Replies

1. 
   user-170380 | Mar 26, 2003 08:55pm | #1

   When I finished my Morris chairs project, I decided to make the leather cushions and upholster the ottomans myself. One of the two ottomans, I used upholstery nails to hold the leather top along the side rails. You can buy these nails at Joann Fabric store. Also you can get a tool that helps you to mark the spot where the nails go in. It's like a comb with evenly spaced sharp pins that you presure on the leather to make marks. I made my own with a wood strip of evenly spaced screws. Hold that on the leather and tap each screw with a small hammer to mark the holes. I used foam and polyester stuffing for support. http://community.webshots.com/album/29899471ykzzTHxCMM

   http://www.geocities.com/ct6832/MorrisChairs.html

2. 
   TedOwen | Mar 27, 2003 01:43am | #2

   To complete some upholstered rocking chairs, I took an Upholstery course from a local community college. Six Saturday mornings.

   By being students in the class, we qualified to purchase tools and supplies from a wholesale outfit. Savings covered the cost of the course.

   Good luck.

   Best, Ted

3. 
   user-218654 | Mar 27, 2003 07:02pm | #3

   Get your hands on some tapes of the Furniture Guys shows (Furniture to Go, Furniture on the Mend), or buy their book (The Furniture Guys Book) - Ed Feldman gives the best two-minute instruction on upholstering I've ever seen!

1. 
   Robbie | Mar 28, 2003 10:04pm | #4

   OK.  I am walking headlong into this one.  Anyway, here it goes... 

   A recently aired production of the New Yankee Workshop covered exactly this.  Norm completely upholstered with leather a chair that he had made in the shop.  This wasn't a Morris chair either.  This was fully upholstered front, back and arms, if I remember properly.   He used the big round nails, a pneumatic stapler and some scissors.  Perhaps you can get a copy by phoning your local PBS.  I thought it was fairly detailed and pretty well done.

   Best regards.

1. 
   user-218654 | Mar 28, 2003 10:38pm | #5

   "He used the big round nails, a pneumatic stapler and some scissors."

   Were they electric scissors?  <G>

   Personally, I like Norm's show.  He makes some beautiful (and practical) pieces, and he's somewhat amusing too (I giggle every time he says "quatah-inch broads").  Although, he bears a striking (and frightening) resemblance to my SBIL (stupid brother-in-law) that makes him hard to take seriously... see, SBIL needs a detailed spec to know which end of the hammer to use!

   The station he built for the CMS that had the hinged "wings" to support the stock was a very clever piece - gonna build one as soon as I have a CMS to put on it!