A friend had this family heirloom and asked me to update it for a gift for her great niece. The seat was no longer there. At one point this temporary red seat was added. The rocker was also a little wobbly and in need of some TLC.

I told her we could make it sturdy again, apply primer to block the red paint and keep it from bleeding through, paint it with the Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint “English Bluebells” (color she picked out), and would weave a new seat using strips of fabric that would coordinate with the paint color. She was ready for the transformation and left it for us to give it a new life.

With repairs made, we cleaned, sanded, and cleaned again, then applied two coats of primer. It was then time to chalk paint. Since we primed, we only needed two coats of the chalk-style paint.

It was a beautiful summer day yesterday, so I painted outside. Chalk-style paint sure dries fast on a nice summer day.

Once paint has dried, I sealed it with Varathane water-based Crystal clear polyurethane in satin finish. I applied 3 thin coats.

It was now time to start weaving. I have woven chair seats before with fabric, This is my go to tutorial I follow each time. I hide the knots on the underneath side and at the end I apply hot glue to help the knots stay secure. I also like to spray the fabric with Scotchguard. http://firstadream.blogspot.com/2011/03/chair-weaving-tutorial.html?m=1

I chose a printed fabric that once scrunched together would all blend together for a pretty pattern.

Final reveal: I think there is going to be one happy little girl in my friend’s family as soon as she is old enough to start using her family chair.