finally finished- the saga of 2 love seats

So about 2 years ago I agreed to recover a pair of love seats for someone I know.  I thought it would be easy. Boy, was I ever wrong!  These things were ancient.  They had been recovered last in the 70's (I'm guessing based on the fabric used).  I doubt that was the first time they were recovered.  I got the first one in the set and started to strip it down.  I think that is, by far, the worst part of recovering/reupholstering anything!  I eventually enlisted my husband's help. My hand were hurting and scratched and cut. Of course, as I'm taking this thing apart I am realizing that it is not made like any of the newer furniture I've worked with (not that I've worked on a lot of furniture).  It is more labor intensive.  The back piece was stapled across the straighter part of the top and hand sewn around the curved upper edges and sides.  I don't see hand sewing on modern furniture! Needless to say, I learned a whole lot working on the love seat.  Want to see what it looked like?

The fabric is a little dirty and faded, but in its day it was a glorious gem! (Oh, seventies, what were you thinking?)  By the way, the cushions are not foam.  No, they are springs wrapped in horse hair and dacron/batting stuff.  I've never seen that before!  They are heavy compared to most cushions.  They definitely hold their shape over the years, though.  This is a quality piece!

Once I got the first one half way finished, I realized that the wood trim looked pretty bad and should be refinished.  So I sent them back to their owners.  Wow, what a difference the new stain color made.  All those dings and dents in the wood were gone, and the cherry finish really went well with the red fabric we were using.  It took me a year, but I finished the first love seat.  Want to see what it looks like now?

Okay, so this is actually the second love seat.  I forgot to take a picture of the first one before it went home.  It only took me another year to finish the second one.  The cushions just need to be sat on a few times to fit perfectly.  Those springs were enjoying being let loose while I used the old cover as a pattern to make new ones.  The nap on this fabric makes for a rich velvet look with wonderful texture.  I am so pleased with how they turned out, even though I wanted to run and hide many times in the process!  I've learned so much and have a wonderful sense of accomplishment now.  I didn't think I would at a few points in the process.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how best to get the fabric straight on the sides (outside sides).  It was tricky, and I finally figured it out- on the second one!  I am so glad that both love seats are home and appreciated by their owners.

I am also glad to have my living room back!

 It went from this:

To this:

Okay, so the laundry is still on the couch, but the rest is back to normal.