Settee Progress and Set Backs

This weekend I decided to get to work on my settee.  (Matt may or may not have suggested that I abstain from new projects until it is finished.)  Motives aside, you may remember back in July I found a settee on craigslist that was near identical to the inspiration piece I had spotted in Anthropologie.

                             mine                                                                      inspiration


All I needed to do is rip of the hideous pastel camouflage, paint the frame, and reupholster.  Easy Peasy!!  Ripping of the fabric wasn't too bad, but then it sat.  And sat. And sat.  For probably 3-4 months.  I guess I hadn't decided what I wanted it to look like when it was finished.  Sure, I could copy the original, but who wants to do that?  About a week ago I had decided what I wanted to do.  First up was to paint and glaze the frame.  I used some Krylon silver spray paint on top of a spray primer (can't remember what kind).  Then I mixed up some glaze.  I have seen many tutorials on glazing, and I felt somewhat confident that my first attempt would be successful.  I had no idea how good it would turn out though (not to toot my own horn).  Even Matt was impressed.  Not that he doesn't believe in me but I'm always doing something and rarely finish things.  But back to the topic at hand, I love how it turned out, it looks like tarnished silver.  Take a look see! (I also sprayed a matte clear coat for protection.)



I also figured out what to do with the fabric.  I even went to the fabric store and bought it.


Mostly grey with a yellow fleur de lis off center on the back rest.  I laid out the yellow and using a tracing wheel I transfered a design I liked onto the yellow fabric.  Then pin the yellow fabric onto the grey piece that will cover the back rest and sew it on.



In hind sight using white to transfer the design onto yellow fabric was not the best choice.  I could barely see it and had to wear a head lamp while sewing to see it.  I probably looked really crazy or something.  Anyway, after I sewed the design I just cut around all the shapes, and washed the fabric again.


Now comes the reupholstering part right?  Wrong!  I don't have the right stapler.  All those home decorating shows have lied to me.  My flimsy hand powered stapler is not doing the trick here.  It is leaving the staples sticking halfway out.  I even tried to hammer them in further and they just crumple and the hammer is making the fabric look kinda shiny and unevenly colored.


So until I go get a new stapler it will sit in my studio unfinished.  I'm also not looking forward to learning how to make double welt cording.  Anyway I hope I can ride my current state of motivation.

So, what unfinished projects do you have yet to finish?  Do you put them off for as long as I do?

P.S.  anyone know a good tutorial or youtube video on how to make double welt cording?