Reupholstering a Parson’s Chair Part 2.5 (in which I inadvertently give my chair a mullet)

June 12, 2013 by Anne 2 Comments

Why yes, I am milking this project for all it’s worth… You can see part 1 here and part 1.5 here. I skipped sharing part 2 and estimate that this is about part 2.5.

Here’s where we left off:

I got to this point by following this great tutorial. And since Aimee posted such a great tutorial, I don’t have to completely reinvent the wheel. I’ll just share the most confusing parts and complicate things further. 🙂

So. You get your fabric–about 2 yards worth–and cut things in the right shape. And then you staple until you feel like your fingers will fall off. Here’s how you fold it and staple it to the back to make the legs look nice and finished.

(Skipping a bunch of crazy pictures/explanations here…trust me, they wouldn’t help clarify things.)
Let’s just jump to the back of the back of the chair. This was the most fun and the most gratifying part to work on.

Here’s how I attached the back flap of the back of the chair using cardboard from a cereal box. It made a super nice clean line when you flip the fabric back over it. Smart, huh? Wish I had thought of it.

This is how the chair is looking now. Pretty classy, right? And yet…

…my chair has a secret. Business in the front, party in the back.

While the mullet look might be “in” in some circles, the look is not welcome in our home. Oh, don’t get me wrong–I’m fine with it, but Ken objects. He likes things to look spiffy and does not approve of mullets. My apologies to all of my friends that have mullets (which is many, duh).

I still have to figure out how to affix that back fabric to the chair itself–either by blind stitching it by hand or by purchasing some upholstery strips. I think I’m also going to attempt some nailhead trim around the edges of the chair to hide some imperfections in my upholstery job. Unless it costs an arm and a leg, in which case cheapness will probably win. That’s how it goes around here.

Anyone else embracing the mullet look in your home’s decor?