Flea Market Chair Makeover

by Kathy Peterson Inspired

I love a treasure hunt and will take any opportunity to scavenge around for a great flea market or garage sale find. Every year around August, The World Longest Yard Sale is hosted by several states starting in Alabama on up to Kentucky along Hwy 127.

For you die-hard treasure hunters, this is a great road trip if you’re in the market of finding some really fun stuff. I’ve enjoyed the thrill of the hunt on this event since the late 90’s and in 2007 I was selected as a guest shopper on HGTV’s Endless Yard Sale. Believe me, this was a really a fun opportunity traveling with a crew of 18 and over 200 miles in 2 days from Kentucky to Tennessee spotting tons of great treasures along Hwy 127!

Kathy’s Mission:

To find an old chair then make it over into “the bridal chair” for my daughter-in-law’s bridal shower last February. Mission accomplished and here’s how I did it.

As you can see, this poor, pathetic chair had seen better days. It was dirty and dingy but had good lines and was built strong. So after I got the chair home it was time to shine and polish this little chair up with a little imagination, fresh paint and fabric!

How-To:

•  Remove that dirty chair pad, remove stuffing and green fabric. Next, add batting and recover with new fabric by simply stapling fabric to bottom of wood insert.
• Clean wood surfaces with warm water and mild soap. (Allow to dry before painting!)
• Paint and prime chair with white enamel spray paint. (Again let it dry!)
• Cut 2 pieces of fabric and 1 piece of batting to fit the open part of the back of the chair. Staple fabric starting from the back, then layer in batting and cover with remaining piece of fabric onto front of chair back and secure with more staples.
• For the skirt measure the circumference of the chair seat then cut a 7” (or more) wide strip of fabric to measure at least double the circumference measurement. (You can make the skirt any width you like but make sure you allow enough for a half inch hem).
• Gather the fabric strip with needle and thread then staple to underside of chair seat.
• Finish and cover any exposed staples by hot gluing rickrack or other trim using the photo as an example.

Okay, so there you have it! It’s really all in the little extra details that makes this chair go from bad to fab! So the next time you spy a pathetic chair, remember you can always make it better with a little imagination! Happy hunting!

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