Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design

Contents foreword by grace bonney

............................... ................ ............................... ................................ ............................... ........................... ............

1

IntroductIon ............... ............................... ............................... ............................... ................................ ............................... ............................... ........................ ........ 2 mIx ’n’ mat match ch upholstery chapter 1:

............................... ................ ............................... ............................... ............................... ................................ ................

4

Getting Inspired and Designing the Space ......................................... 7

P 1:

a amrc  pr: uhrg uhrg  l Chr ...... 18

chapter 2:

Design Plan and Yardage Estimate ............... ............................... ............................... ................. 20

chapter 3:

Tying Coil Springs for a Tight Seat ............... .............................. ............................... .................. 28

chapter 4:

Padding and Upholstering a Tight Seat ........................................41

chapter 5:

Upholstering Arm Pads, a Picture Back, and Finishing the Chair ................ ............................... ............................... ................................ ................... ... 55

P 2:

a nw pr f sr .............. ............................. ............................... ............................... ................... .... 70

chapter 6:

Determining Yardage for a Small Pattern .................................. 72

chapter 7:

Prepping Sinuous Springs and Padding a Tight, Boxed Seat ............... ............................... ............................... ............................... .............................. .............. 82

chapter 8:

Sewing and Attaching Fabric to a Boxed Seat ............................ 94

chapter 9:

Upholstering a Channel Back ................ ................................ ............................... ...................... ....... 102

chapter 10:

Finishing the Frame of the Slipper Chair.................................. 118

chapter 11:

Making and Attaching the Skirt and Back Scroll Panels ................ ............................... ............................... ................................ ............................... ....................... ........ 126

P 3:

srd yr Wg.............. ............................. ............................... ................................ .......................... .......... 13 6

chapter 12:

Calculating Yardage for a Large Pattern .....................................13 8

chapter 13:

Spring Tying for a Loose Seat .............. .............................. ................................ ......................... .........

chapter 14:

Padding a T-Shaped Deck ............... ............................... ............................... ............................... ................ 15 5

chapter 15:

Sewing and Attaching t he Deck Fabric Fabric ..................................... 164

chapter 16:

Upholstering the Inside Arms and Wings ................................175

chapter 17:

Upholstering the Inside Back.............. .............................. ................................ .......................... .......... 187

chapter 18:

Finishing the Outside of the Wingback and Applying Nailhead Trim ................ ............................... ............................... ............................... .................. ... 194

chapter 19:

Constructing a T-Cushion .............. .............................. ................................ .............................. .............. 205

148

P 4:

thr-sr t-u ........................................218

chapter 20:

Determining Yardage for Railroaded Fabric ............... ............................... ................................ ............................... ............................ ............. 220

chapter 21:

Spring Tying with an Edge Wire ..........................23 3

chapter 22:

Padding a Straight Deck .........................................24 3

chapter 23:

Sewing and Attaching t he Deck Fabric Fabric and Tack Band ............... ............................... ............................... ............................ ............. 252

chapter 24:

Padding and Constructing Boxed Arms ............ 262

chapter 25:

Upholstering an Inside Back with Back Cushions............... ............................... ............................... ............................ ............. 275

chapter 26:

Attaching the Outside Back and Completing the Sofa Frame .............. .............................. ............................... ............................ ............. 284

chapter 27:

Fitting and Sewing Boxed Cushions ...................294

P 5:

om emr .............. .............................. ............................... ...................... ....... 306

chapter 28:

Material Requirements for Diamond Tufting and Leather Upholstery 101 ................... 308

chapter 29:

Diamond Diamon d Tufting the Cocktai l Ottoman .............318

p 6:

tg i off .............. .............................. ............................... ............................ ............. 332

chapter 30:

Sewing Knife-Edge Pillows, Bolsters, and Boxed Pillows ................ ............................... ............................... ..................... ..... 33 4

Appx .......................................................................................

348

s e t t I n g u p s h o p .....................................................................

349

s tr I p p I n g f u r n I t u r e .............................................................

35 3

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35 8

s e w I n g tI p s a n d t r I ck s

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369

r e s o u r c e s ..............................................................................

38 5

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386

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387

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388

g lo s s a ry

acknowledgments contrIbutors Index

This is a sampling of pages from

Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design © 2013 by Amanda Brown All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechan ical, photocopying, photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher.

Photography by © Ryann Ford Illustrations Illustratio ns by Allegra Lockstadt Cutting layout illustrations by Ilona Sherratt

page

1

Foreword that if I ever won the lottery, the rst thing I would do is have all of my furniture upholstered in beautiful patterned fabric. And if I had my rst choice of upholsterers, that person would be Amanda Brown. When I was younger, I thought of upholstery as something only fancy or stuy people had done. I remembered all of the scratchy formal couches my grandparents had and couldn’t imagine ever being interested in such a thing. But in 2003, everything changed. I moved to Brooklyn, started immersing myself in the design world, and was blown away by all of the beautiful textile designs coming out from younger artists. Their fabrics were aordable, fun, and the opposite of stuy. But unfortu nately, no one seemed to be doing anything with them other than making pillow after pillow. Then I discovered Spruce. Amanda Brown led the wave of upholsterers who started looking at found and vintage furniture and reimagining it with bold, contemporary fabrics. In Amanda’s skillful hands, old sofas, chairs, and ottomans were transformed into hip new furniture for younger families, and the community noticed. Spruce may have started as a local Austin business, but the inuence of Amanda’s work and taste has spread across the country. Whether you’re looking to reupholster your very rst thrift store score or want to tackle every piece of furniture in your home, Amanda can teach you how. But she doesn’t stop there. Her ideas for combining dierent fabrics and using found materi als like vintage embroideries will open your eyes to all of the incredible ways you can give your old or used furniture new life. Trust Amanda. She’s been teaching students to reupholster for years now and you’re all about to get a master class from a seriously talented — and tastemaking — master. I’ve been known to say

— Grace Bonney, founder of Design * Sponge

Project 2

a new paIr oF slIppers

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126

Chapter 11 Chapter 11

makInGand attaChInGthe skIrtandBaCk sCrollpanels have passed, but it doesn’t mean a well-tailored skirt can’t add a bit of sophistication to a piece of furniture. Although these slipper chairs would look equally as dashing without a skirt, I’ve decided to attach one to minimize the legginess in the room and add a little variation. On rockers or furniture with unsightly legs, a skirt may be a necessity, so pay attention, even if you’re skipping the skirt. I agree, the days of rued skirts

meAsuring And cutting out the skirt PAneLs

Supplies • Rler • Whte or yellow chlk or wter-olble brc mrker • Crdbord tck tr • pencl • per • Fbrc • sqre • Yrdtck • scor • Deckng mterl • Welt cord tck (otonl)

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127

1.

As we discussed earlier, we’ll staple the skirt to the top edge of the wooden beam around the bottom of the chair (see step 1 illustration, page 95). Since this beam is 1" thick, make several marks 1" above the bottom edge around the perimeter of the chair. Use a piece of cardboard tack strip and chalk to connect the marks with a line all the way around the chair. Since my fabric is white and yellow chalk doesn’t come out of the fabric completely, I’m using a water-soluble marker to draw the line.

2.

Measure from the oor to the marked line above every leg and record the measurements on a piece of paper.

3.

Measure and write down the distance between each of the four legs.

4.

Using the measurements from steps 2 and 3, draw a diagram to illustrate the nished dimendimensions of the four main skirt aps. As is common in most chairs, the chair’s back legs are shorter than the t he front legs, legs, so the side aps will be a traptrap ezoid rather than a rectangle.

s l I p p e r c h a I r C h . 1 1 : M a k i n g a n d A t t a c h i n g t h e S k i r t a n d B a c k S c r o l l P a n e l s

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128 r i a h c r e p p i l s

s l e n a P l l o r c S k c a B d n a t r i k S e h t g n i h c a t t A d n a g n i k a M : 1 1 . h C

fInIshed dImensIons of skIrt fabrIc

5¼"

5¼" 5"

front panel

back panel

5"

23"

31"

5"

5¼" 5¼"

left panel 19"

5"

19"

5" 5¼"

front ki ck pleats (2)

5"

right panel

5. A small skirt ap called a

5" back kick pleats (2)

kick pleat will cover each leg and attach behind the split in the skirt panels. We’ll make them all 5" wide. The ones over the front legs will be the same height as the front skirt ap, while the back panels will be the same height as the back ap.

cut dImensIons of skIrt fabrIc

6¼"

front panel

back panel

6¼" 6"

25"

33"

6"

left panel

k c a b

19"

t n o r f

6¼" 6¼"

t n o r f

21" 6"

right panel 19"

k c a b

6"

21" 6"

6.

11"

11½"

front kic k pleats (2)

6"

back kick pleats (2)

The fabric will wrap around to the back of each large skirt ap by ½" on both sides and will require an additional ½" seam allowance on all sides for sewing and stapling at the top. The small kick pleats will be one piece of fabric that folds in half widthwise. We’ll We’ll sew the right r ight and left sides shut and attach them at the top, so add ½" seam allowance to all four sides. Draw a diagra diagram m to illustrate the dimensions of the fabric when cut.

page

cut dImensIons of deckIng materIal

6¼"

129

front pane l

Decking material will line the back of the skirts. skirt s. Since the fabric covers 1" of of the backside as it wraps around, we’ll subtract 1" from the width of the decking material, but we’ll still need ½" allowance on all sides for sewing and stapling. Draw out the cut sizes of the decking material for the backs of the skirts. 7.

31" 31 "

back panel

6"

23"

6¼"

left panel

6"

right panel

6¼"

6"

19"

19"

" ⁄"

Front " "

Back

"

" "

Le

⁄"

⁄" "

⁄"

"

"

Front corner 

We’ll match the pattern from the tack band to the skirt panels. The front and back aps will be centered over the same part of the pattern as the seat, inside and outside back. For matching the skirt aps to the right and left sides of the tack band and boxing, use the illustration from chapter 8, step 5 (page 96) as a reference. We’ll begin the front edges of the side skirt aps ½" closer to the center of the fabric roll than we did the side pieces for the boxing and tack band to 8.

Right

"

Back corner 

accommodate the ½" wrap around to the back of the skirt aps. Corner panels can be drawn anyany where there’s room since they’re barely visible.

Cut out all fabric pieces, including enough single welt cord to reach around the chair (80") (see Sewing Tips and Tricks, page 358). Cut the decking materia l to the sizes noted in the illustration for step 7. 9.

s l I p p e r c h a I r

C h . 1 1 : M a k i n g a n d A t t a c h i n g t h e S k i r t a n d B a c k S c r o l l P a n e l s

page


seWing And AttAching skirt PAneLs Supplies • • •


• • • • •

sewng machne sngle-welt cord oot attachment Thread Fabrc pece cut to ze 5/32" ber fex welt cord scor T-pn or hand-taplng pler and taple iron

• Skirt Skirtst stife ifener ner • • • • •

11.

Makng tape Goggle staple gun 1/2" taple Cardboard tack trp

With good sides facing, pin or staple the sides of the fabric to the sides of the decking pieces for the front skirt ap. With cut edges aligned, stitch the left side and then the right, and remove the staples or T-pins.

10. Stitch all

of the single welt cord (see page 364) for the skirt. Fold a kick pleat in half width-wise with good sides facing and stitch t he right and left sides shut. shut. Repeat for the other t hree kick pleats.

12.

On the bottom edge of the skirt ap, line up the centers of the fabric fabric and decking material materi al and stitch from one side to the other. When the bottom is sewn, there should be ½" of fabric on each side of the back of the skirt ap. Repeat steps 11 and 12 for the other three aps.

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131 s l I p p e r c h a I r

13. The key to a crisp and tailored skirt is ironing.

Turn the t he aps right side out and use your ngers to push out the corners and all the seams to the fullest extent. Press the panels so the edges and seams are at.

15.

We’ll use the welt cord to hold skirt aps together side by side. Lay an end of the welt cord on top of the middle of the back skirt ap with the edge of the welt cord tail lined up with t he top edge of the back skirt ap.  ap. Stitch from the middle to the right side of the ap. When you’re 1" from the right side, lay the left skirt ap adjacent to the back ap.

14.

Lay each ap on top of the skirt stifener and cut it to the size of the ap minus ¾" in height. Insert the stiener into the aps. It’s not neces sary to add skirt stiener to the kick pleats.

16.

Continue sewing and attaching the aps side by side until you get back to where you started. Cut o the excess welt cord 1" past the middle of the back ap. Open up the ends of the welt cord fabric and cut the t he cording inside so the ends meet.


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a round the ends 17.. Wrap a piece of masking tape around 17 to hold them together.

18.

Lay the fabric from the right side straight out and around the welt cord. The fabric from the other side should fold under and wrap a round the cording and fabric so no raw edges show show..

connect ion of the welt cord ends. 19.. Stitch over the connection 19

20.

Center a kick pleat over a split in the skirt with its top edge ¼" above the edge of the welt cord tail and stitch across the ap. Repeat for the other three kick pleats to complete the skirt sewing. Attach t he kick pleat ¼" ¼" higher than t he other aps to make sure they hang slightly above the bottom edge of the four main mai n aps. You could could cut the kick pleats so they’re ¼" shorter, but I nd it easier to adjust the height th is way.

21. Slip the skirt

on and line up the pattern. When the skirt is positioned correctly, ip it up and sta ple the seam allowance to the chair. c hair. As you staple, be sure the top edge of the cording is lined up with the marked line from step 1.

22.

After stapling, go back and attach cardboard tack strip on top of the seam allowance. Push the cardboard into the welt cord to get a tight connection between the skirt and chair.

page

For hrd foor, the krt hold hng /4" rom the bottom o the leg, bt or creted foor, ncree tht dtnce to /". When rntre t on cret, the weght he thelegsthroughthefu,causingtheskirtto toch the grond.

135

s l I p p e r c h a I r

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM

I must confess: When we dd the hoto

29.. 29

Line up the panels in the correct location and use the rubber mallet to gingerly tap the nails into the wood. Work in small increments by tapping all the nails from top to bottom in ½" at a time. Continue hammering, little by little, until the panels are ush to the wooden f rame. Use the air blower to dust o the chair and you are nished!

hoot or th chr, the drgon rg hdn’t been comleted, o i mde the krt   the chr wold be ttng on the hrdwood. When the rg rrved, i ld ot my rntre  lnned nd relzed i hd gooed! The ront leg t on the cret, cng the krt to grze the foor — oo! so th r mde nother tr bck to srce or  krt djtment.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM


Project 3

spread Your wInGs

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140

n o i t a r i p s n i n g i s e d

If you’re looking for a crowd-pleaser, choose blue! It’s by far the most popular selection at Spruce. Can you tell?

Box shapely decks to avoid pleats and wr inkles.

s e v i h c r a e c u r p s e h t m o r f

A solid-colored exterior on this wingback saves money and directs your attention to the striking velvet pattern on the interior.

page

Chapter 17

187

upholsterInG the InsIde BaCk and steel webbing, I also found coil springs when I stripped this chair. It’s rare to nd pieces with coil-sprung backs, and when you do, it’s a sign of great qual ity. Tying coil springs in the back is very similar to tying springs in the seat. Because the back does not provide as much support as the seat, the springs are less rm, smaller, and only need to be tied vertically and horizontally to stay in place. I also use a lightweight jute twine since the springs are thin and easily held in place with thinner rope. If you are upholstering arms that require no seaming, follow the steps from this chapter to complete them. In addition to horsehair

Att ttA Aching Webbing And tYing t Ying sPrings sPrin gs on the inside insi de bAck bAck You’re probably working with a chair that doesn’t have coil springs in the back. If you have sinuous (zigzag) springs, see page 83 for tying instructions, and then continue with step 6. If you don’t have any springs, after completing steps 1–3, skip straight to step 6. No coil springs? No problem!

Supplies •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

1.

Jute webbng Goggle staple gun 3/8"" taple 3/8 tap le Webbng tretcher scor Back prng Klnch-it (optona (optonal) l) Klnch-it taple (optonal) Button needle Button twne Magnetc tack hammer 10-ounce tack Lghtweghtt prng twne Lghtwegh

Attach vertical strips of webbing to the inside back. Staple the webbing to the bottom bar w ith 2" of extra length beyond the staples. Fold the excess back and staple again.

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188

r i a h c k c a b g n i w k c a B e d i s n I e h t g n i r e t s l o h p U : 7 1 . h C

2.

Pull the webbing to the top of the inside back and over the teeth of the webbing stretcher. Leverage the stretcher against the frame and staple as you stretch the webbing tightly. Leave the webbing connected to the roll until you’ve attached both ends to the chair, and then cut 2" beyond the staples at the top of the chair. Fold over and staple the excess down. Because t he back needs less support, it’s acceptable to leave small gaps between the strips. str ips. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all vertical rows are stapled.

3.

4.

5.

Lay the chair on its back and evenly space the back springs on the webbing. Use the Klinch-It tool to attach the springs to the webbing (page 237) or hand-sew springs to the webbing with a button needle and button twine (page 32).

Repeat steps 1 and 2 to staple all horizontal strips. Because the support beams at the top and bottom of the back are recessed behind the beams on the left and right, I’m pulling the horizontal strips of webbing behind the vertic al ones instead of weaving back and forth. This method pushes the vertical strips forward so the inside back isn’t concave.

Repeat steps 18–34 (pages 34–39) to tie the springs with a domed shape. Since back springs are smaller and less resistant, use cheaper, lightweight spring twine for tying.

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189

PAdding And uPhoLstering the inside insi de bAck bAck

Supplies • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

6.

Merng te Brl scor Goggle stle gn /"" tle / t le Cotton bttng or horehr Lrge crved needle (otonl) Btton twne (otonl) 2"–3"-thck low-denty om (otonl) permnent mrker Electrc crvng kne (otonl) Dcron Fbrc sqre Whte or yellow chlk Yrdtck stle remover pler

Cut out a piece of burlap large enough to cover the inside back with a few extra ext ra inches for pulling and stapling. Stretch and staple it to the beams where we stapled the webbing, fold back the excess and staple again.

w I n g b a c k c h a I r C h . 1 7 : U p h o l s t e r i n g t h e I n s i d e B a c k

page

7.

If you’re only using cotton for padding, cover the inside back with three to ve layers. I will reuse the horsehair from the original chair and plump it up with an additional layer of cotton. There should be enough layers so you don’t feel the individual springs through the padding. If foam is your padding of choice, start with a light, allover layer of cotton followed by 2"-thick lowdensity foam (see pages 277–278, steps 4 and 6, for tracing and a nd attaching attachi ng foam). Staple Staple the padding along the top edge of the back and tuck in the other sides.

190


8.

Before attaching Dacron, hand-sew bridle ties, if necessary (step 8, page 178). Cut a sheet of Dacron large enough to cover the inside back. back. Pull Pul l it through the t he bottom and staple it to the top of the outside back. Trim the excess from the sides so they barely tuck into the pull-through pull-t hrough space. Trim Trim of the excess Dacron at the bottom and just past the staples at the top.

9.

Measure the largest width and height of the inside back and add 4"–6" to each dimension for pulling and stapling (26" wide × 37" tall).

page

"

191

w I n g b a c k c h a I r

"

Insidebackfabric

A " "

10. We already determined the patter n placement

on the inside back when we cut out the deck fabric (see page 165). Since the marks we made in that illustration denoted the edges of the visible fabric (from the top of the cushion to t he top edge of the inside back), we need to add a few inches to the

top and bottom for pulling and stapling. At the bottom, add 3" to reach the deck and 3" for pulling through the bottom and stapling. At the top, add 1" for pulling and stapling. Draw lines to indicate the edges of the inside back fabric.

C h . 1 7 : U p h o l s t e r i n g t h e I n s i d e B a c k

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192


11.

Cut out the fabric and drape it over the inside back. Center the dragon between the arms and sub-staple 1" of fabric to the top of the outside back. Tightly pull the fabric through the bottom and sub-staple. The distance from the deck to mark A should be 3". Make adjustments to the vertical positioning of the fabric until the pattern is correctly placed, and then sub-staple the middles of the right and left sides.

wIngback chaIr

deck, se arms, a se back cmplete

12.

Perform release cuts around the bars at the bottom and top of the inside back. Fold under the excess fabric where the inside back meets t he top of the wings and staple to the outside back. Continue sub-stapling the fabric on a ll four sides. Double-check the pattern placement, and then replace sub-staples with permanent staples.

page

It’ss not (always It’ (always)) easy being green. Tere’s a e balace t be struck betwee ecTere’s rely, ecmcal, a lg-lastg uplstery. over te years, i’ve e a lt  researc  a efrt t prve clets wt te mst afrable a ealty pts r ter mes. i a perect wrl, tratal uplstery materals, suc as rsear, wul be apple wt te tecques evelpe by ur uplstery acestrs. But te tme a cst asscate wt tese mets a materals are cst-prbtve r mst peple. We cserg w t pa yur urture, ask yursel tese quests: 1.

hw muc muc use wll ts ts pece pece get, a a w lg  i expect t t last?

2.

d i r amly members ave ave allergy ssues? ssues?

r te last 20 years. Fr ter prjects, i recmme startg res wt pag yu kw s clea. here are sme tps r cmbg ecrely a mer uplstery materals t aceve a appy meum.

reseArch foAm oPtions

Frm atural rubber t plyuretae am, te pts are vast. natural latex ams are lglastg a te mst ec-rely, but are als cstly. i yu’re yu’re  a tgt buget, cse a sytetc am wtut te ae cemcals tat ca jeparze te ealt  yur me.

use nAturAL Products to suPPLement

3.

Am i wllg t t cmprmse te csmetcs  my urture t use atural r rgac pag a abrc?

4.

Am i  a strget strget buget? buget?

d’t wrry: Yur caracter a values are t beg juge. oe  te great tgs abut custm uplstery s tat yu ave te cace t aswer tese persal quests a talr yur urture t yur ees. Te recpe i’ve u tat wrks r mst peple s a cmbat  atural a sytetc materals. Wt prjects lke ts wgback surace, i always recmmee reusg as muc  te rsear as pssble, prve tat t as’t lve  a bar

Supplemet am wt layers  ctt t sgcatly reuce te percetage  sytetc pag wtut ecreasg te cmrt. Cuss wrappe  eaters use 50–66 percet less am ta staar am cuss.

don’t forget the fAbric

May tmes we cser te ars  ur urture wtut examg te abrc. d’t rget tat te abrc s ur rst pt  ctact wt a pece  urture. Altug abrc cmpaes are evelpg mre ec-rely abrcs r te me,  yur w researc a make rme ecss abut wat yu cser ealty a practcal r yur space.

193

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217

w I n g b a c k c h a I r C h . 1 9 : C o n s t r u c t i n g a T C u s h i o n

stelng the show i’m lwy lently rred when  ttern ctlly come together  lnned. althogh i’m rrely tmd bot gong bold wth ttern, t tme even the mot trkng brc  better ved or nother roject. Conder thee ctor beore yo crete yor next howtoer. Lrger ttern re dlyed d lyed well on rntre wth  lot o rce re. On  ch r lke the Lo chr, only the drgon hed wold t on the nde bck, nd wh le the hed  trkng, trkng , t’ r le mreve wthot t body. For mller ece, go or  mller cle ttern or  lrge rnt wth n llover btrct degn nted o one mn ttrcton. 1. sIze.

On  bdget? Remember tht lrge-cle ttern reqre more yrdge. For th wngbck, we ed 12 yrd o brc when 8 wold be cent wth  mll ttern or old. a gret wy to go bold wthot gong broke  to cover the nde o  ece wth  old nd the otde wth  ttern, or vce ver. 2. cost.

ue ttern to drw ttenton to  rtclr rt o  room or connect everl ece o rntre by ng  mltcolored brc tht te them ll together,  we dd n th room. 3. focal poInt.

Project 4

Three-SeaTer Tune-up

page

224

a f o s r e t a e s e e r h t

c i r b a F d e d a o r l i a R r o f e g a d r a Y g n i n i m r e t e D : 0 2 . h C

Measuring Measurin g for fabric fabric 1.

To determine yardage, let’s begin by writing down all of the fabric pieces on the sofa so we don’t forget anything: Deck and tack band Inside arms (ISAs) Inside back (ISB) ( ISB) Outside arms (OSAs) Outside back (OSB) Seat cushion (SC) Seat cushion front boxing (SCFB) Seat cushion zipper boxing (SCZB) Back cushions (BC) Back cushion top boxing (BCTB) Back cushion zipper boxing (BCZB) •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

inside back (behind cushions) left inside arm

back cushion

back cushion

b a c k c u sh i on

right inside arm

seat cushion front box ing deck tack band

left outside arm

right outside arm outside back

page

225

t h r e e - s e a t e r s o f a

2.

Don’t forget to measure at the largest parts of each fabric piece. The width of the deck begins just inside the left arm and ends at the right arm (74").

3.

4.

5.

Start where the inside arm meets the inside back and measure to the front edge of the sofa to get the width of the inside arm (33").

We’ll measure the deck and tack band as one piece. The front portion of the deck t hat’s covered with the fabric begins 4" behind the front edge of the sofa and the tack tac k band ends at the bottom edge of the sofa (11").

Measure from the deck to t he top of the inside arm for the t he height (17").

C h . 2 0 : D e t e r m i n i n g Y a r d a g e f o r R a i l r o a d e d F a b r i c

page

Chapter 22

243

paDDing a STraighT Deck The journey journey to t o padding and upholstering the deck is often a long and labor-intensive process.

There are hours of stripping, being covered from head to toe in dirt and dust, sweating, and ex ing muscles. And then there’s the marathon of spring tying. Fear not: You’ve already wrestled your way through the backbreaking work. Now it’s time for padding, fabric, and seeing the sofa come back to life. Since the cushion will do most of the work keeping the seat comfortable, we’ll apply a light layer of padding on the deck, as opposed to the thick padding we attached to the seats in projects 1 and 2.

coVering the sPrings With burlaP Supplies •

•

•

•

•

•

•

Measuring tae Bura Scissors Gogges Stae gun 3/8"" staes 3/8 sta es permanent marker

1.

First, we’ll cover the springs with burlap so the padding doesn’t squish through. Measure across the springs from the back to the front tacks to get the depth of the burlap.

page

244

a f o s r e t a e s e e r h t k c e D t h g i a r t S a g n i d d a P : 2 2 . h C

2.

Measure from the tacks on the left to the ones on the right side to determine the width of the burlap. Add 4" to the depth and width for pulling and stapling, and then t hen cut out a piece to these dimensions.

3.

4.

5. Fold under the burlap on either side of the post

After stapling the t he front middle, middle, pull the burlap tightly to the back middle. Since I have a wooden post in the way of my burlap, I’ll make a Y-cut to release the burlap around it (see page 44 for release cut instructions).

Center the burlap over the springs and staple the front middle, being careful to avoid tacks as you staple. Staes shoud be aced around the seat on the to ace o the rame where we attached the tacks or sring tying. Tacks defect staes, so stae around them to avoid fying meta and sarks.

and staple. When the front and back middles are secured, staple the middles of the right and left sides.

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245


6.

Staple the rest of the front, back, left, a nd right sides (in that order). As you staple, make cuts to release the burlap around wooden posts that are in the way.

7.

Trim the excess burlap to 2", fold back, and staple again.

att tta achi ching ng edg edge e roll ro ll edge roll keeps padding from breaking down and wearing out quickly, so we’ll attach it to the front edge of the deck where there’s constant pressure from sitting and standing. On sofa decks, I prefer a larger 1" edge roll, which helps build up the height of the front edge to keep the cushion in place. If you tied springs without an edge wire, staple the edge roll to the frame and skip to step 17 (see Attaching Edge Roll, pages 45–46 and 157–158). The rm yet forgiving density of

Supplies •

•

•

•

•

•

1" edge ro permanent marker Square-oint uhostery knie large curved neede Button twine Scissors

C h . 2 2 : P a d d i n g a S t r a i g h t D e c k

page

290


attaching Welt cord and dustcoVer to the bottoM of the sofa

Supplies •

•

•

e m a r F a f o S e h t g n i t e l p m o C d n a k c a B e d i s t u O e h t g n i h c a t t A : 6 2 . h C

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Sewn welt ord Goggles Stale gun 1/2" stales Sssors panter’s or maskng tae Measurng tae Dustover cardboard tak str Whte or yellow halk

22.

For the rest of the steps, ip the sofa upside down. Staple the welt cord made in step 3 around the bottom edge of the sofa, starting at the back middle. When you begin, leave an extra 1½" of cording, which we’ll connect to the other side at the end.

23.

Use your forenger and thumb to line up the edge of the cording with the wooden edge of the sofa frame. Pre-bend corners before stapling them down and cut out the excess fabric to minimize bulk.

24.

Continue stapling around the bottom edge of the sofa until you’re 2" from where you started. Cut o the excess e xcess cording 1½" 1½" past the t he middle.

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291


25.

Open up the seams of the stitched cording about 3" on both ends to expose the cord inside. Lay the raw cords (without fabric) side-by-side and cut through both so they meet.

26.

27.. 27

28.

Lay the fabric from one side straight out and around the cording. Fold under the fabric on the other side and wrap it around the fabric and cording so no raw fabric or cording shows. Finish the welt cord by stapling the connected ends to the sofa.

Wrap a piece of tape around the ends of the cords to connect them together.

Cut a piece of dustcover large enough to cover the bottom of the sofa with an additional 3" in width and height for pulling and stapling. Center the dustcover over the front edge of the sofa and staple ½" of its front edge on top of the welt cord tail. Reinforce this rst stapled edge by pushing cardboard tack strip into the welt cord and stapling it on top of the t he dustcover. dustcover.

C h . 2 6 : A t t a c h i n g t h e O u t s i d e B a c k a n d C o m p l e t i n g t h e S o f a F r a m e

page

292


e m a r F a f o S e h t g n i t e l p m o C d n a k c a B e d i s t u O e h t g n i h c a t t A : 6 2 . h C

29.

Before we continue stapling the dustcover, staple cardboard tack strip into the welt cord on the other three sides. This keeps the welt cord tight to the frame.

30.

31.

32.

Slip the dustcover over the legs and pull it to the backside of the frame. Pull tightly enough to smooth out the dustcover without stretching it out. Fold the dustcover under so the folded edge meets the welt cord, and then staple it down. Continue folding under and stapling until the entire backside is stapled. Repeat this step to attach the right and left sides.

Pull the dustcover tightly to the backside of the sofa and make release cuts around the legs. Since these legs are a few inches from the edges of the sofa, I’ll cut an X in the dustcover to make a square hole for the legs to poke through.

To prevent the release cut aps from falling out, staple the dustcover around t he legs. Flip over the sofa and admire the nished frame.

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293

case o the Dsaearng Sssors i dotors an sew u a atent wth ores nsde, magne how easy t s to lose u a soa wth tools lef n the nsde bak or under the dustover. The rst ee o urnture i ever uholstered was nshed wth a ar o sssors nsde. When i turned the har over to admre my hard work, the loud metal lankng aganst the rame startled me. Sne then, i always do a sot hek beore losng u my rojet.

three-seater sofa

Frame complete


C h . 2 6 : A t t a c h i n g t h e O u t s i d e B a c k a n d C o m p l e t i n g t h e S o f a F r a m e

page

16

Always leave room for adding to your collection of knickknacks.

page

17

Pillows connect colors, patterns, and textures across the room.

Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design

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