DIY upholstery: finished sofa!
If you missed the first half of this project, here is the sofa being stripped and reupholstered.
Below is a photo of when you last saw it… (and also the point at which I realized I had failed to factor in matching trim to my fabric choice.)
Then! Because you people are so helpful are bored at work and want to be entertained… some of you wanted to shame me into DIY-ing my own matching, double-welt trim.
You know who you are.
NICE TRY.
You specified things like “bias” and “zipper foot.” And I was all – they think I do not I don’t know these things!
(I totally know these things!)
After all, I am a descendant of the people’s worker! And if THAT does not convince you, let me also point out that my mother is a woman who can sew a circle skirt (bias) OF PLAID FABRIC (mathmatical-probability-theory of plaid-matching and differential-equations.)
Then you took the welt-shaming one step further: by acting like I wouldn’t want to stab myself 12 feet into the 100 yards of sewing back-and-forth… and that rather! I would find it a soothing activity of productivity and thrift!
So I was like– FINE. I WILL WELT.
Heaven forbid that strangers on the internet are not impressed with BOTH my frugal-furniture-acquisition, AND the ease with which I breezily churn out miles of pristine upholstery trim; unmarred by fabric-puckering-and-broken-sewing-machine-needles-and-the-maddening-snarl-of-when-the-bobbin-randomly-decides-to-spit-all-the-thread-into-a-matted-tangle-of-project-destroying-fury… again and again and again. FOR NO REASON AT ALL. (Other than because it is possessed.)
And you want to just keep sewing right through the mess – as the machine binds and binds and binds– because you are gritting your teeth with rage and just want to exert your will over this stupid thing because THE BOBBIN TENSION HAS BEEN FINE FOR THE LAST 50 FEET, WHY ARE YOU BREAKING NOW? I WILL SHOW YOU WHO’S BOSS.
And the machine is like LOL. Nope. #nottheboss
So! Yes! For sure! Welting sounds totally awesome and exactly how I want to spend 57 hours of my life in exchange for the meager approval of people who will consume this post in less than five seconds and probably only look at the photos.
Fortunately, I remembered my saving grace: welting is not authentic to the age of this furniture.
Original trim on Victorian furniture would have been similar to modern gimp, (or if prior to 1850, more like a textured ribbon than woven cording.)
So I went back to the passementerie/soutache/gimp drawing-board.
*Insert intermission while I open 47,689 Etsy tabs.*
I thought I might get lucky and find some treasure trove of old-stock antique trim, but eventually I resigned myself to something new… The vintage stuff is BEAUTIFUL. But A– I need a LOT. And B– even MY foolish, detail-loving heart thinks it is idiotic to spend $1,000 on trim.
Also can someone please explain why everyone on Etsy has “acquired a wonderful collection of old stock French trims that are all in very nice condition and unused.”
Meanwhile, I myself have never once stumbled across boxes of old French trim just lying around in the street. WHY? So irritating!
Then after 457,823 hours of looking, I chose this one… it was $20 for ALL I NEEDED. And on top of that I actually really like it!
In closing, (if you care about such things) you can see the evolution of this room in the post where I sold the Restoration Hardware sofa … and for posterity’s sake, I also sold the petite orange velvet sofa that I got at my first auction.
Edited to answer about the coffee table… it’s old, RH. Discontinued. I got mine on CL (of course) so check yours! I couldn’t find a good dupe, but this one has legs that are similarly turned (it’s cheap, so could be great or horrible!) and this one’s scale looks closer to mine, but is pricey!
SEE ALL MY FAVORITE CRAIGSLIST FINDS
February 28, 2017 @ 11:03 am
It turned our beautiful. You should be proud.
February 28, 2017 @ 11:09 am
Thank you for articulating what always happens to me when i sew a well! It’s crazy, does this happen to everyone or only amateurs? Xoxo luv u!
February 28, 2017 @ 11:12 am
I have the same problem w my sewing machine bobbin, I make beautiful “birdnests” ( the official name , I believe). I need to take my machine in to be calibrated, as it were, and get that problem fixed…it’s only been 8 years since it’s last fixing! Great job on the couch and waiting for the reveal on your kitchen. You have incredible patience in restoration. And funny to boot…and not a lot of “stuff” hanging around. Oh, to be simplistically organized like that. *sigh*
Karan
March 3, 2017 @ 10:36 pm
All of her extraneous stuff is either in Narnia, or Downton Abbey. This only makes sense if you read about the magical cupboards of magnificence that Paul miraculously rescued in the freezing cold dark with almost no tools. He really should give lessons in husbanding.
February 28, 2017 @ 11:27 am
Okay, I have to add my voice to the PP who noted that that couch does not look, how shall I say it? Lounge-able. We have a beautiful repro Chippendale couch we inherited from a grandmother, but it is about as comfortable as an enema, so it has to go. Do you have a room dedicated to furniture that is comfortable but not historically accurate to the house? Or are you so hard-core, you’ve just convinced yourselves to like it?
February 28, 2017 @ 11:50 am
Well, I read every word and studied every picture. I knew when I hadn’t seen an update that you were feverishly looking for JUST THE RIGHT TRIM. You found it, and the result is stupendous! It really is. I admire your tenacity, my dear. I would’ve given up long ago.
February 28, 2017 @ 12:00 pm
The gimp is a perfect solution! I’m thrilled that you didn’t spend 57 hours of your life sewing welting for my meager approval, although it did take longer than 5 seconds to consume your post, as I READ IT IN ITS ENTIRETY! Oh, and I also looked at the photos 🙂
February 28, 2017 @ 12:03 pm
Lovely, Beautiful, Joyfully pored over post.
February 28, 2017 @ 12:11 pm
“*Insert intermission while I open 47,689 Etsy tabs.*”
Literally lol’d
You send light into my day when I read your adventures.
February 28, 2017 @ 12:15 pm
Oh, I do love your sense of humor. Visiting your blog is a sure way to put a smile on my face.
By the way, your sofa is gorgeous!
February 28, 2017 @ 12:29 pm
The room & furniture are beautiful! I love the trim and fabric you chose. I never met a sewing machine that liked me. $20? That’s the ticket! You are THE diva of enterprise & TALENT. You are off the charts!
February 28, 2017 @ 12:34 pm
Beautiful finish! But white in my house just wouldn’t make it for three minutes. Sewing machine tips for the future: Sometimes you need a better grade of thread. Sometimes you need to keep changing the needle because gunk in the fabric finish of the bias tape dulls the needle. Those two things can cause all the frustrations you experienced. Can’t tell you how much I enjoy your huge furniture!
February 28, 2017 @ 12:37 pm
You and I feel the same way about sewing (and our machines have the same evil tendency to self-adjust tension). Our mothers must also be related. Anyway, love your writing and love your projects. Your sofa and living room are absolutely gorgeous!
February 28, 2017 @ 12:53 pm
It’s stunning! I am VERY impressed and bow to your superior skills and tenacity.
February 28, 2017 @ 12:54 pm
It is absolutely beautiful and Paul did a wonderful job!!! But I have to ask… where do you just chill out and watch TV? There must be a comfortable sofa elsewhere in the house that you can do this? Or maybe you are too busy with all the projects! I can’t wait until your kitchen is finished. I’ve been dying to see it!!!
February 28, 2017 @ 12:58 pm
One thing that helps prevent thread globs is to stitch through a fabric softener dryer sheet a few times before sewing.
March 6, 2017 @ 10:23 am
This is the best tip!! Thanks Judith
February 28, 2017 @ 1:03 pm
Since I first found your blog, I have been convinced that we are soul sisters (Craigslist, curbside finds, SO many projects, and especially a husband who, (mostly) without complaining, hauls massively heavy Craigslist finds for his beloved to cherish. Now, as if I needed more evidence to prove it so, you have made it public that your motivation to finish projects is exactly the same as mine: give yourself a hard deadline by INVITING PEOPLE OVER. Works every time.
Keep up the good work PLEASE – you brighten my day!
February 28, 2017 @ 1:38 pm
Omg! I scored your coffee table on Craigslist!!! I like it even more now!😜
March 1, 2017 @ 11:10 am
I’m obsessed with the coffee table. Who made it? It’s the last thing I need to finish my living room. Even my husband, who never says anything about décor, thinks it’s “really nice.” Which is man speak for “IT’S AWESOME !!”
March 1, 2017 @ 11:18 am
it’s old RH… they don’t make it anymore but maybe you’d get lucky on ebay or craigslist! I’ve seen some knockoffs that were ok, but the scale wasn’t as appealing.
February 28, 2017 @ 1:49 pm
I have a Michael, who has the talent of your Paul, but not the patience, willingness, and adoration of a beloved to keep him cheerful as he undertakes fulfillment of my whims. He thinks I am INSANELY UNREASONABLE for even thinking of these projects.
I AM SO JEALOUS!!!!!
Aside from that, I want you to know that I READ EVERY WORD (sometimes several times because I’m laughing or crying so hard that I CAN NOT MAKE SENSE OF THEM on the first reading).
And how is it that in my many many MANY years as a cat lady I have not been able to train ANY of my cats not to upchuck on every newly refinished item in our house? I mean really, even our beloved KITTY DIVINE had no flaws–NO FLAWS EVER–except her inability to choose a discreet spot when she barfed. YOU have never shown a single furball, dust bunny, scratched piece of woodwork, OR pile of scarf-and-barf in the middle of a (choose one) shiny floor, beautiful upholstered piece, bathroom rug…
I bow to your awesomeness, and EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR NEXT POST!!!
February 28, 2017 @ 2:07 pm
It looks beautiful – all the searching certainly paid off!
February 28, 2017 @ 2:54 pm
You are absolutely correct. My Grandmother’s chair, very Victorian, came to me in its original upholstery with a black backgrounded tapestry type fabric and,,,,….as you said – gimp. It has seen two more upholstering jobs since then. The gimp is gone, but that is what it should have to be authentic. Your sofa looks so so wonderful! You are talented beyond belief.