Chair recovery

I have an antique kitchen table set that my grandma gave to me when I got married.  Back in 2004 my sister offered to help me re-cover the seat cushions, and for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to do it in beige canvas.  I mean, why not just cover the chairs with a layer of old oatmeal?  It's approximately as appealing as beige canvas.

 

Several years and two kids later, you can see how the cushions held up.  In case you can't tell from this embarassing "before" photo, they were literally instead of just figuratively covered in old oatmeal.  I tried cleaning them with the brush attachment whenever I steam cleaned my carpets, but they were still gross.  And then one day I thought, "Why don't I just cover these in plastic?"

Here's what they looked like in the middle of the process.  It was like an archaeology dig, going back in time with each layer unearthed.

These chairs are several decades old.  There were lots of nail & staple holes.  Next time I want to change the seats, it will probably be time to have new wood pieces cut.

I used several layers of batting (these aren't the most comfy chairs) and some laminated cotton from Hancock Fabrics.  Here's the end result.

Patterned laminated fabric instead of beige canvas means better form (color!) and better function (cleanable!).



I realize this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of re-upholstering skills.  I have a bland-looking sofa (okay, fine, it's beige!) that is crying for a makeover.  However, that is a much more ambitious job.  Anyone ever done one yourself and have some words of advice?