Long Story Short

A month ago Liza asked if she could visit for an entire week, I of course said YES!!! In my mind I had a project for the two of us. Liza has a history of visiting and taking on a bit of a project, building me new shelves, painting cabinets, you get the idea. When I asked if she was willing to take on a couch and she said YES, I knew this was my chance to redeem my sad looking sofa. 

Before we got started I did do a price check on the cost of reupholstery.  I wanted to make sure this project was worth the labor. I checked in with Jenny Komenda at LGN, and she suggested Mr. Upholstery here in NYC.  He quoted me $1,350.00 for the job.  I then checked in with my local upholsterer on 14th and 2nd Ave,  and he quoted me $2,500.00 for the entire job, plus the cost in fabric.  These were way out of my budget.  So, I knew the project was worth tackling. 

When thinking about which fabric to choose, I knew the fabric must be stain resistant and child proof.  I looked into several types of fabrics that would meet these qualities. I also knew I did not want to buy a patterned fabric, since this is my first time at a sofa, and I knew that would add to the level of difficulty. A friend of mine suggested fabric from Maharama.  I looked for a fabric with a color that pops, since there is already a lot of brown in my living room. In the end I bought  a blue called "Ginger" at 15 dollars a yard, stain resistant.

For 16 yards in fabric the total came to $274.99, right within my budget. 

Before getting started, Liza and I made sure we had all our materials ready and on hand. We purchased this fabulous measuring board, new foam for my cushions, Magna Tac, upholstery thread, tacks, staples, a curved needle, and Singer's book, Upholstery Guide. We were ready to go and still well within budget. 

Many people choose to reupholster for sentimental reasons. In this case, I was looking to stay within a budget and hoping for something more modern in the room.  Since our sofa was made in the 60s, the lines and great construction of the piece were worth restoring. In addition, I just knew this sofa just needed a bit of a lift to serve us for the next 40 years!


Stay tuned for Liza's tutorial mañana.


xo,


Mel