In our quest to set up our nest for baby Fünf, I've been searching for just the right chair to sit and nurse and rock and spend so many hours in the next few months. But have you looked into buying a rocker or glider lately? Ideally, it would be a piece of furniture that could sit in our living room or any other room, and not look like it really should be sitting in a nursery.
Since we will be sharing our bedroom with Fünf, I wanted something small enough to fit in the corner there--but comfy enough to sleep in, if necessary. So, I started really searching.
Pottery Barn's options just looked too wide or boxy or something for our tiny space. And it costs around $1000--on sale.
And then there's this one. But is that back too rounded? Oh wait. 1300$. plus shipping. Nevermind.
And then I fell in love with this one from Serena and Lily. But of course, this one would be the most expensive, nearly one thousand, five hundred dollars.
::gulp::
But it's just perfect! Maybe a glider is an investment. This is just what new parents do: invest in a place to sit. Is it? So, I get all my reasons together of why a glider is an investment and prepare to talk to Mr. F. about this serious matter.
He had a hard time swallowing that a chair would cost that much; but he'd lasso the moon for me and bring it close enough for me to see the Man in the Moon's whiskers, so he was willing to buy this outrageous chair.
But I wasn't settled. So, I kept looking, always going back to the beauty right above.
Even the not-so-comfortable ones at Babies Big Box Stores were about $500.
And what if I bought my dream chair, not having tested it first, and it just wasn't that comfortable?
So, I wondered about attempting this
But then I found an old Lazyboy on Craigslist,
and Mr. F. found inspiration from a blog about recovering an old Lazyboy.
It was a match made in heaven.
The reupholstering diva told us that the project took no sewing,
was easy as pie, etc.
So we picked up the ol' LB:
It's a great size, actually. Not too big for our space. Really comfortable. Probably the most comfortable rocker I've tested.
But as we started to look at how this chair was constructed -- this exact same chair She Who Must Not Be Named used -- we realized it is totally sewn together. And this is a much bigger project than a staple gun and hot glue. Shame on me for buying into the hogwash.
The top back piece is about 24 pieces sewn together. No sewing, my foot.
Well, here we go! We started pulling it apart, and marked up how it would go back together
and used the original as a pattern.
We took skads of pictures of the original and how it was put together, hoping that we'd be able to make it all fit back the way it was supposed to go. And most of the time, my pregnant brain wouldn't cooperate--I'm so thankful that Mr. F. is so handy and not as easily ruffled as I am these days.
He worked with all the mechanical parts of the chair and lubed it up so that it doesn't squeak anymore.
Just look at these hands helping make a chair for our baby.
::gush::
And look at this poor pup who had to put up with such a mess for two weeks,
unable to lie down in his normal spots.
{no gushing, please}
Short story, long: we did it!
I think this is the first really big project that Mr. F. & I did together
that we weren't sure we'd make it through.
And it is so nice to be DONE!
The buttons are my favorite part.
All in all, it was a wonderful reminder of the power of perseverance, patience,
and a little love.
So, little Fünf, we made this chair for you.
"Not beautiful or rare in every part,
But as yourself, as they were meant to be."
