Jane Austen Month, Day 1: Sitting Pretty

Pin It

Years ago I felt an urgent need to buy armchairs.  And when I say urgent, I mean urgent.  You would have thought that my life depended on a few yards of upholstery.  My sense of panic was severely complicated by the fact that I had approximately thirteen pesos to do this with.  So I scoured the classifieds, Ebay, thrift stores, and then finally stumbled upon a jewel of a deal on a JCPenney clearance website.  Not only could I get two armchairs for the price of one, but the deal also came with a little matching table.  I clicked "Buy Now" faster than you can say "Indonesian sweat shop"
and anxiously awaited the delivery of the perfect Queen Anne additions to my living room. 

Well, you get what you pay for.  I've been more comfortable sitting on an examination table with my feet in metal stirrups than I was sitting in those chairs.  It didn't help that the concrete cushions were wrapped in a fabric that had the texture of boar hair.  Cue a sigh of deep resignation.  I decided that having both beauty and comfort in a chair was simply too much to ask . . . until today.

I resolved to start this Austen experiment with a bang.  I don't live in England, and I'll never have a manor house, but darn it!  I can at least have a little dose of damask in my life and imagine I'm sitting in Pemberley. 

Armed with a few yards of fabric, extra seat padding, a sturdy staple gun, lots of hot glue, and spools of trim, I took on my first re-upholstery project today.  It's not perfect.  Not even close.  Dry runs are always a brow-furrowing learning experience for me.  But at least now I have a beautiful and comfortable chair to relax in as I savor my favorite Austen novel by the fireplace.  (Sans the boar hair . . .)

This one's for you, Jane . . .

 Linking up:

French Country Cottage

jjjjjjjj