I was pleased I had the chairs done awhile before Easter so that we would have enough chairs to use around the table.
I worked a few evenings on covering the seats in my private sewing room. I covered my good work table and it was so much nicer to work standing up than crouched over the floor as I had done with the gluing process! P brought his smaller air compressor inside and I was able to learn to use it. I did it! KaBAM!! And it was fun.
The chair seat is a very old piece of wood and many times is several sections joined (sort of) together. I layed 1″ of the cheap green foam you can get in a Joann’s or Hobby Lobby (big box) store, quilt batting, and then the fabric. I had bought that fabric a good year ago. It has a bit of undercoating so maybe it is a bit water-repelling for the larger spills.
Over several evenings, I recovered the seats of the 5 matching chairs and a chair that matches our computer desk to be #6 at the table. Once I had them recovered, another evening I had P screw the seats to the chairs. I was VERY happy to have them done that evening!!
My mother-in-law was pleased I had the table and chairs all together for Easter!
The chairs match the table but I’ve always kept the table covered. It is a veneer top and with tacked on beaded trim that has become un-tacked over the years.
Originally at P’s grandparent’s home — MIL found me a few photos.
MIL said they’ve “always” had it so we assume Grandpa made this when they married in 1931 or soon after. P’s sister has the buffet. We got the table set when they cleaned out the home in 1991. The chairs had needlepoint covers on the seats that Grandmother made. They were covered in very old and sticky/cracking plastic seat covers and the needlepoint is like brand-new. #1 reason why I hadn’t used the chairs. (We also got a bedroom dresser (not family made) in hopes of needing another dresser and that has been in JP’s room.)
The needlepoint pieces have been framed with barn board frames from FIL’s side. My dad made the frames. One seat cover had been damaged and the other four were framed for MIL, SIL, Miss K, & me. Saved and lovely!
In this process this winter, P & I were sure we had a captain’s chair for the table. We couldn’t find it anywhere! We saw an upholstered chair (more like a sitting room chair to me) and P thought that was it. No way! It didn’t match! Then MIL got out these photos and sure enough… they used the upholstered chair for a captain’s chair. We are not following that use. It would be great to have it reupholstered and I’ll probably need to hire someone for that piece.
Phil & I and Miss K have many years of memories seeing P’s Gma at this house.
The woodwork in this home always just took my breath away! The entry room was large and had an open and wooden staircase with landing. P’s Gpa made a lot of wooden toys as well and some are clustered in the lower left corner of this above photo. This is taken of the dining room (the built-in and pass-through cupboard to the left and the main living room with pocket doors nearer the right of the photo.
Phil doesn’t remember his Gpa except for knowing he died in a farm accident and that this Gpa had a Massey-Harris tractor. Grandpa died in October of 1962 at the age of 61 years, so P was just a few months old. My in-laws got a call there had been an accident at the farm while Gpa was there alone milking the cows that morning. P was quickly taken to the neighbor (Shaners) for care, his sister was in school for the day, his mom went to the house in town (above) to stay with the Gma, and P’s dad/FIL went to the farm to the accident scene. It was because Gpa hadn’t returned home as usual that someone was sent to the farm to check on him and found the accident.
Gpa was still alive after being pinned under his tractor for several hours and the emergency crews worked to free him. He was first taken to a local hospital and then transported by ambulance to a bigger hospital about 3 hours away. He died there the next day. P’s uncle was single and in the military at the time and the Red Cross had to work to find him and bring him home for the funeral. He was given a discharge from his continued service as being the only son in the family.
(As I asked for this information this spring from my in-laws, they both talked about it, at the same time, from their side of the story. 😉 MIL asked FIL if her dad responded when FIL got to the scene and it seems to be the first she knew that her dad was still semi-alert and conscious when FIL got there.)
June update: Within a few weeks of use, one chair had started to wobble and the legs come apart so I moved to to the computer desk for me to use. Soon with two too many men sitting here to relax without a relaxing type of chair, one leg section came off. I scooted it to the side and thought I’d reglue the joints. Again. And then I moved it a bit farther out of the way and ended up with 5 sticks of wood and the seat! 😦
Phil’s cousin & her husband had come over for some things and he is a wood-worker. A very good wood-worker during his young retirement years. He & I notice in comparing 2 chairs that this broken one had only had 2 metal underseat/chair leg supports instead of 4. He willingly took home the pieces of chair, handmade 4 wooden and better chair seat brackets and returned it 3 days later in time for a lunch of 6 we were hosting!
I kept the other wobbly chair in the spot where I normally sit and it continued to wobble. So as of 7/23/15, this chair, too, has gone to the cousin’s to get the extra brackets added. He does lovely work!
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I can use 0000 steel wool and get off the gummy without damaging the finish. I’ll do that next for all the chairs and then return to the upholstery.
and sew on... 