I think I must have been a gypsy in my previous life. I love to tinker and I adore rich, vibrant colors, pretty patterns, and textures and lots of well-loved vintage furniture. Hubby, on the other hand, is more of a traditionalist. Some of our conversations can get pretty heated when it comes to decorating the house. But, hey give me layers and colorful, eclectic accents over classic, symmetry, and I’m happy ;-) Like this old chair that we gave a little gypsy love.
She makes me happy. We found her at a local thrift store tucked away in a dusty pile of forgotten treasures. I fell in love with it’s well-worn, folk-like character. The hubby was impressed with her solid bones. What, chairs have bones? We both agreed that she had to come home with us so we could give her a gypsy makeover. Here’s what she looked like before she got a good dose of TLC.
Okay, before I show you how we flipped that dusty old girl into a chair fir for a gypsy queen, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
How to give an old chair some gypsy love
Poor baby, I have no idea how long she’d been left outside for. She was covered in spider webs and really needed a new coat of something.
We gently coaxed the spiders into the garden and used a mouse sander to sand her down.
When the spiders and old paint had gone, we applied outdoor wood sealer and stain. That little chair just soaked up all the love. She needed quite a few coats to make up for all the neglect she suffered in the past.
She was happy, hubby was happy. Her lovely old bones were beautifully restored, but I still thought she needed a little more. Something a little more gypsy-like. Enter this gorgeous piece of fabric.
Don’t you just want to run your hands all over it? The rich, jewel-like tones and the fluffy texture was perfect. Now I could turn my our chair into a throne fit for a gypsy queen by adding a heart-shaped cushion ;-)
How to upholster a heart-shaped cushion
I started off by cutting some batting into a heart shape that fit neatly onto the seat of the chair.
Then I cut the fabric using the heart as a template and adding a good 10 cm all around, so I’d have enough to play with.
You need to cut a small slit at the top of the heart shaped fabric to make it easier to tuck around the batting and prevent the fabric from bunching up.
To attached the cushion, these upholstery nail stud strips are awesome. They made it so easy. There are holes every few inches and you just hammer in the tacks.
I used two strips and started at the top of the heart, carefully bending the strips around the heart shape, making sure that the two strips joined on a hole at the bottom of the heart, so that there was somewhere for the last tack to go.
That’s better. Now those good bones have a pretty ass seat too 8-)
I’m really happy with how she turned out.
She’s perfect for nourishing my gypsy soul even if I stay in the same place.
And I don’t think hubby minds too much.
After all, she’s still got those good bones ;-)
If you like the idea of giving an old chair some gypsy love, don’t forget to pin the tutorial for later.
Oh and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you ;-)
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Last update on 2026-04-15 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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