I am very not happy.

[JaneNYC]

REF: Utter newbie recovering the bottoms of 8 Queen Anne Chairs, Mfg: White Furniture of Mebane (RIP).

Okay, the first chair isn't horrible: it's just not what you guys would do.  Where the fabric turns under the wood frame, it's a little wavy, pulled.  Is it possible I'm pulling the fabric TOO tight?

IMPORTANT DACRON BATTING QUESTION: I cut the dacron almost as big as the fabric.  Should I cut the dacron short so I'm only turning under and stapling the fabric?  The original upholsterer didn't use batting at all: just covered the foam with fabric so I can't tell from taking it apart.

ALSO do you ever say, "Oh, those few staples aren't quite right: let's pull them out and redo them."  Or are you banging out every staple perfectly every time?

ALSO ALSO What if I STEAM the fabric where it turns under?  You think that will shrink it a little so it tightens up a bit?

I DO feel the second chair will be better and also: I did an armchair first so I can hide it at the end of the table.

I have 7 more to go.  I did everything I was supposed to do.  I am sad.

j.

[kodydog]

No such thing as good enough. A good upholsterer is not afraid to back up once in a while. I do it often. Gotta stand back and ask yourself could that be better. The old saying goes, pull it tight but leave it loose. The steamer is an upholsterers best friend. You will get a little better each chair you do. The last one will look so good you'll want to go back and redo the rest. Tack the Dacron to the thin side of the plywood and trim off the excess.

[JaneNYC]

The old saying goes, pull it tight but leave it loose.

Kode!  Don't leave  me hanging!  What exactly does this mean?

j.

[MinUph]

Pictures help with this tuff but...
  I kill my filling just at the break of the rail so nothing but fabric is turned under. Nice clean sharp edge. Yes you can pull to tight but I doubt that is the problem. Upholstery is not mastered in a few pieces. It take a lot of practice. Take your time and dont be afraid of removing staples and redoing something. We all do it if we care.

[JaneNYC]

Min, yes, thanks: I think my chair is lumpy around that break because I turned under an inch of dacron all around.  I really have to go REwatch all the videos that you guys recommended.  I think they'll make more sense now that I've tried one.

I really worry all those staples chewing up that plywood frame.  Even though  I bought the chairs new -- and therefore this is their first REupholstery -- I'm actually thinking of gluing or sewing on that bottom "dust cover" to save some staples!

j.

[kodydog]

Kode!  Don't leave  me hanging!  What exactly does this mean?

j.

LOL Its just a joke we used to tell when I worked in the factory. The inspectors were very hard to please. Some kind of power trip thing. When they were in a bad mood you couldn't get anything by them. It seamed the fabric was always pulled too tight or too loose. That was a long time ago. These days I don't think there are inspectors in the factories.

How tight you pull your fabric is up to each individual. I have a bad habit of pulling too tight. You don't want the fabric to look strained but on the other hand you should not be able to pinch the fabric and pull it once it is stapled on. A good test is: with the chair seat laying flat on your bench, place one hand to the right and one hand to the left, now move your hands toward each other while rubbing the fabric. When your hands meet in the center you should not have more than 1/4 inch gathered. Hope this makes sense.

Another test is, using both hands push down in the center of the chair seat. When you release the pressure there should be no wrinkles.

[JaneNYC]

Yes, very good,  these details are all gold.

-----

I was in advertising and we told similar jokes after getting (often) ludicrous input from clients, who were really too chicken to make a definite statement.

"He wants it big, yet small."
"He wants it serious, yet funny."
"He wants it in-your-face, but in a really subtle way."

j.

[SteveA]

It's always better to staple or tack in a temporary way.  If you don't want to shoot staples - use # 4 tacks.  I find tacks are easier for me to apply and remove but friends who are true upholsterers won't use anything other then a staple gun shooting in the staples half way and on an angle until the fabric is just right -
SA

[chrisberry12]

Tack the back, pull taunt to the front middle then pull staples in back center pull taunt and re staple. Now pull back to front, middle to one side on front and staple, then back to front to the other front corner, do the same on the back. Now just fill in center to front corners, no more lumps. The sides just snug up and staple. Do not cut the Dacron pull it apart so it is feathered to the edge, do not allow to go under. If you do seats in muslin first, you will learn without messing up the good fabric. All good upholsterers pull staples to get the look and feel for a great job. All us old timers too a good 5 years to master the basics of the trade and we are still learning, not one piece is the same. I wish you all the best

Chris

[MinUph]

Don't worry about the holes that staples make. If it is real wood they should effect the wood at all. Gueing on the cambric is a foolish waist of time. Staple it on. As mentioned a couple of times. Temporarily tacking the fabric on is helpful. I will put a staple in the center and the ends of the piece to hold it in place. These get removed when finishing up. And don't feel like your doing wrong if you need to remove some staples in order to get it right. We all do.

[JaneNYC]

Super info, I can't thank you enough.  Anything you can think of that I should know!

Just super stuff.

j.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I have no nuggets of wisdom for you ... just encouragement.  My feeling from reading your posts is that you are going to "get it" and your chairs will turn out fabulously.

As my SIL tells me when I get stressed, take a couple of deep, cleansing breaths, clear your head and then dig back into your project.

Virginia