62 
House & Garden 
SIMPLE 
UPHOLSTERY 
The Tape Measure, Needle and Tack Hammer Provide a Useful 
Diversion in Renovating furniture 
ALICE F. and BETTINA JACKSON 
T HE mysteries of upholstery 
are not profound. It is not 
difficult to rip off the old cover 
from a chair and put on a new 
one. 
If you are a novice, begin 
with a simple piece, say a slip 
or set-in seat, which is merely 
set into the chair frame or held 
in place by a screw on the un¬ 
der side of each corner. Before 
beginning to work, however, get 
together the necessary tools and 
materials—a tack hammer, a 
sharp-edged tack puller, regu¬ 
lator, scissors, tape measure, a 
1) the springs are loose, the web¬ 
bing that holds them in place can 
be drawn taut and tacked tighter 
on the frame 
On curves the tacks are placed 
closer together than on a straight 
surface. The method of making 
a mitred corner is also shown 
package each 
? 
of 8 oz. and 4 oz. cut tacks and one of No 
gimp tacks, and if tying or buttoning is to be 
done you will need a 9" single-pointed uphol¬ 
sterer’s needle and some linen twine. You 
already know how to handle these tools with 
the exception of the needle, which is only a 
giant darning needle. The regulator is a 
long, thin wire instrument which one sticks 
through the cover to rearrange and poke the 
stuffing into proper place. 
Remove the old cover, inserting a piece of 
cardboard under the tack puller as you work, 
so as not to mar the wood, saving the good 
tacks to be used again, and noting carefully 
how the material is put on, especially how it 
is folded at the comers. Brush and press 
this, using it as a pattern. Under the top 
cover you will find one of muslin which holds 
the filling in place. 
Rebuilding the Seat 
If you find that the seat has not sagged and 
that the filling is still firm, you are ready to 
cut out the new cover; but the chances are 
that the seat has sagged and needs rebuilding. 
Remove the muslin cover, the stuffing, and the 
layer of burlap underneath, and set them aside 
w’hile you repair the webbing, the stout inter¬ 
woven bands which support the stuffing. It may 
be only necessary to untack one side of each 
strip and draw it taut 
again, tacking as in the 
illustration. Should you 
find that the webbing has 
rotted and begun to give 
way it must all come off. 
Measure the old strips to 
find out how much new 
will be needed. Put on 
the middle strip first, fold¬ 
ing over the end about one 
inch and tacking it se¬ 
curely with five 8 oz. 
tacks. The ends of the 
webbing should come well 
within the outer edge of 
the wooden frame, and the 
tacks should not be driven 
into the old holes. With 
your left hand draw the 
free end across the frame, 
stretch it as tightly as pos¬ 
sible, drive in three tacks, 
and cut, allowing one 
inch to be folded back 
over the three tacks and fastened with two 
more, placed between the others. If the seat 
is large and requires many strips, or if there 
are a number of chairs to be done, you would 
better invest in one more tool, a webbing 
stretcher. Study the illustration to see how 
the strips are placed, tacked, and interwoven. 
Tack back the burlap, which keeps the stuff¬ 
ing from sifting through. 
Now for the stuffing, which is usually hair, 
or tow. Work this over, add a small amount of 
at the 
tacks, 
back 
fold 
new (which may be purchased 
from any upholsterer), replace 
on the webbing seat, distributed 
as evenly as possible and well 
into the corners, and when ar¬ 
ranged cover it with two layers 
of sheet wadding. Lay on the 
muslin, centering the front and 
back edges, and slip-tack with 
two or three tacks near the 
center, that is, drive in the 
tacks very lightly so that they 
may be easily pulled out. 
Next, slip-tack the sides. For 
the permanent tacking, begin 
of the seat, pull out the slip- 
the edge under, and without 
stretching or pulling it set the tacks (6 oz.), 
working from the center toward the corners, 
spacing them about 1 yp apart and driving 
them only halfway in. Proceed the same way 
across the front, pulling the goods smooth and 
snug. Neatness and accuracy are just as es¬ 
sential in putting on the muslin and in the 
final covering. Now tack one side, pulling 
the goods fairly tight; then the last side, 
stretching it firmly. Tack the corners last, 
folding the goods in as neatly as possible; and 
when the last wrinkle has disappeared drive 
in all tacks permanently. Any unevenness in 
the filling may now be remedied with the 
regulator. 
Cutting the New Cover 
The novice can make a pattern from 
the old covering. This shows the shape 
of the goods cut from one yard of SO” 
material 
All-over measurements of this kind are 
made in calculating the amount of 
goods required for a slip cover 
The positions of the seams in a slip 
cover are illustrated here. The back is 
fastened with snaps, buttons or tape 
Next comes the cutting of the new cover. 
Lay the old one on the goods, both pieces right 
side up, pin smoothly, and when cutting allow 
an extra half inch all the way around. Lay 
the cover in place, center front and back, and 
slip-tack it just as you did the muslin, with 
this difference: the first tacks are spaced 2" 
apart all the way around and then a second 
row is placed between them, after which they 
are all driven in firmly. When you have as¬ 
sured yourself that the slip-seat'fits properly 
into the chair frame take it out and give a neat 
finish to the job by tack¬ 
ing on the under side a 
square of black cambric, 
with the edges folded 
under. 
Renovating Woodwork 
If you have worked 
with neatness and care 
you will be so elated with 
the success of your slip- 
seat that you will aspire 
to a more pretentious 
piece of work, possibly a 
spring-seat armchair with 
buttoned back. You can 
probably remedy any 
slight sagging of the 
springs by tightening up 
the webbing and making 
sure that the springs are 
firmly tied upon it; but if 
there is a considerable sag 
or the webbing is broken, 
(Continued on page 68) 
