I have a bunch of vintage furniture that I’d like to reupholster and use in the new house. Some of it I’d love to do myself to help reduce costs, but there are a few pieces I’ll likely send out once I pick fabrics.
Emily just posted today an EXCELLENT break down of the ins and outs of hired-out upholstery (and even some tips on fabric choices)! Check it out here and enjoy the eye candy (she is getting ready for a One Kings Lane sale and her vintage finds are crazy-awesome).
PS Emily loves Grayline linen as much as I do. It is my favorite source for really affordable linen in almost every color including metallic linen! Can’t beat $9 a yard!
I use the Warsa line for chairs, beds, benches. It is definitely heavy enough for upholstery. I probably wouldn't use it on a primary-use sofa in a house with kids/pets. It's pretty heavy though.
They do have a heavier woven fabric, but it comes in mostly neutral colors. I use the white a lot.
The Judy line is good for pillows/drapes, but not for upholstery.
Meaghan – The metallic linens I buy at Grayline are from the Warsa line! They're great!
xxxx
Pam – Can't wait to check out the new stuff at Joanns! And thanks for the tip on the cheapy metallic fabric! Sounds like a great pillow fabric option!
xx
Kim –
I would probably go with one of the heavier weight weaves I was mentioning above. If you're not in NYC I think it's worth ordering sample cards before making your choice.
Good luck!!
WHERE ON EARTH IS THAT BLUE SOFA FROM!!!! Holy cow, I need it!! I'm going to have to email Emily I guess!
Have a great weekend Jenny!
Where was this source last month when I spent $50 a yard on gold linen! Yeesh!
Ah well, next time!
Jenny, how do you know what to upholster yourself and what to hire out as you say? I know how to do some light upholstery, but the bigger projects make my eye start to twitch! haha!
You always seem to answer my questions before I get a chance to ask! I have 2 sofas that really need to be reupholstered, but I keep debating if I should wait until my kiddos can be trusted with upholstery…
BTW- I just used some crazy cheap (clearanced for like $# I think?) silver metallic linen from Joann to back some pillows. I think it was in the apparel section. Probably not the same quality as grayline…
They also have a new line of ribbons/trims- May Arts? I've only seen it online, but I'm looking forward to seeing it in person.
oops- I meant $3!
Do you find the 7.5 oz Warsa Linen to be heavy enough for upholstery jobs? I see that they also offer an 11.5 oz option under Home Furnishing Linen. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! Loove the source for Grayline linen! I'm in Salt Lake City so I can't pop by the store in person–are the Warsa linens in silver/gold/copper/bronze the metallic ones? Hard to tell from the tiny website images, online they just look like a color rather than true metallic (i.e., silver just looks like a light grey rather than the reflective/metallic loveliness on your clients' diamond tufted headboard)
….also, have you ever tried any of the other lines? (Judy, Barry, etc)?
I've been scccouuuuring the internet for a good metallic linen so your post was very timely! :)
So I have a question – is the warsaw linen upholstery grade? I have used Grayline's linen that is specifically upholstery recommended but never their other lines. I love the colors in the Warsaw …
Hey Jenny. Thanks for the Grayline recommendation. Have you found it to be really durable? I have a sofa I want to recover, but the dog is allowed in the furniture so durability is definitely a concern.
I use the Warsa line for chairs, beds, benches. It is definitely heavy enough for upholstery. I probably wouldn't use it on a primary-use sofa in a house with kids/pets. It's pretty heavy though.
They do have a heavier woven fabric, but it comes in mostly neutral colors. I use the white a lot.
The Judy line is good for pillows/drapes, but not for upholstery.
Meaghan – The metallic linens I buy at Grayline are from the Warsa line! They're great!
xxxx
Pam – Can't wait to check out the new stuff at Joanns! And thanks for the tip on the cheapy metallic fabric! Sounds like a great pillow fabric option!
xx
Kim –
I would probably go with one of the heavier weight weaves I was mentioning above. If you're not in NYC I think it's worth ordering sample cards before making your choice.
Good luck!!
I'll pick one up. Thanks for the advice!
I have to second (or third!) Gray Line Linen. I ordered after you mentioned them in a post and recovered a bookshelf in the "Coffee" linen. So yummy. Here's the link if you want to see it in action :) http://www.maggieroseonline.com/2012/07/09/bookshelf-refresh/
I still can't seem to find metallic linen on the Gray Line site! Am I not seeing it? Could you please link to it?
Thank you so much for this source ! We didn't know of it, and what great prices! Have a great weekend, Jenny. We will be doing a little upholstering for our One Room Challenge…
Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com
jenny…if only you could get your stuff down here to Virginia, I have THE BEST and most affordable upholsterer known to man. His work is impeccable. and he is cheap! The only hard thing is that I cannot look at a piece of furniture and think…"Hmmm, should I re-do that one?" lemme know if you want his info…
i tried reupholstering a simple bench in linen and it got all stretched out after awhile. was it just cheap? b/c i swore i wouldn't use it again… do share.
Hi Jenny! I just painted my dresser navy blue with white chevron stripes on the front drawers and outfitted it with yellow knobs. What warsaw linen color would you recommend for a headboard to go with that? I'm also planning on buying Josef Frank type drapes for the windows as well. I'd love your input! Thanks!
Love the first sofa! It makes me remember this one: http://brabbu.com/upholstery/maya2.html
OK, I know Emily says all Designers keep their upholsterer contacts a secret, but I just moved to NY from LA. Any great suggestions?
Very nice post, thank you for sharing.
https://www.dshelldesign.com/