But I Want To Keep Them

I know I’m not the only who feels that way after completing a project.  I think I feel that way about most the stuff I refinish.  But then I wouldn’t be in business if I kept it all right?  These chairs got the royal treatment.  They were also a royal pain in the you know what.  And part of me is glad they didn’t sell this past weekend because now I can enjoy them for a little while before they find a new home.

 

 

 

Here is what I started with and then I’ll tell you why the drove me bonkers and you’ll then laugh at me because I was such a fool about how I approached them.

When I started taking the fabric off the seats I realized they had been recovered.  But the old owner never took the original fabric off.  So I had two sets of staples to pull! 

Instead of just covering them and forgetting about removing the old fabric let alone both sets of old fabric, I took the long route.  Because that’s how I roll and I’m special like that.

Then I decided I wanted to print a graphic on the seats.  And I had seen a great tutorial on using Citrisolv to transfer images. 

So here is how this is supposed to work.  You get the image you want printed on a laser printer because it wont work on your home inkjet.  Don’t ask me why.  Nobody knows how electricity works either but enjoy the benefits anyhow. 

Then you place the image face down on your fabric and dab the Citrisolv onto the back until the paper becomes translucent and you can see your image through the paper.

Then you get a metal spoon and rub the image.  Don’t peek because it’s impossible to get the image realigned.  So I rubbed…and I peeked a little on the corner… nothing.  So I rubbed some more.  I peeked again, still nothing.  What am I doing wrong?  Everyone says this works!

So I rubbed some more… and I rubbed and I rubbed.  Harder and faster.  Maybe I have to build up friction and it has to be warm.  Sweat is now running down my brow and I’m rubbing and rubbing and my biceps are screaming “Feel the burn baby!”.  And then I hold my breath…

Damnit!  Curse this project!  That’s it?!!  Really?  After all that work.  I even made up a song… “Rub rub rub your spoon, rub it all day long… Maybe I should have done a dance for the Citrisolv gods.  But clearly this wasn’t working.

Then I notice the paper starts to change colors when my hand sits on it.  Like the heat from my hand is doing something miraculous…

Can you see the lighter spots?  That is where my fingers were resting.  So I have an idea… Maybe heat will create some sort of chemical reaction and bond the ink to the fabric.  Yeah! So I cover the image with another piece of fabric and iron.

Son of a …!!  Nothing.

At this point I had to walk away and gather my thoughts.  Why has everyone else had success with this except me?  I have an above average IQ and I should be able to do this simple task!

Last but not least I decide to try it on a different type of fabric.  And…

Sweet success… see the image there on my tea towel.  Not the best shot as I was just practicing but it turned out crisp and clear and gently faded.  I gently heat set it with the iron.  So the moral of this story is that you can only use the Citrisolv method on tightly woven fabrics.  Drop cloth does NOT work well at all. Booo.

But like all projects that make you feel like poking yourself in the eye with a sharp stick… it was all worth it in the end.

 

~Sommer

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