A “Tweet” Chair Inspired By Nature

We’re so thrilled to introduce you to our newest guest blogger, Kim Chagnon of Kim’s Upholstery. Kim has been practicing the art of upholstery for over 25 years, and she teaches others how to do the same through her online membership site.

Kim Chagnon, Kims Upholstery

Kim has a perfect upholstery tutorial for you today that’s inspired by nature. We know you’re going to love it as much as we do!

Take it away, Kim!


It is no secret that I love nature and being outdoors and my home reflects that with both colors and style.  Spring fever made it the perfect time to give my little guest room chair an update. (Do you get spring fever and the urge to redecorate?) 

I choose MMS Boxwood for the color of the frame of this chair, and a fun bright fabric for the seat.  The Boxwood brings the deep rich greens of the forest that I love into my home.

 
Boxwood green chair with bird fabric and pink tassel trim, kims upholstery
 

Video Tutorial

I’ve created this easy-to-follow video tutorial for you to enjoy! You can use the written tutorial below to follow along as you watch!

 
 

Supplies Needed:

Prep Work

I began by doing my prep work.  This was a chair I had found for $5 at a yard sale a few years ago.  Now was the time to give it a fresh new look. 

I started by cleaning the wood with Krud Kutter.  The Krud Kutter helps to remove all the built-up grime from years of use. 

 
Krud Kutter Gloss Off
 

Once the wood had been cleaned I scuffed up the surface with 150 grit sandpaper.

Green chair sanded with 150 grit sandpaper, kims upholstery
sanded chair frame, kims upholstery

Painting The Chair With Boxwood MilkPaint™

The next step was to mix my MMS products and begin to paint the chair.  The original color was a much duller green and I was excited to see how my new paint would look. 

 
Milk Grip, Boxwood Milk Paint, Milk Mix EZ by Miss mustard seed's milk paint
 

I love the rich deep color of the Boxwood paint already but oh wow, when I applied the MilkOil™ my piece came to life.  The richness of the green was more than I had expected and I absolutely loved it!!

Upholstering The Slip Seat

It was time to upholster the slip seat for my chair while I waited for the MilkOil™ to set up.  I choose a fun bird print fabric.  The colors are fun and whimsical, which will look perfect in my home. 

Slip seats are a quick easy project any DIY’er can do.  Why not challenge yourself and update your own dining seats while you paint the frame of your chairs? 

Many members of our online upholstery community are DIY’ers just like you who have updated the look of their homes. Some have even started businesses with their new skills!

Supplies:

  • 1” 2.6 Density Firm Foam

  • 1 Ounce Bonded Dacron

  • ¾ Yard Fabric

  • ⅜” Plywood Base

  • Decorative Trim (optional)

Tools:

  • Pneumatic Staple Gun and Air Compressor

  • Side Cutters

  • Staple Puller

  • Scissors

Video Tutorial

If you haven’t watched my video tutorial yet, now’s the time to tune and see how to upholster a slip seat!

 
 

Now my chair is looking sassy and ready for use. 

 
Boxwood green chair with bird fabric and hot pink tassel trim
 

I love the “tweet” fabric (pun totally intended), and it works so great with the MMS Boxwood MilkPaint™. 

 
Hot pink tassel trim on green upholstered chair
 

I’d love to have you join Kim’s DIY Upholstery Hangout group on Facebook and share what projects you are working on.

We have many painters in the group, and boy do they put out some beautiful pieces!

Thanks for letting me share my project with you and I look forward to meeting you in our group on Facebook!

 See you on the inside,

Kim

 
how to upholster a slip seat chair
 
Kim Chagnon | Kim’s Upholstery

I’m Kim Chagnon, Upholstery Teacher and diehard DIYER. I love teaching others how to upholster furniture, sew custom slipcovers, and make cushions for their homes. The skills I teach allow other DIYers the ability to learn a craft where they can make a living doing something they love.

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New Bergere And Aqua Sky

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Upcycled Dollar Store Flower Pots With Plaster And Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™