A week after we started, we’ve finished the redo of this found couch.  My project partner, Mac, spotted it on the parkway as he ran along Sheridan Road last Sunday.  He drove back to the spot and loaded the little couch into the car.  We brought it inside, took the before photos and made plans to give it a makeover.

I was glad to have a volunteer to help on this project, because upholstery is physical.  It often takes two people – one to stretch the fabric over the frame and the other to staple.  After measuring the couch to estimate how much fabric was needed, we chose a clearance fabric, a polyester red and white shag for $5 a yard at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  One of the colorful cotton prints from Ikea would be a good choice, too. Along with foam rubber, cotton batting, cording and red canvas fabric for the back of the couch, the total for supplies came to $45.

Once we disassembled the couch, we ended up with two basic pieces to reupholster -  the seat and the back.  For the seat, a new layer of cotton batting on top of the springs made a firm foundation.  We followed it with a layer of thin high-density foam to make the cushion smooth.

The layers of foam rubber on the back piece were in good shape, so we restapled them to the frame.  We added a new piece of cardboard, cut from a box, to stretch across the back of the couch.

I sewed cording from the red canvas fabric, then sewed it together with pieces of the shag material to make the seat and back covers. To make the cording, also known as welting, cut long strips of fabric about two inches wide.. With a zipper foot attached to the machine, wrap the fabric around the cording and sew as close as possible to the cording in a straight seam.

Once both covers were assembled we were ready to staple them to the frame using a manual Arrow staple gun and 3/8″ heavy duty staples. We should have taken some pictures of this step— I’ll blame it on my partner this time– but it went fast because the prep work of measuring, cutting and sewing work was done. As we stapled, we tweaked the fit by stretching the fabric.

Last, we reassembled the couch.  Long screws and washers hold the seat and back together.  The frame is stabilized with the arm and leg parts that screw into the sides of the back and seat.

We attached a note to the photo of the finished couch and slipped it into the mailbox of the house where Mac found the couch.  Will the original owners of the couch want it back?  If I hear from them, I’ll be sure to let you know.