Saturday, July 14, 2012

Mini Tutorial on Fabric Fronted Furniture

*** NOTE TO READERS: At the time this blog was written Annie Sloan had not yet released her Decoupage medium in the U.S. Since that is now available, I would use Annie's Decoupage rather than another brand to adhere the fabric to the chest. Also Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® is now copyright rather than a trademark! 1/4/2015


The customer is always right, we shopkeepers know! So I needed to find a way to incorporate toile fabric into a dresser she had her eye on and wanted done a special way. The client supplied the fabric. Here's how it turned out!




Painting the dresser was a breeze, using Chalk Paint(TM) decorative paint by Annie Sloan. This is Napoleonic Blue which is a rich blue -- not quite navy, not quite royal -- with clear wax. There was an old brown finish on the dresser, which if you are familiar with Chalk Paint, did not need to be removed or even sanded. I prepped the piece by simply washing it down with dishwashing soap and water, rinsed and dried.



I cut rectangles of the toile fabric slightly larger than the drawers, emphasizing the various vignettes in the fabric. I then applied Modge Podge generously to a drawer front, positioned the fabric over it and carefully applied pressure with my hand to make sure it fit firmly across the surface. Once dry, I trimmed the fabric to be even with the drawer edges with an exacto knife.

The final step was to protect the fabric from raveling and from dirt. I shook up my liter container of Lacquer -- ie floor varnish -- that is another terrific Annie Sloan product and applied a generous coat to each drawer front. When dry it also gave just a tad of sheen to the fabric and it looked terrific!



I can't wait for the customer to come in and see the final piece. She better come soon or I may just take this home to my guest room!


12 comments:

  1. Very nice piece! I have a favorite toile that makes appearances throughout my life--from kitchen curtains to my purse!). I'd love to add it to a piece of furniture, too! Thanks for the instructions!
    Paige

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  2. This is quite aesthetically pleasing. I dig it. I am just curious about a few things: Did you use spray Lacquer or paint/foam brush it on? Would you recommend just one coat of it or two for a better shine/sheen and strength (if desired)? Lastly, would the drawers not have slid back in had you kept the fabric folded under versus x-acto cutting it?
    Thank you for any additional information. I'll keep checking back for more inspiration from your site!

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  3. please,tell us your way to paint that beautiful furniture,what kind of paint and how didi you do it?

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  4. Beautifully done..love it .thanks for info

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