DIY French Chair Makeover

I purchased these chairs from a restaurant that went out of business for a great deal. I didn't realize what bad shape they were in until I started working on them. I've only done two so far but will admit that I've spent over twenty hours on these chairs.

My transformation began with stabilizing the chairs and glueing. I then stripped the fabric and stripped the hundreds of layers of paint (took most of my time). Lastly, I was able to reupholster, my favorite part!

Upcycled Lace and Doilies

When I'm thrift shopping and shopping at estate sales, I am always drawn to lace and doilies. I've been waiting to showcase just a few projects that you can create with them and I can't wait to hear what you think.

 







Doilies Necklace

 

Items Needed:

Necklace chain

Necklace clasps

Fabric Stiffener

Doilies or lace

 

 

 

Start by cutting your design out. I was inspired to create an asymmetrical necklace.  Next, using a paint brush apply fabric stiffen to both sides of your design. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and could tell a difference in the strength. You can also mix the fabric stiffener with acrylic paint to dye the color.  Lastly, using needle nose pliers and tweezers I chained together my design.

 

 

 

Lace Earrings

Items Needed:
Lace or doilies
Fabric Stiffer
Earring clasp

Use the fabric stiffener as listed above, wait til it dries and then open the earring clasp to complete your fabulous new earrings. These are great for bridesmaid gifts!

 



Last option, use fabric glue and fabric stiffer to adhere a beautiful lace design to a boring tank top or t-shirt. I would also recommend sewing a few stitches around the edges to secure.

 

 

15 Minutes Dress Shirt Pillows

You can easily create modern shirt pillows from your worn out dress shirts. I wanted to save some of my grandpa's shirts to recycle as family heirlooms. This project took about 15 minutes. 

 

First, decide on what size you'd like your pillow. I want my pillow 16" x 16" so I had enough clearance  to remove the sleeves. 

Next, cut your pieces with a 1/2 inch seam allowance on all sides. I cut my pieces to 17" by 17"

Pin your pieces with the right sides facing each other and sew all four sides. Since your shirt has pillows you don't need to worry about leaving any gaps to turn inside out. 

Fold inside out by unbuttoning your shirt and slide in your pillow.