Attempting to Upholster a Victorian Settee Set
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- čas přidán 24. 02. 2018
- Going a little outside my comfort zone with this project! My first attempt at working on furniture. It was a bit of an adventure and I filmed the whole process.
✩Things mentioned✩
Wood Stain (this is an affiliate link): www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Wood Wax (this is an affiliate link) : www.amazon.com/Howard-FW0016-...
I was really pleased with both those products (though I don't have a lot to compare them to). I bought them myself from a local hardware store.
Buttons : www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-50-Vi...
The velvet was from a shop that closed in the garment district. The gimp was from Daytona Trims in NYC.
As I said in the video, the couches themselves were from Lloyd's Antiques which is on Long Island.
After filming this I discovered a mark on the bottom of the chair that says "1880 3 piece Settee Set, saved from destruction in 2002" so that is probably when the foam and beams were added!
Between the horsehair and molded tacks I feel pretty confident in saying these are truly from the victorian era. But if any historical furniture enthusiasts know more I'd love to learn!
I'm not sure where the tools were from, I just borrowed them from my dad! But the staples themselves were from Home Depot.
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If you are interested in seeing more of my work or contacting me, I'll leave links to my various sites below!
Instagram: / angelacostumery
FAQ: • Frequently Asked Quest...
Blog: https: angelacostumery.com
Portfolio: angelaclayton.crevado.com/
Email: AngelaCostumery@gmail.com [serious inquires only please!]
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If you are feeling generous, you can help support the channel!
ko-fi.com/angela
CZcams likes to mark my videos as 'not suitable for all advertisers' because its algorithm is broken. Ad revenue doesn't cover material costs for most projects featured in videos; much less a wage for the time spent filming and editing.
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About me:
My name is Angela Clayton, I’m a twenty year old designer and seamstress who is currently living on Long Island, in NY.
I’ve been sewing for five years and focused on period costumes and original designs for the last three. I make costumes for fun and to expand my skill set so I can hopefully get a job in the industry someday.
Check out my FAQ linked above to hear more about me, and any of the other sites to see more of my work!
I can be contacted with inquires about paid work via the email above.
✩✩✩ - Jak na to + styl
I used to do this for a living, and I can say you did a pretty decent job: Diamond tufting is very tricky!
Now, for next time:
1- get more fabric: contrary to what you thought, you need MORE tension, not less. So you need to be able to GRIP that fabric. Mesure the chair/sofa on it's widest/highest, and add about 15cm.
2- to get that tension, you need to find the middle back of the seat and the middle front and mark them. You won't get the tension you need from the get go, so you need to "pre-pin" the fabric. to do that, you angle your stapler at 45° on the side, to make them easier to remove.
You pin the middle back, about 3 staples, and then the middle front. Don't hesitate to pull, it'll even out as you go. then again at the back, 3 more on each side, and again at the front... and so on an so forth till you reach the sides.
SIT ON THE THING
You'll probably find out the fabric is still too "soft". You're not draping a dress there, the fabric is your chair "corset" the thing that gives it shape. So, you take out a couple of staples in the middle, and grip down... and then do everything again! Depending on the fabric, you'll probably have to do that two or three times before having the required tension and be able to staple it completely.
3- Don't hot glue. It's going to be hard to take it off. There's glue for trims, or fabric glue will work nicely too.
Otherwise, you made a nice choice for starter. Personally, I would say late Victorian or 1900s, due to the quite Arts & crafts styling of the wood sculpting.
I hope you enjoy them!
Oh this is all great to know, thank you! I was basing the fabric tension on the previous upholstery work, which was pretty loose. I guess that wasn't the best work to try and emulate! I will keep the tips and added tension in mind for next time.
Is there a specific type of glue you would recommend? I did some searching around but hot glue seemed the most recommended since it is fast drying. I was worried about outlining the upper sections with slow drying fabric glue. But I'd love to use something better in the future if it is out there!
Well, I use trim glue by Houles, but I'm French, so I don't know if you can find it in the US. Otherwise, a good quality fabric glue aimed at heavy fabric will do well, I think. It's not that hot glue is a terrible mistake, mind you, it's just that it's hard to remove when you want to redo stuff: Staples are no fun, but staples in glue casing? nightmare, trust me.
Oh, and one last tip: to fill up all previous holes and have a nice working surface, mix wood glue and sawdust to make a paste, fill holes with small painter knife, let dry 48 hours. You'll have what amounts to an almost new wood frame! Perfect for pieces that have already been redone a few times.
Good advice!
@@picassomanu185 from the oodles of woodworking videos I've seen recently, I'd work with a wood filler instead of the sawdust/wood glue method, because it supposedly takes finish better ... also, not as much mixing required. I'm not much of a woodworker(so far ^^), so when I tried the glue/sawdust method, I failed miserably, so that might factor into that. Though it might also be hard to match to the wooden frame? Because from what I've seen, wood filler is usually matched for the tree and I don't know how easy it is to find out what tree the wood came from ... Though people in home centers might know what to use..?
I also recently learned that you can clean off hot glue with alcohol (rubbing alcohol I presume), though that sounds like it'd stain the surface :/
Wish I had you here right now, lol I'm re upholstering and 8 feet victorian couch that has 150 buttons🙃
A couch stuffed with spiders is easily the scariest thing I've heard so far this year.
Caren White how about spider rain? Cause that freaks me out
I think a couch stuffed with centipedes would be worse. Or a couch stuffed with one, really, really big centipede.
Radically Dark That's the stuff of nightmares, for sure.
Angela Clayton I had to make friends with centipedes when I lived in Florida, but I don't think I'd like to find one in a couch.
Try a mattress stuffed with spiders
I am seriously impressed by your ability to take on a project so far outside of your area of expertise and still produce a good looking end product.
I do upholstery for a living and I think you did a good gob .I actually redid my grandmas set of chairs in a similar design a couple of years ago and it is definitely no easy task . I believe you did a good job .😊
I need to add 'soothing sounds of an air compressor' to my playlist 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Shynell Vaux I knew the sound all to well my dad's a mechanic so I was like she's working on this with that noise for two days how has she not gone mad
Shynell Vaux ii
yeah that's a great line
I remember learning about how they do tufting once. Secure the edges first, then do the actual dimples so you get that tight plushy look.
And that price is NOT steep, its a steel. Matching suites like that are very hard to come by.
I think I've been jaded by the thrifters who seem to get the most amazing things for $5 and half a pack of gum haha!
@@AngelaClaytonCostumery lol The one I have I found behind a dumpster. I'm also 99% present sure it was made after 1950 and it needs a lot of work that I have been scared to do.
Seeing this is making me more confident but mine is a curved settee. The curve scares me a lot!
But the Thrift stores I go to now prices them at 100+ per piece chair maybe 60-80.
Like I want to know where the people go where they are still finding steamer trunks for 15 bucks.
I love your sense of humor, I'm glad we're getting to hear more of your personality from your recent videos. :D
I think you did an amazing job! My new husband, in 1971, reupholstered a settee like yours. It was padded heavily with horse hair. He covered it in leather, a man thing, and it turned out pretty good. You have to try new things to really learn.
Those are STUNNING early art nouveau pieces. And you did a fantastic job with the upholstery
I was thinking early Art Nouveau as well.
Hahaha soothing sounds of the air compressor! Love it. I am currently redoing an old sewing machine table from the 1940s. There are so many layers of old varnish/wax on it. It just gunks up the sanding pad. I love vintage and antique furniture but I never knew how much of a challenge it really can be to restore!! This video was nice to see you put new life into those beautiful pieces of furniture! I also find it refreshing to see another person my age who enjoys old things.
Brit G you might have to use paint thinner or something similar to soak in and scrape off before you can effectively sand everything down. Use a whole lot of rags, some good, resilient gloves, and a well-ventilated space.
Look at thrift diving she uses something to get off gunk but I can't remember right now
I feel the same! I’m 20 and have been working on stuff like this for a few years now. I love clothes and decor more but I recently bought a chair to recover. Maybe I’ll make a video :)
I have no personal interest in furniture recovering so I'm really surprised at how soothing and fun to watch this video was! Great job, the set looks beautiful and it's lovely to see more of your hobbies/projects on this channel.
Angela, i think you are being too hard on yourself. This is a first for you, you dont have to be an expert and so its bunching in places in your view. I think they look lovely and as long as you like them, so what? You did awesome on these and you should feel proud.
Laura Van Allen I totally agree with you!!!
Ribbon skirts for little girls
You can heckin' do ANYTHING. Incredible work!
An upholsterer's staple puller would be a worthwhile purchase. It works on both staples and tacks, and causes much less damage. I am amazed how well you did on such a complicated project on your first time out! Brava!
I love that you are not too bothered by your mistakes. Sometimes I get so annoyed when I make a mistake I give up and dont go back to the project for months, its so frustrating.
It is most likely stuffed with Horse hair, one of my great aunts had something similar, with the original fabric. Summer time, shorts and an inclosed sunroom with a worn horsehair sette, Yeah not comfortable.
Wynter Raine Horsehair was my first thought.
You did such a good job for the first time! You should be very proud of your work.
What a beautiful settee set. You got some deal! Great condition, nothing is broken, just a few minor scratches. You did an admirable job, bravo! Love the carving and all the curlicues. Color me green!!
Oh MY THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL JOB DEAR YOU DID AMAZING FOR YOUR FIRST TIME! What beautiful additions to your studio!
This video was so perfectly timed cause I saw someone dumped 3!!!! Vintage couches on the side of the road near my house and I wanted to drag them home and recover them but my family was like "NO" and some random guy hauled them away in the rain... 😢 So I'm just going to live vicariously through your video...💔
Garnet i
Hi! You did a really good job for your first try! I agree with most comments that a dedicated staple remover would help you out - I like Berry Staple removers. Also, you do need to pull fabric tighter rather than looser, oddly. My trick is to pull center first, then pull down the sides evenly. When you pull, rather than using your finger tips, use the meat of your thumb and pulldown and then angle the pulled fabric towards you. Removing staples is always the worst part, but I recommend "basting" with staples, ie remove the safety in your gun, then put the staple in at an angle, leaving a raised end for easy removal and finishing when you feel like you've got a smooth surface.
I saw these photos on Instagram, and was so excited to see how you did it. They turned out really nicely. Great job!
"Soothing Sound of the air compressor" Woke my cat up, and he looked at me very angrily LOL! Love how it turned out, looks beautiful!!
Fantastic job, be proud of yourself
For the next time: there is stuff called wood filler-it is used to fill small holes and bumps like those left by the staples. If you use it before the oil you probably will get a smoother finish (at least I think so, im not an expert ^^)
The only thing I want to mention is with wood filler is you usually need to sand and stain to get it smooth and matched well, and if not sanding the whole piece, she would've had to be really careful not to strip the finish on her visible parts. :)
For a first time effort, you did a great job with those pieces. Not everything in life is perfection but everything you do is unique and that is worth everything!
Angela, I forgot to say. I think you did a great job on the 3 pieces. Also, your an absolute whiz with that gun.... your one brave and clever girl.... well done...
I’m drooling over that gorgeous set. You definitely made it even better. I admire you for taking this on...you did great👍👍👍
Ahh, the soothing sounds of an air compressor 😂. Beautiful job!
I think you did a lovely job! Your video makes me want to go out and look for new furniture!
get extra fabric you use for the backs and make some accent/throw pillows for the seats.
That is my plan! I had hoped to have enough left of the velvet for matching cushions, but no luck. Hopefully I can find something that coordinates well.
Maybe you have enough scraps to make velvet buttons for the cushions?
Wooooow! I think you did an amazing job reviving these and you learned a lot as you went. Stunning stunning pieces and a fabulous job! Well done xx
What gorgeous finds, and for such a steal in my opinion. Congratulations on reupholstering them
Great job 👍.great price for a period piece. I need mine done, sure not as good as yours.
Hahaha!! "The soothing sounds of the air compressor!! I am laughing because I am currently listening to those same soothing sounds while I reupholster an antique carved wood settee!! You did an amazing job on this whole project!! Kudos to you for taking it on! :)
This was such fun to watch! It looks awesome!
This was so much fun to watch!!! TY for your videos!!
That looks really good! I love the chosen fabric colour.
From what I know on upholstery, when you're covering something like those big foam pieces you want to pull it tights on opposite ends starting from the center and working your way to each end. You really want the tension to be even on all sides to prevent the bunching. so doing it in a cross pattern and working each "quadrant" is the best way to do it. You did really great though for your first time!!!
These are a great find! You restored them beautifully. The trim is so pretty too!🌼🌼
Wow, what stunning pieces! great work, Angela!
“Please enjoy the soothing sounds of the air compressor”
::WAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH::
😂😂😂😂
What a beautiful turn out and great narration all the way thru!!!💪🏻💘
I looooove these! They are so pretty! I think you did a marvelous job!
Tellement beau !!! Magnifique ! Bravo Angela
I enjoyed watching this video - thanks for sharing your learning process with us. Love the pun too!
These look absolutely beautiful!!! You did an amazing job, especially for it being your first time. Love your videos and You! You are absolutely amazing ❤💕
Your video was truly an inspiration to me.. After watching a few times last month, I finally got the courage to start reupholstering my families 100 yr old love seat and it's finished as of today!!.. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!!
The pieces are absolutely amazing! Do not be so hard on yourself. This was quite ambitious of you to do. I recall when I holstered my first pieces and it was quite an undertaking, but it was thrilling to do something I had never done before and had only watched my father do. Restoring vintage pieces is really time consuming, but rewarding. Removing old fabric from vintage furniture has to be the most interesting, because you get to see what is underneath and experience the history of the past. Great job, Angela!
Good work. There is a great series of upholstery techniques by a CZcamsr named "Cechaflo". One specifically on diamond tufting like you have. He never says anything, just points and does.
I love the way you explain everything and I enjoy listening to you talk. You’re so brave so taking on something so ambitious! I think this looks great for your first time!
They look so beautiful! Amazing job for your first try
You did an amazing job for somebody tackling 3 pieces with more experience in dressing people v/s furniture. I'd say that helped a lot, though. :)
From the lines of the pieces (especially the smaller couch, omg grabby hands) I'd put them a bit later in the century...there's an awful lot more sinuous Art Nouveau movement going on than in the stiffer or froufrou midcentury stuff. Also a little smidge of Orientalism poking in. Lovely. 💙 If you ever redo you might want to veer towards some of the rich AN tones...golds, peacock & beetle blues & greens, tawny to deep browns (that original fabric might have been brown), you know the drill, lots of choices without ever getting into prints (which would overpower these delicate things anyway...good choice on that...you see the form more than the fabric)...the mauve pink leans a little backwards in time from what i'm reading here. Wow, what a great catch...all 3 pieces are so photogenic! Thanks for letting us watch your process! 😍
I think she chose pink simply because she loves pink :)
Katherine Hamar Kinda figured! XD And it suits her. But she does try & veer towards authentic colors in her costumes, so I figured i'd toss in my two cents.
They are so beautiful before and after!!! 😍
I was so happy to see a new video by you. I love the colour and style of these and you did a great job! You showed great care and respect for the pieces. Whilst making them pretty and usable. I feel so inspired to try my hand at some furniture restoration now!
As soon as you showed them I knew they were going to have horse hair in them! I'm so sad what they did to the back of it, really there shouldn't be any need to staple on the back at all. You would apply the fabric from the front (facing the back). For next time, the Osborne staple lifter is my favorite staple remover. I also suggest using a razor to cut the fabric when it's a tight spot. It looks great, everyone has to start somewhere so don't beat yourself up for something that you have no reason to be perfect at yet!
Bravo! Job well done and they now are loved again.
They look great, learning, learning, so do not worry so much. They are so elegant. Congrats.
This is so cool that you did this!! I love the semi-finished product, hoping we get to see how you finish it !
They seem to be from the 1910's Jugendstill/art nouveau era. This is especially clear on the couch that is only half cushioned.Well done by the way
Quite brave! Well done. Looking forward to your next project.
Your videos have been literally fuel to my creative fire in the last month! Makes me want to sew, craft, design, and generally create!
Thanks so much for this video. I've been toying with the idea of recovering my dining room chairs, and this is just the inspiration I need. And your newly recovered couches look GREAT!
Wow I think they look beautiful! Great job!
Great job...especially for your first time! They look very nice!
"the soothing sounds of the air compressor" is so funny!!!!!! This is why I love watching your videos!!!!
I really enjoyed this! You’re hilarious and the couches look BEAUTIFUL
Oh my gosh you did such a lovely job on these!!!
They look good! I love the color!
That medium sized chair is soooooo gorgeous. I am so jealous you found these!! I think you did very very well! Thanks for sharing!
You are so cool! And such an interesting person. The set looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing all of your awesome videos :)
Wow, this video gives me a whole new appreciation for upholstered furniture!!
Love the funiture!! You got a really good deal!
They look great! Thank you for your conscientious video!
I second a lot of the other comments :) You did a great job and you're being too hard on yourself.
I worked in an upholstery shop and I can tell you that it ALWAYS takes more staples than you would think lol. You did great at covering the backs of the chairs. The only thing I would've done differently is this- when you have such a high cushion on the seat of the chair you want to actually drape and sew a cushion cover. The only part you don't sew is, of course, the "bottom" of the cushion cover since this isn't removable. You could either do a "box cushion" (top piece, then boxing to cover the sides of the seat cushion- cut your pieces with no seam allowance then sew it with a 3/8"-1/2" seam allowance anyways to make the material even and tight once placed on the cushion) or you could drape a piece of velvet over the top (right side down) and gather all the puckers and slack into the corners to sew a dart at each corner. You would then mark your rough darts, unpin and take the material off, then make the rectangle of top fabric even and the darts even and symmetrical before sewing the darts. I again would shrink the whole rectangle by about 3/8"-1/2" all the way around and then adjust the darts as needed. The cover should be tight and a little bit of a struggle to pull on, and then once you get it on and stapled the foam will fill out all the corners and space in the fabric evenly.
They turned out great!
I know this is cold comfort since you did this project some months ago, but for next time; source some dedicated staple and or tack remover tools so that you don't damage the frame when removing them. Osborne make a plethora of tools that will help you enormously. Hot gluing your gimp is fine, but if you didn't use a high temp gun and industrial glue you might find that it will fall off easily, but you can rectify this with stronger high temp glue (usually places like Joann and Spotlight (the Australian equivalent) don't stock the types of glue that are appropriate for gimp/welt on upholstery - a large chain hardware often has a lower level commercial strength high temp glue that will work just fine. And i LOVE that you used an air compressor and pneumatic staple gun - by driving the staples in with force, your fabric will be secured really well! Great first job of stuff over upholstery!
Well done! Those look great. Especially for a first try.
I love the color you used.so so pretty.The wood looks very sturdy as well.My vanity is very detailed like that.I wish they still made things that strong today.Ikea has cool stuff but nothing beats an original creation like an antique.I think you did a great job.x
I think you did an awesome job! Congrats on a beautiful project. Now for the hard part...enjoying it without noticing the flaws that only you can see. 🤣 Take it from a fellow DIYer.
First time I'm early to a video! I was excited to see this video when you posted the pictures on Instagram
"Don't compare your level 1 to someone else's level 20." You're still learning I reccomend looking into thrift diving here on you tube she has a video series going through and learning this. Also if you do redo it maybe don't redo it in three straight days?
Also I thought you did wonderful on the first couch it was my favorite
I love this set. Our family has a similar set that was my grandmother's. My mother had it reupholstered years ago with fabric that looked like petit point.We have the original springs and all the original stuffing - not the most comfortable but these are a statement, not useable pieces. We also have an armless chair and a rocker in the set. Love them and love yours.
I really enjoyed this video. I hope you keep doing videos that show all your varied interest's.
This is beautiful! Im super jealous that you were able to find such beautiful couches. I really loved the dark blue that it came with, but the red/pink you chose is so classic and lovely i can see why you chose is. Its wonderful to see you trying new types of projects like this one.
omg i love that old wood carved furniture!
I am so impressed at the job you did. Seriously.
"I'm hilarious" - said in the most deadpan voice ever. You have me cracking up!
Beautiful first job Angela, and I'm so glad you did a video on this! It's been a while since you posted about it on Instagram and I was secretly worried there wouldn't be a video. So chuffed there is, thank you for the quality content! xx
They look amazing! I love the Fabric colour choice as it compliments the wood beautifully. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you did a wonderful job. I would never of thought it was your first time restoring funiture! I would love to see more videos like this in the future :)
I love watching moments when you try something really different than what you have in the past. I think it’s fascinating to follow along those experiences. I can’t wait to see what cute photos and videos you take with these. Oh, just picture them covered in a litany of red, white, and pink little flowers with like light green leaves or something. What a cool project this was to watch.
I really appreciate you doing this . A few years back I did a small wing back chair, and it was so much work. Like you I wasn’t so pleased with how I did it. However, I never did this before and I don’t reupholster furniture for a living. That said ,when I look at it now I feel pretty good about it. You did an excellent job.👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏
Loved this project.
I love them and They'd work so well for period fashion photos
Absolutely stunning! These are beautiful and you definitely got a bargain!
Girl, you are FEARLESS. love how you tackle like the hardest sort of reupholstering -tufting! Non-square backs!with such verve. They are going to be glorious in your photo shoots 😍
The chair turned out so nicely!
beautifully done and fun to watch ♥
This is so great for a first time!!!!
*i think that covered everthing* lol
This is amazing and you're amazing too and the pun was the cherry on the top of the cake lol
They turned out great! I normally don't care for pink, but these are lovely!!
You did a great job! Those are beautiful. You definitely got lucky finding these chairs. That pink is a gorgeous color!
We recovered and customized a few bar stools a while back for our kitchen and I found it quite fun.
Love your vids!! 💖
Great job! It looks beautiful!
Omg you are so brave to take on a project like that (almost) by yourself. You did a terrific job, kudos and rejoice!