Just Put a Slipcover over It

This chair belonged to my uncle, and to my great-grandfather before him.  It was in my house as I was growing up, and now it is mine.

But it didn't always look like that.

Here it is when I took it home: 

You are looking at my mother's slipcovers, circa 1986.  That's when my father sanded and refinished the maple wood frame.  (It's been scratched a bit since then.)

It's time for a new look.  I had yards of white upholstery-weight fabric from curtains I was planning to make.  But I never used the fabric.  So, for now, I'm  just wrapping it around the cushions.   

Underneath my mother's slipcovers, I found some previous slipcovers of "unknown vintage."  Midcentury, maybe?  Check out the mustard color:

 

I left everything in place.  I didn't want to deal with peeling off old fabric.  Maybe someday, I will actually sew some covers.  And so, I continue the cycle of "just putting a slipcover over it."

The Bedroom Dresser

This dresser came from the Goodwill store.  Twenty dollars.  I kind of went nuts when I saw it.

It is solid oak--really heavy.  I sanded off the honey-colored stain to reveal the natural wood underneath.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera at the time, so I don't have any before shots.  Oh, well.  

The best part of this dresser is the faceting on the drawers.  When I sanded, I was careful not to round these edges.  

Epic closeups!  At first, I actually considered changing the drawer pulls, but I'm glad I didn't!

Linked up to Funky Junk, Saved by Suzy, and Miss Mustard Seed

Beginner project revealed!

It's a table with a drawer!  I am beyond thrilled that I learned to make a drawer.  



Some details--It still needs several coats of oil, and the top is still not attached.  The front joints are dowel joints, and the back are single dovetails.  I didn't want to put dovetails on the front, in case I cut them terribly, but they ended up being really snug!

The table's top is about two feet square.  It is made of birch, with some drawer components made of poplar.  I carved the dowels from walnut.


I spent at least thirty hours making this table.  That is pretty shameful, because this is the simplest piece of furniture I've ever seen.  But I'm still learning; sharpening my chisels takes forever, and I make lots of bad cuts.  For example,

see that notch in the bottom of the drawer front?  That's where I accidentally made a router cut an inch too low.  Oops.  At least it disappears when the drawer closes.


Good old Shaker style.  Great for beginners, but always classic.

Linked up with Miss Mustard Seed