re-do it: recover an office chair

I remember my first real office chair. It was so different than the twenty dollar big-box store bought chair that I used in school. The one I had to put together myself with Snerdvig the Allen Wrench, all while straddled on the floor, swearing with each difficult turn of that smug right angled tool. Surely Snerdvig was a cousin of that smart aleck Microsoft paperclip wizard, and his "help" was equally suspect. I had a hobbledy, wobbledy, uncomfortable piece of junk and I didn't realize it til that fateful day I walked in as a professional to my new office and sat down. My first real office chair was way more substantial, way more cushy. Way more how can I take this home and not get fired?

I never did take that chair home, but I did become inspired to look for ways of recreating that ergonomic experience inexpensively at home in my crafty area. The secret, as always, is to take lemons and make lemonade. Or in this case, unearth an old office chair that actually was used in an office and give it a new life with a little elbow grease, fabric, and thread. No more wasted bucks with the Snerdvigs of this world. Hello inexpensive and too-simple-and-humble-to-be-named curved upholstery needle.

Meet the newest addition to my growing stable of recovered office chairs that occupy my work space at home. Yes, it's a two dollar better-than-your-average-bear heavy duty office chair, covered in fifteen bucks of fabric. All in all, a much better way to part with a double sawbuck than handing it over to Sven.

Baxter, as you might guess, wasn't exactly impressed with my project. The final results were neither edible nor playable. But still, I think he's glad to have tested it, and happy to discover that the seat is big enough to accommodate his presence in my lap. Silly me. All that really matters is having open access to a warm lap, no matter how rickety the chair.



PS - read the comments and get a quick overview on how to recover your own office chair.