Oh Suzani

Nothing like working to a deadline. My clients are going on hols tomorrow, and I set myself the deadline of getting their lovely old Grandmother chair (which actually belonged to his Grandfather*) finished before they left.

Little did I know I'd take so long - it had a few challenges along the way - mostly to do with the 'Traditional' upholstery required (which I've not done a lot of because it's so time-consuming). I met my deadline, but it was down to the wire.










Here's a little slideshow of the process:

                         (no reason for the choice of music, other than I love this song)

A few posts back I mentioned the fabric for this chair, which was chosen by the client. It's called a Suzani, which is a design originating in Central Asian countries (think the 'stans' - Khazakstan, Uzbekistan, etc.) Apparently this is the traditional design which brides there embroider for their dowries  (bedspreads, hangings etc). It's now widely used here in the west, and this particular fabric is made by Zoffany.

* I believe a Grandmother chair differs from a Grandfather chair in being armless.

Retro-revival

Here's the latest job off the workbench. Regular readers will recognise this pair of retro armchairs from the last post.  Here they are finished.

The job involved complete timber refinishing and reupholstery - apart from the seat cushions. These were my first 'sprung' cushions, a bit like mini mattresses (and weren't easy!).

(And just to remind you, here's the 'Before'.)

The timber, before (top) and after.

Miss Snupeson (Quality Control Officer) giving the lick of approval.

I'm pleased to say the client was absolutely delighted with the result. Here's a pic she sent of the chairs (purchased from eBay) in their new home. Pretty cosy eh?