HOW-TO GUIDE:
Create Statement Seating
Reupholster a timeless settee, craft intricate round-smocked pillows, and fabricate a chic drum lampshade for a perfect blend of classic and modern.
Explore the project steps below with videos or download the printable version. Discover all Recreate the Classics projects.
Overview
We found a 1970s Sheraton-style settee and gave it a whole new feel. We selected a fabric that really made a statement in our space, and incorporated modern elements to elevate its look. Using French Gimp Trim to outline the frame added an artisanal detail that brought charm and sophistication. The result is a beautifully refreshed settee that blends vintage elegance with modern style, creating a seating area that truly stands out.
In this guide, you'll learn how-to:
PRODUCTS USED
- Barrel Shaped Wooden Mallet MH89
- Upholstery Staple Knocker / Remover MH22
- Upholstery Nail Remover MH20
- All Purpose Bent Awl MH018
- Ripping Chisel MH42
- Staple Puller Pliers MH41
- Side Cutter MH18
- Pen Style Chalk Marker WW13
- Straight Edge Ruler MR24
- 120" Flat Tape Measure DT8
- R-TEX Synthetic Sagless UPFSS100
- Sagless Stretcher MH252
- RazorEdge™ Shears, 9" CU9/Z
- Upholstery Air Stapler, Long Nose NS13LN
- 71 Series Staples NS33/E
- R-TEX Medium Welt Cord, 1/2" WC15
- R-TEX Burlap UPFB100
- Curved Needle TP75
- Fabric Tucking Tool MH30
- R-TEX Polyester Upholstery Batting PA50
- General Purpose Right Hand Shears, 8" CU8/R
- Flexible Metal Tack Strip CS60/H
- High Temperature Glue Gun DT50
- High Temperature Glue Sticks DT56
- 3 Piece Glue Gun Tip Pack DT65
- French Gimp Trim, Ivory G20S/21
- R-TEX Cambric Dust Cover UPFC100
- Professionals Shears CU22
- Foam Saw DT42
- Drapery Lining Whyte & Ivory
- Molded Tooth Zipper Chain, #5, White ETR52/W
- Molded Tooth Zipper Slide, #5, White ETP5/W
- Clip, Baton Component BA14
STEP 1
Tear Down
Remove all fabric, padding, and old webbing to the bare frame. If needed, complete any frame repairs and clean up the wood. See our selection of teardown tools.
STEP 2
Use Synthetic Sagless for the Deck
Add Synthetic Sagless and edge roll to the deck using your Upholstery Air Stapler. Synthetic Sagless is a modern-day material used instead of traditional jute webbing.
TIP: Use a Synthetic Stretcher for an easier installation, and the RazorEdge™ Shears to cut through the material effortlessly.
STEP 3
Make Edge Roll
Make a ½" edge roll using a ½" Welt Cord and Burlap.
STEP 4
Fabric Pieces for Deck
Mark a straight line across the front of the deck about 6" back from the front edge.
TIP: Use a Straight Edge Ruler and use the back of the arm post as a guide.
Cut a piece of the finished fabric for the front of the deck and a piece of decking fabric to cover the back portion, using a Flat Tape Measure to measure. Sew these pieces together along the long side, creating a straight seam.
Draw a line on the deck using a Chalk Marker - this is where the sewn deck pieces will attach. Hand-sew them to the Synthetic Sagless using a Curved Needle and button twine. Sew in the Seam Allowance (SA) so the stitching does not show on the top of the deck.
STEP 5
Back of Deck
Now, pad the back portion of the deck using one layer of upholstery cotton and one layer of Polyester Upholstery Batting. Make cuts in the fabric, that will allow for fabric to attach to the bottom rails. There are two side cuts for the arm posts, two back corner cuts, and a cut in the center to get around a metal support bracket for this particular piece.
STEP 6
Front of Deck
The area in the front and back of the deck will be padded using two layers of upholstery cotton and a layer of Polyester Upholstery Batting before the fabric is stapled onto the frame. Once padded, start by stapling the fabric on the front under the bottom rail. When getting close to the arm posts make cuts to manipulate the fabric around the arm post.
STEP 7
Inside Arm Support
The inside arms will have Synthetic Sagless for support.
NOTE: This can be put on hand tight, as using the stretcher for this application would be challenging without damaging the decorative wood.
TIP: Measure using our Straight Edge Ruler.
STEP 8
Inside Arm Padding
Now that the Synthetic Sagless is attached, add two layers of upholstery cotton and one layer of Polyester Upholstery Batting. Staple these layers sparingly to the innermost part of the recessed wood area. Leave a ½" gap between the padding and the decorative wood. This is where the fabric will be stapled on.
STEP 9
Inside Arm Fabric
Attach the fabric to the arms over the padding. Staple the fabric to the outermost portion of the recessed area, being careful not to staple onto the decorative wood frame.
This frame requires a few more cuts than some. There will be a cut at the top back of the arm, two at the bottom back of the arm, and a few at the bottom.
When the fabric is fully attached to the frame, trim off the excess along the decorative wood. You can use a razor blade to do this but use whatever is most comfortable.
STEP 10
Pad Inside Back
Now, onto the inside back, cover the sinuous springs with Burlap. Add three layers of upholstery cotton over the burlap for the inside back and one layer of Polyester Upholstery Batting for the padding.
Again, staple this to the innermost portion at the top of the back and try to leave a ½" gap for your fabric. Leave the padding slightly tucked and not stapled down in the areas on the side and bottom.
NOTE: Every piece does not require the same amount of padding, so use what feels suitable for your project.
STEP 11
Inside Back Fabric
Add the fabric to the inside back over the completed padding. To help get the fabric under the bottom rail to the outside back of the frame, you can use a Tucking Tool. Use a few staples across the top of the back to hold your fabric in place.
Next, locate the areas where you will be making your cuts. There will be one at each back corner, one at each bottom corner, and one at the top of the liner board on both sides. As each cut is made, staple the fabric in place. On the top, staple the fabric on the outermost portion of the recessed area but be careful not to staple it onto the decorative wood frame.
STEP 12
Add a Clip for the Cushion
Adding a D-ring and Clip is a good idea when a piece of furniture has one long cushion. They keep the cushion ends from rising when someone sits in the middle of the piece. Add the clip to the inside arm using a ½” wide elastic. The D-ring will be sewn onto our cushion in step 21.
STEP 13
Outside Arms Support & Padding
Use a muslin or scrap fabric layer to cover the outside arms. This will be attached over the area to cover the opening, giving the outside arm a surface to support the padding. Then, add a layer of Polyester Upholstery Batting.
STEP 14
Outside Arms Fabric
You are now ready to attach the outside arm fabric. Staple next to the decorative wood. Attach the bottom edge by stapling under the bottom rail and make the necessary cuts to smoothly attach the fabric around the legs. On the back edge, staple your fabric to the back side of the upright post.
STEP 15
Close Up the Outside Back
Use a layer of muslin or scrap fabric for the outside back, like completed above for the outside arms. Over the muslin add one layer of Polyester Upholstery Batting.
Next, attach the outside back fabric, stapling it next to the decorative wood in the recessed area. To finish the sides of the outside back, you can use Flexible Metal Tack Strip, a more modern method, to save time. Secure into place with our Wooden Mallet.
TIP: Another option would be to use a more traditional method and hand-sew this section closed.
TIP: Cover the end of your wooden mallet with fabric to avoid damaging the finished fabric on the project.
STEP 16
Add Gimp
Using a High Temp Glue Gun, Sticks & Tips, attach French Gimp Trim around the perimeter of the frame next to decorative wood.
TIP: Use a scrap piece of fabric to protect your main fabric as you work. Hot glue can damage your fabric if it drips where it shouldn’t.
STEP 17
Add Cambric
Attach the Cambric Dust Cover to the bottom of the settee using an Air Stapler. We recommend using Professional Shears to easily trim the cambric material.
STEP 18
Create Your Cushion Template
Make a foam and cushion fabric template. You can use muslin or Drapery Lining for this. This settee had straight sides and back, so we used the measurements to cut the main template and then rounded the front corners of the template using the actual settee.
Using a Foam Saw, cut cushion foam the size of your template. This cushion was a trapezoid shape measuring 48" wide in the back and 50 ¼" wide in the front, with a front-to-back depth of 21".
Wrap your foam in Polyester Upholstery Batting before inserting it into the completed fabric cover.
NOTE: Don’t add batting to the back or sides of your foam.
STEP 19
Cut Your Cushion Fabric
To cut the cushion fabric plates, you’ll want to add your SA to the template you’ve created for your foam. This cushion is 3" finished thickness, so we cut our boxing strips 4" high and cut the width to equal the length of the front of our foam plus the depth of the sides (minus 2 ½" on each side to accommodate zipper wrap).
For the Zipper, cut two zipper plaque strips 4" high and the width of the back of the cushion plus 10".
NOTE: This extra length allows the zipper to wrap around the cushion's sides.
STEP 20
Assemble the Zipper
Assemble the Zipper by folding each strip in half and sewing the zipper to the folded edge of each piece.
STEP 21
Sew the Cushion
Sew the cushion top plate to the boxing and Zipper, creating an overlapping pocket to hide the Slide on both ends. Because our front corners are curved, we made relief cuts in the boxing to create a smooth, finished corner.
Create a small strip like a belt loop to attach the D-ring to the cushion’s side boxing. This is where you will connect the clip when you put the cushion on your piece.
STEP 22
Sew the Gimp Cushion Detail
Using a narrow sewing foot, sew French Gimp Trim onto the top of the cushion. This is done before sewing the second plate to the bottom of the cushion.
Now insert your foam into your completed cushion cover.
PRODUCTS USED
Planning
The smocking technique for this pillow is a form of fabric manipulation and is considered Canadian smocking. It’s fun and easy but very time-consuming. The stitching is completely done on the back of the fabric, so you’ll want to stop from time to time to admire the beauty on the front of the fabric as you stitch.
There are different smocking patterns, but for this project a Lattice pattern is used.
The grid is marked in 1" squares on the back side of the fabric. No stitches show from the front but still color-matched the thread.
For more information and other smocking patterns visit this resource.
Here is what the Lattice pattern grid looks like for this project:
There is a lot of fabric take-up (shrinkage) with this type of smocking. Depending on your fabric, it may be anywhere between 28% - 75% so it’s always a good idea to create a small sample to test out before cutting the project fabric.
TIP: The stitching for this pillow is done by hand. For the best results use a fabric that is easy to work with. Do not use anything too thick or heavy.
STEP 1
Cut Your Fabric
For a 19" round knife edge inserts, we cut a piece of fabric at 66" x 24".
The insert circumference measured 44" and the diameter measured 18".
The smocking pattern will run around the circumference of the pillow.
TIP: If the fabric frays, serge around all four sides.
STEP 2
Create a Pattern
Use Pattern Making Paper to create a pattern for the pillow. Mark the smocking grid on the paper pattern. The smocking starts and stops 6" from each long edge of the fabric. The grid pattern is 1" by 1", which makes the pattern making paper perfect as the grid marks are 1" x 1".
All stitching for this smocking is done on the reverse side of the fabric, so the marks will be on the back of the fabric. Transfer the smocking pattern to the wrong side of the pillow fabric.
STEP 3
Smock the Pattern
Using a needle and hand-sewing thread, smock the pattern on the back of the fabric. The stitching is done from top to bottom for one channel of smocking before starting back at the top for the next channel of smocking.
NOTE: This is a long process, so enjoy the journey! Smocking for one pillow took 6 hours, nonstop. The entire pillow took approximately 10 hours.
Use John James Long Darners and Gütermann Polyester Thread for the stitching process.
Continue smocking until all channels are complete.
STEP 4
Sew the Bottom Seam
Fold and pin the pleats along the bottom edge of the pillow using Glass Head Straight Pins. Stitch each side before stitching the bottom seam.
STEP 5
Insert & Finish the Pillow
Place the insert into the smocked pillow, centering the smocking around the circumference of the pillow.
Hand pleat the pillow centers. Stitch the pleats by hand and pull tight to create beautiful folds into the center of the pillow front and back.
TIP: For the pillow insert, use DownProof Pillow Ticking and Polyester Cluster Stuffing to create a perfectly stuffed round pillow.
STEP 6
Embellish the Pillow
Make fabric-covered buttons to cover the centers of the pillow front and back with Crimp Button Forms, using a Grommet/Button Press and Cutting/Setting Dies.
For this project, we opted for a double button. To do this, cut a piece of ContourFlex™ with the button press. Drill a hole in the center. Cover this with fabric.
Join the two together and attach to the pillow using button twine pulled through the center of the pillow with a Mattress Needle.
NOTE: As an alternative to button twine, use our 1.4 mm Size Poly Cord.
PRODUCTS USED
Planning
Once you have determined the size lampshade you want to make, it's time to unleash your creativity. Choose a fun, abstract fabric that truly reflects your unique style and creates a look that perfectly fits your home. We've used a 12" diameter frame and 10.5" finished height for our lampshade.
STEP 1
Calculate Fabric Needed
To ensure the perfect fit, it's crucial to calculate the amount of fabric accurately. Multiply the diameter by pi to get the circumference:
12" x 3.147 = 37.76"
Add 1" for an overlap to this number, for a total of 38.76". When placing the styrene, you will want your fabric to be several inches longer. We used a full width of fabric.
You want to have a few inches on both sides of the height. A piece of fabric 18" tall provides plenty of excess.
STEP 2
Cut the Styrene
Cut your styrene to the finished height and width of your shade, in this case, 10.5" tall x 38.76" wide.
STEP 3
Adhere Fabric to Styrene
Lay your fabric face down and position the styrene paper side down on the fabric. Weight the styrene down so it doesn’t move. Then slowly roll back the protective paper a few inches from one end. Gently press the styrene down to adhere to your fabric. Now a few inches at a time pull the paper back and press the styrene to your fabric keeping it smooth. Do this to the end of the styrene.
TIP: For extra leverage use a Straight Edge Ruler.
STEP 4
Trim Excess
Once the protective paper has been completely removed and the styrene is adhered to the fabric, you are ready to trim away the excess. Be sure to leave ¾" of fabric around the styrene at the top and bottom of your shade. One end will be cut flush with the styrene, and the other will need ½" of fabric beyond the styrene.
STEP 5
Add Double Face Adhesive Tape to Styrene
Add a strip of Double Face Adhesive Tape to the end of the styrene where the extra fabric was left. Remove the protective paper and fold the fabric back, creating a nice, finished edge. On top of the fabric, you’ve folded to the back of the styrene, add another strip of double-sided tape. Leave the protective paper on for now.
STEP 6
Attach Tape to the Perimeter
Attach Double Face Adhesive Tape to the perimeter of your shade's top and bottom rings.
STEP 7
Roll onto Shade
Starting at the end that is cut flush with the styrene, peel back the protective tape a few inches at a time and attach rings to the very edge of your styrene. As you roll the rings onto the styrene, they will become easier to manage.
STEP 8
Create the Seam
Stop about 4" from the shade's end and remove the protective paper from the finished end of your fabric. Continue rolling the rings until your shade is a completed circle. Now, press the seam down where the overlap is to secure the tape.
STEP 9
Finish the Lampshade
Now fold the extra ¾" over the edge of the ring. On the top ring, make little snips of where the spokes are. Once this is done you can start gently tucking the fabric behind the ring. Using a credit card works great for this step. Work around the shade top and bottom until the fabric is neatly folded and tucked behind the rings.
THE PERFECT PAIR: For a modern touch, we've paired a glass and chrome base to make our drum lampshade pop.
