Texas Backroads and Drop Cloths

I travelled to Hobbs, New Mexico last week to help my sister-in-law reupholster a sleeper sofa.  She had pinned several examples of others using drop cloths, and she thought that would be perfect for this sofa since it was housed in her husband's shop/office.  The day I left home was overcast with weather warnings for wintry ice/snow mix.  I left early enough to miss most of the unpleasant driving conditions, but about 45 miles from our lake home (where I would stay the night before journeying on) I encountered a blizzard.  Visibility was almost zero, but I made it, turned on the coffee pot and stayed warm with a blanket while watching the Oscars.  I left the lake house about 9:00 AM on a gorgeous, yet bitterly cold, Texas morning.  

Below are pictures I took just as I left the Caprock outside of Snyder, Texas.  If you have never visited, these are considered the plains of Texas.  There are places along the way that you can see communities 12-15 miles away.  That is how flat the land is, and how clear it was the day I passed these spots.  I love this part of Texas because of those very things.  The red dirt contrasts with the brilliant green of new grass growth.  The white/blue winter sky spreads across the plains like a blanket.  It is so beautiful until the sand blows.  I encountered only one sandstorm while visiting this part of Texas, but the storms can last for days.

When I arrived, my sister-in-law showed me the couch, and we planned our course of action.  The next day we began removing the fabric.  With three of us working, it took about 5 hours.  I could tell that my strength was waning as the day went along-not like the times before when I tackled such a project.  Oh youth please return when I need the muscle!  

It took the brains of all three of us to determine how to remove the sofa bed, but we finally managed.  Once it was out of the way, flipping the couch as we needed it was easy.  We removed most of the staples as we took off the cloth, but my nephew helped after school.  

I accompanied my sister-in-law to her wine club dinner and met an eclectic, and fun group of people.  I am not a big wine drinker, but I thoroughly enjoyed tasting all of the wines and two sangrias.  We rested well that night, and began cutting out our fabric early the next morning. 

I won't go into much detail, but suffice it to say that we encountered several issues.  First, when using the drop cloth be sure to allow several inches as the fabric frays excessively.  I recommend either stitching the edges closed or making bias tape to lap over the edges.  Second, drop cloth material may not hold up to the wear and tear of a teen and others in a shop situation.  I think it works well as seat covers or slip covers but not as upholstery fabric.  Third, have all of your supplies ready to keep the work running smoothly.  Who knew how difficult it is to find staples to fit a pneumatic staple gun or tack strips.  We spent nearly a full day trying different staple guns and staples.  We ended up making our own tack strips.  Have a great sense of humor and be prepared to create on the spot. 

I had to leave before we finished completely, so I will post pictures of the completed sofa later. I don't think I will reupholster again.  I will let the professionals with all of the correct tools and supplies do it, although I have numerous ideas now for drop clothes.  Enjoy!

Lana