$11 Dollar Bench

We were driving to a birthday party, when I spied something long and low on the side of the road, in front of an antiques (junk) shop.  We whipped around and pulled in.  I asked the price.  She said $15.00.  I saw that a leg was damaged and walked away.  She called out $5.00.  I turned around and looked at it again.  I knew instantly that it would fit well at the end of our bed.  The upholstery was hideous harvest gold velvet.  The legs were banged up.  I asked Abbie to go have a look and see if the leg could be saved.  He paid her and threw it in the back of the van.

I've never upholstered before, so this was a learning experience.  What I learned is, I can't upholster corners worth a toot.  Maybe someday I'll learn.  That's why God made Google, after all.

Here is what the bench looked like before:

We added screws to the leg, along with wood glue and wood filler.  Sanded it all down and painted it black.  You could see where the repairs were made, so I went back over it with two coats of primer and four thin coats of black.  Then, I spent $7.00 on some cheapo fabric at Wal Mart.  I will probably get some nicer fabric later, after I learn how to get it on the corners.

Here it is now:

Hospital corners, ummm, not so good.  But we have a leather ottoman in the living room that I'm going to use to copy the next time.  And should I do buttons, or leave it as is?  I'm not sure, with this linear fabric.

 Yes, the floors need to be swept.  And the night stands are full of stuff.  It is a battle keeping the kids from bringing stuff into our room and leaving it.  They think of it as their room as much as ours.

 And, no, I didn't iron the fabric first before I stapled it on the frame.  I'll do that next time around.  Now, I have a piano bench that I'd like to cover.  And I'm going to try something different with the corners, since it is a much smaller piece.


Time to Party!!!