Redo, Renew, Reuse: cute as a button

you know that tufted not-as-turquoise-as-i-would-like mess - i mean chair - that i've been ever so slow to finish? well, one reason for the delay is the tufting - and, in particular, the buttons.

i am using prong-back buttons instead of the more common (and much easier to use) loop back buttons. i ordered a pack of buttons from here and then sat with them for awhile, a bit stumped about how to actually cover them.

(these are the originals)

you see, really, i should have a button machine - and i do not. i don't cover buttons nearly often enough to make it worth the money.
then i found larry (cue heavenly angel voices).

larry owns homestyle custom upholstery in bayview and agreed to cover my buttons for me- super cheap! so i took him a little bag of button backs, covers, and fabric and in return, he gave me these:

(cue angel voices again).

i loved them.
i wanted to hug him.

but he seemed way too manly and serious for that. i also wanted him to ask if i could be his bff and work for him as his apprentice so he could teach me everything he knows about upholstery.
instead, he only said, "have a good day."

sigh . . . . if you ever need any real upholstery work done (i'm talking your boats and cars), go to larry. he'll take care of you.

{total sidenote: there is some irony in the two photos above. those buttons are sitting on my dining room table, which, coincidentally, lived in a button factory on the southside of chicago in its former life - hence, it's obviously well-loved and used condition.}

on my way home from my visit with larry, i stopped by a little shop off 2nd and greenfield called foam rubber products and had to restrain myself from hugging my new friend there as well.

he sold me 10 yards of double welt cording to polish off alice's chair for only $2.50.
plus, he made an exception for me . . . they usually only sell it in 250 yard increments. yikes.