Remember this?  This is one of those pieces that people like me have nightmares about.  The dresser that is so saturated with smoke that it needs a bath in bleach.  The upholstered chair that was used as a dog bed…and then a cozy nest for a mouse.  Or the sofa that was stuffed with dried grass.  When I opened this one up, I know I was in way over my head and needed to call in reinforcements.  “Ummm…Ruthie…I need help.  Quickly.”   Ruthie swooped in and saved me (and this settee.)  Before she came to pick it up, I stripped the fabric away from the frame and painted it in ASCP Louis Blue with Old White and gold leaf detail.  I then distressed and waxed it. Ruthie took it from there.  She removed all of the contents of the settee, including pounds of dried grass, a plastic feed sack, cardboard box pieces and an

I bought these chairs back in January from an estate furniture shop.  I loved the shape and, while the upholstery was done well, the fabric was not my thing.  I intended to upholster them myself, but once Ruthie came into my life all of that changed.  I turned over every upholstered piece I had in my queue, including this pair of barrel-back French chairs. I painted the frames in ASCP Old White (unwaxed) and distressed it with a sanding sponge before putting them in Ruthie’s capable hands.  She found a super heavy duty fabric that looks like burlap, but feels nice and will wear much better.  It was also a nicer fabric for her to work with and it doesn’t stink or shed like burlap.     These chairs look classy, now.   I got so used to doing everything myself, that it’s still feels funny to turn a piece over