from Cast-offs by interior designers Linda & John Meyers. The book is a collection of totally off-the-wall, impractical, and seriously creative furniture rehabs (complete with instructions on how to recreate the final products). It is absolutely on my holiday wish list.