12 New Things - Chair Makeover

September's new thing was a bit of an adventure as it turned out. I was supposed to complete this task with my good friend Elyse, but... well...

I ordered fabric from Fabric.com a while ago and it sat in a corner waiting for the time for me to place it on the chairs. Elyse and I set up a time to get together and when that time came she visited my house - we were both excited. I had my handy-dandy instructions ready to go. I flipped over the first chair and saw that it was not a "normal" flat or Phillips head screw. It was (as my husband explained) a Robertson screw, and needed a screwdriver that we did not have at home.

Elyse and I set out to Sears (to get a Craftsman, because here in the Athanas household we buy Craftsman handtools). I was convinced that we needed something bigger than a size 3, which is the largest size Robertson screwdriver that we saw at Sears. We went to Home Depot - still nothing larger than a 3. Feeling somewhat dejected (but not entirely because we DID have a fantastic time hanging out), we headed back and called it a night.

Of course, after she left I took another look at the chairs and realized that I did not need one larger than a 3. Another trip to Sears and the purchase of a size 2 Robertson screwdriver did the trick. I was off to the races!

Get ready to get eliminated, Ugly Blue Seat Cover!

I measured the fabric and attached the covers following the directions I found on Wikihow. It was actually a pretty easy project and if I'm going to be totally honest - kind of fun too. Basically, you cut the squares of fabric, pull the tightly and neatly, attach it with a staple gun, and then screw the cushions back on the chair. Then VOILA - brand new chair!

Here's some pictures of the process; I'll let the captions fill you in on the rest of the process.

Checking the situation with the old corners to see how they looked when completed.

Attaching the fabric - start at the centers, work your way out, then attach the corners.

My first corner - not too shabby, I must say!

Finished cushion - all ready to be attached to the chair.

Finished! It really is like a brand new chair with that blue all covered.