Anyone tried upholstery?

[flybynight]

I got an upholstery book for christmas, I haver a gorgeous little rocking nursing chair in need of some tlc and I'm off to Hobbycraft today to get the bits and bobs I need.

So, what are the odds of me managing to recover the chair (no buttons or anything) without recourse to a professional? Anyone else tried something like this?

I've recovered a chair (very) succesfully. I also re-upholstered a show wood chair slightly unsuccessfully as i didn't have a webbing strietcher and consequently it has begun to sag. Apart from that I have done a great job with it.

I have a couple more chairs to do but I have some painting to do and some curtains to make first.

I just used a book and took planty of photos as i dismantled the existing coverings.

I have also posted this in your other thread but thank you for bringing me here - I've never been before. Will have a browse....

Can't imagine why the painting isn't getting done...

I joined a course, people took along their furniture to do it there. If you live in Gloucestershire I'll let you know the details, as I found it really useful.
I love doing it, but have only ventured as far as recovering loose cushions - like on ercol sofas, but plenty of people were doing the stuff where the upholstery is fixed to the chair very successfully. I wouldn't want to have done a project like that without guidance.

Upholstery is great, really rewarding.

I'd recommend a course to get started, especially if you are going to do a chair. If you can't do a course, I would start on something smaller like a footstool. Then you can get to grips with the techniques on something only involving two hands before you try to tackle something that seemingly needs 15 hands! Junk shops are ideal.

Hobbycraft isn't necessarily the best place: you can get really basic tools like small hammers at Wilkos and the like. For specialist kit like tack hammers, tack lifters, webbing and webbing stretches, internet is usually better: try here for example

Well, you are so right about Hobbycraft not being the place to start, Stripeybump. It was rubbish. Although I do now have a magnetic hammer!

Thanks for the posts - I really would loive to do a course, but with four children including a baby and no local childcare (I'm in Yorkshire, feedme), its not going to happen anytime soon. I am going to delay starting on the chair, though, and try something smaller first.

I used a book and have done loads of stuff - agree that a webbing stretcher is essential though, otherwise things will sag.

I would give it a go. Is the stuffing and so on in good nick or does it need a major overhaul?

The stuffing is fine. It's very comfy actually. I just want to recover it. It currently has a green velvet cover with a big fag burn in it. My initial thought was quite a striking Milliam Morris print for it. But I think, when I do it, I'll stick to something a bit simpler to avoid pattern matching nightmares.

That doesn't sound too hard, actually.