Wow, just realized that I picked this up 8 weeks ago. I definitely had it sitting around in my garage for awhile!
I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to paint it a bright color and put some fun fabric on it.
Now at this point I would normally show you some progress pictures but my computer crashed and died last week and I lost EVERYTHING! :( But basically I cut all the cane off of the chair (I saved the "back" piece by the way because it was in good shape and I know that I can use it later for something).
The chair was taken apart, primed and painted. Sanding in between each coat. A slight distressing at the end and finishing up with a coat of finishing wax. Much more work and more time consuming than I originally expected, but arn't they all?!?! :) Again, had pictures of the chair in this beautiful stage but that nasty virus took them all away! :(
My brother came back into town and if you remember from my curbside junk dresser turned amazing entertainment center he is essential in my makeovers! :) He used his router (I think) to cut a groove in all of the pieces and cut pieces of plywood to fit. I covered the boards in a piece of fleece (so you wouldn't directly feel the board) and then covered with fabric, wrapped around and stapled. See.....
Once that was done I stapled fabric to the front and stuffed it with stuffing - which by the way, if you do any upholstering (or want to) you know or will find out that "stuffing" is unbelievably expensive!!! I really didn't want to spend that much so I looked for cheaper alternatives. While at Kohl's I found big pillows on sale for $4.50 and then had a 20% off coupon, spending about $7.50 on both. I ended up using 1 1/2 of the pillows. Still have enough stuffing to make a couple of throw pillows!
I wanted to hide the staples as well as the wood frame (it was in pretty bad shape with the removing of the cane) so I decided to make a double piping to go around each piece. I could go into details but there are some good tutorials out there on this.
To finish up I got out my trusty hot glue gun and glued the piping around the edge and re-attached the seats!
And here she is in all her glory!
Here's the breakdown of my costs:
Chair - FREE! :)
Fabric - $10 - Got a GREAT deal on this!
Stuffing - $7.50
Cord - $3.50
Paint - $15.00 - The biggest expense! Paint ain't cheap ya know????
That's $36 on supplies alone!
Now how to put a price on all my labor and love?????

























Kelli @ RTSM | July 11, 2011 at 9:12 AM
What a geat makeover! I love the green color! And you are so right about stuffing. Anytime I've made pillows the stuffing has been way too expensive!
Sabina@Slip Stitches & More | July 11, 2011 at 9:39 AM
OMG, awesome makeover...looks like a brand new chair! I do the same thing with the pillows, sometimes I just recycle an old one.
I shudder every time someone says their pc crashed (hope you have a speedy recovery)...I'm still recovering from the one I had, it's definitely a learning experience. Now my pc is set to back up onto my Lacie nightly.
Suzy www.savedbysuzy.blogspot.com | July 11, 2011 at 1:22 PM
That turned out GREAT! The fabric is so cute. I also love your tip about using pillows as stuffing.
Lisa A. | July 11, 2011 at 2:40 PM
that looks awesome Lisa, love the green and the fabric is just perfect!!
Staci J | July 11, 2011 at 3:11 PM
That is DARLING!! Whered di you find the fabric? BTW, thanks for your sweet comments and stopping by our little ol' blog last week!! Looks like you guys are having a fun summer!
Chrissie | July 11, 2011 at 5:33 PM
Amazing! I love the fun color. I never knew what potential those rocking chairs had!
InMyOwnStyle | July 11, 2011 at 6:29 PM
HI Lisa-
OMGosh when I saw your before photo, I was thinking - that was going to be hard to fix that seat and boy was I surprised when the after photo scrolled into view - all bright and cheery. You did one fantastic makeover. It looks so inviting and comfy. I love rocking chairs and would probably be using it all the time. Did you submit it to the blog Before and After - if not you should!
My best- Diane
Colleen | July 13, 2011 at 8:40 AM
Very impressive, such a fun and playful chair now!!
Naomi | July 13, 2011 at 10:43 PM
So great! I love the drastic change.
BluBabesCreate | July 15, 2011 at 2:07 PM
Love those colors! Great job! Come see my couch!
Sew Country Chick | July 15, 2011 at 11:15 PM
That chair is so cool. From frumpy to fab. I really like the colors you chose.wild and fun!
Ruth H. | July 16, 2011 at 9:50 PM
What a transformation! I love the colors that you chose. So summery and fresh.
Cozy Home Scenes | July 17, 2011 at 2:53 AM
We had the exact same rocking chair when I was a child. I had no idea they were so popular until I've seen so many people make them over lately. I'm loving the bright colors and happy pattern of yours!
Cara Moran | July 17, 2011 at 6:42 AM
Wow- this is fantastic! Talk about a fun focal point for your room! The fabric goes great with all the curvy lines of the wood.
sp | July 17, 2011 at 9:18 AM
Hey, I have one of these sitting in my basement with the broken seating. I have already re-caned it once (won't do that again.......), but this, I like!! Nice job.
Jacque | July 17, 2011 at 12:23 PM
I love this! The colors are even cute on this thing! I am always looking for vintage crafts, things made from vintage patterns, and items that have been brought back to life!! I would love to see you share it on my new link party "Sundae Shake Up". I think a lot of my followers would LOVE to see this too! I hope to see you there!
Jacque @ Jacque's Soda Parlor
thesodaparlor.blogspot.com
P.S. I am having my first giveaway, right now! The winner will receive a 16x20 Custom Family Tree. You should check it out!
Jenn | July 17, 2011 at 1:36 PM
Great job, I love the color and fabric you chose!
Carrie @ Hazardous Design | July 17, 2011 at 2:15 PM
Wow! I was NOT expecting this chair to this fabulous considering the way it looked before. Great job!
Jessica Lauren | July 17, 2011 at 3:43 PM
This is amazing! It look fantastic! Saw you over at I Heart Naptimes link party and am a new follower now!
~*Jessica Lauren @ http://copy-cat-crafter.blogspot.com
Megan @ Apple House Revival | July 17, 2011 at 11:57 PM
That is for sure one of the best furniture make-overs I have seen! The bright color and the fabric look great together and it is just SUCH a huge change from the 'before'. Congrats! It's awesome.
I'm visiting from I Heart Nap Time too. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa | July 18, 2011 at 6:10 AM
Wow! I remember those chairs! What a great makeover! Love the colors : )
Anonymous | July 18, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Hi this is Taylor from the Hannah Handmade team. I am your newest follower and love all your stuff! Come follow us back? :)
www.hannahhandmade.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hannah-Handmade/200408909971427?ref=ts
Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com | July 18, 2011 at 4:43 PM
This is so fun and so cute! Well cone!
Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com | July 18, 2011 at 4:43 PM
I'm your newest member!
Cherished Bliss | July 20, 2011 at 6:59 AM
Thanks for linking up to Craft and Tell! It turned out fabulous! I love that fabric!!
Mom4Real | July 21, 2011 at 11:02 AM
I absolutely adore this! My favorite colors too!
Jessica K
http://mom4realky.blogspot.com
Cynthia | July 22, 2011 at 6:58 AM
Super cute fabric! I once redid a similar chair... but I lucked out because there was no caning, it was already upholstered. So, way to go on all your hard work!
oops! | July 24, 2011 at 6:28 AM
This is the cutest chair I have ever seen! And free, what do you think the people who dumped it would think now. . .
Mara @ Super Savings | September 27, 2011 at 4:58 PM
That is simply beautiful!! I can hardly believe it's the same chair!!
~ Mara @ Super Savings
b0e3a84e-7df0-11e1-b35b-000bcdca4d7a | April 3, 2012 at 5:54 PM
i have the same exact rocker (before makeover, of course) and i've been trying to find a tutorial online everywhere, but am not having any luck. i saw this and am somewhat getting the idea, but still a tad confused on some parts, do you have any step by step tutorials you would recommend?
Anonymous | May 5, 2013 at 12:32 AM
Prospective home business customers today believe in taking their own time in the
selection of keywords. Perfect tags increase the page
rank. Effectively, the cost of living, which explains the difference in planning and marketing strategies.
Have a look at my site professional seo