Happy 4 Years, More to Mrs. E!

April 15, 2019 by Virginia 12 Comments

Teacher Fashion Blog_Teacher Style_Affordable Fashion

Today is a special post, because I believe it’s important to stop and celebrate your achievements! It helps to take stock of where you’ve been to appreciate where you are! Last Thursday marked the four year anniversary of More to Mrs. E! It started as a way for me to get some balance to my over-worked teaching life and share my fashion finds. I was already reading fashion blogs and spending hours searching for lookalike-items on the internet, along with researching “the best curling wands” and the like online. Finally, my husband suggested, “Why don’t you start your own blog? You spend so much time researching things; you could share that research with others! It could be for teachers who don’t have the time to look it up for themselves!”

I mulled over the idea of a “teacher fashion blog” for a few months, talked to some friends (would anyone even read it?), and finally launched More to Mrs. E! You can read more about that story on my About Me page (which I apparently need to update, oops!). Today, I want to share some favorites from those four years and some things learned!

This post does contain some affiliate links, which means that if you click and/or make a purchase through those links, I will make a small commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my privacy policy.

Fashion Then and Now

When I first started this blog, I was living in an apartment in Washington state, working part-time (in pay; full-time in time) as an AP Government teacher. I shot most of my outfits myself on our apartment balcony with my Dad’s tripod and the self-timer on the camera! lol, I had no remote so I would take 30-70 shots, walking back and forth to see whether I managed to get myself in focus!

On the left is my very first post! The crazy thing is that I still own and frequently wear the top, pants and necklace in this post! Those skinny jeans are the ones you’ve seen in every one of these posts!

That first month led to me sharing my love of Baublebar and trying out a new-to-me retailer that has now become a regular favorite, Shein (then called Sheinside). Though my photos were mostly unedited, and they were almost always on the balcony, I was excited to be sharing my fashion and starting to experiment more in what I wore.

That fist year I also shared my journey into beauty with some beauty tips and recommendations.

Now, my husband is my photographer. We invested in quality equipment and software and I am so happy with how the photos have improved. I have added H&M as a favorite retailer and my style has become a little more neutral. But in every other way, things are very much as they always have been.

I still love statement necklaces, bright pink, and tassel earrings. I still shop at Shein and J.Crew Factory and love the Nordstrom sale!

Many of the items featured in that first year still remain in my closet and others may only have seen a quality-upgrade. The lesson? Fashion trends may change but a well-built closet will stand the test of time!

Add stripes_Black Boyfriend Blazer_striped turtleneck top_White skinny jeans_leopard pumps_teacher fashion_work outfit — ORIGINAL POST

Statement Necklaces Then and Now

The First Year: My Statement Necklace Series

ORIGINAL POST
Anyone remember the bubble necklace?!

ORIGINAL POST
Still my favorite necklace of all time. See “today” shots below

Today: One Survives!

Red plaid flannel_j.Crew Factory flannel_teacher outfit_casual holiday — ORIGINAL POST

Layer Crop top for work over white collared shirt_stripe trumpet sleeve_teacher style_orange pencil skirt — ORIGINAL POST

Favorite Outfits I Would Still Wear

Back to school Orange Pencil Skirt Kendra Scott Alexandra Earrings — ORIGINAL POST

Multicolored Midi skirt Denim Jacket Teacher outfit — ORIGINAL POST

White Skinny Jeans Floppy Hat affordable Over-the-Knee Boots — ORIGINAL POST

DIY Projects

I have always been a fan of “projects.” On a long weekend or over summer break you can often find me getting my hands dirty working on some kind of DIY project. I always meant for DIY projects to be a bigger part of my blog, but I lived in an apartment during the early years and that made it difficult to cut and paint things! Moving to Westerly and buying a house again meant I was able to embrace that creative side again turn to larger DIY projects.

Tutorial DIY no sew envelope pillow glue — ORIGINAL POST

DIY Ikea Shelf Hack Gold Painted Marble Shelf — After the Move: ORIGINAL POST

Originally, I included DIY projects because they were fun and a way for me to express my creative side. My blog was, after all, mostly about personal expression. But, it also gave me a way to document my projects for when people would ask me how I did it. Over time, this turned into more about encouraging creativity. You know, “Instead of grading over spring break, do some kind of project that you’ll be proud of when you’re done!” I still believe in that and love how DIY projects also make my house more of a home!

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not as regular with my DIY posts as other types of posts. They take so much time to document and now, being a landlord, I have so many projects to cram into the tiny open spaces in my schedule, that I just don’t have time to take photos of each step. Still, DIY posts have overwhelmingly been the most popular posts on my blog.

DIY BBW candle jar bathroom jar storage — SECOND MOST POPULAR POST

New Vinyl Floor Transformation — MOST POPULAR POST: Peel and Stick Vinyl Tile

DIY Paint Ceramic Bathroom Tile — ALSO VERY POPULAR: Painting Ceramic Bathroom Tile

Lessons Learned

In some ways, I feel like I have only “actually” been blogging two years. When we moved to Rhode Island two years ago, I got serious about blogging as a resource and a business. I was able to put the time into researching themes, buying a domain and learning about analytics – thanks to being out of work! That also made blogging even more important as a creative outlet. Subbing killed my spirit and throwing myself into blogging gave me purpose, hope, and helped me stand upright again.

It hasn’t always been easy to blog. Actually, who am I kidding? It has never been easy. It has meant trying to find times to photograph outfits when my husband can help and when the weather cooperates. Sometimes other responsibilities take priority and I miss a blog post or budget constraints limit what I have to recommend. Sometimes life gets you down and it’s hard to tap into that creative side.

But, I have been blessed by blogging and that is something to celebrate! Writing is therapeutic for me. I love providing information that others find useful and I have made so many friends in the blogging world. My husband and I have connected in new ways due to the blog – as he does his best to learn about what I do and as we shoot photos together. It is hard work, but it’s something I love to do and in many ways, it’s the one thing I really do for myself. This blog is my way of embracing my creative side and I’m proud of how far I’ve come in these last four years!

My blogging schedule has gotten more regular.
Photos have become more professional.
I have finally committed to posting even more regularly on Instagram and have gotten over my fear (mostly) of Insta Stories!
I have worked with a number of brands (Glossybox, Tidewater Sandals, and Jord) and I am hosting my very first brand giveaway!

If you haven’t already, definitely make sure to enter my giveaway and win $100 towards a Jord Watch! Giveaway ends Sunday, so enter now!

(ENDED) ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

And now, as I wrap this up, I need to say a special thank you. Thank you so much to those of you who encouraged me to start a blog and didn’t laugh at me when I actually did. Thank you also to all of you who have helped make this place a reality. Thank you for reading and sharing my posts, following me on Instagram and Facebook, and leaving encouraging comments. Thank you for the positive feedback on recommendations and ideas for more good content!

Thank you so much for being willing to embrace your creative side with me! I only hope I continue to be able to inspire and encourage you long into the future!

Virginia – Mrs. E

DIY Dining Chairs: Recover the Seat Cushion

December 10, 2018 by Virginia 27 Comments

Finally, finally, it’s time for the LAST post in my steps to reupholster a chair with two padded back panels. Today we’re handling how to recover a seat cushion.

If you’re new to this series, you can see Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE.

When we moved from the West Coast to the East Coast, we left our big furniture behind. After a year without a dining table, my hubby found this solid wood set and I said…hmm…I can do something with that!

Unfortunately, the internet failed me. I spent months scouring the web to figure out how to reattach an upholstered panel to a chair when there are panels on both sides, but hardly anything applicable showed up. In my last post I shared how I reattached those two padded back panels and today all that is left is to reupholster the dining chair seat cushion.

This will be nothing new for many of you, as there are a number of good tutorials on this, but just to show a complete picture of the work it took to redo these dining chairs, I am going to show you how I recovered the dining chair seat cushions.

*This post does contain affiliate links, which means that making a purchase through some of these links will result in a small commission for More to Mrs. E. It doesn’t add to your cost, but it does help support this blog! Thank you! For more information, please see my Privacy Policy.

Materials Needed

Reupholstering Dining Room Chairs: Recover the Seat Cushion

This step was one of the more complicated steps. As noted in the first post, I took a picture of the seat cushions before I took them apart. I actually left one intact so I could reference it in this step since there is sewing involved. I will note that it is not necessary to sew, but it did make a more fitted outcome.

Reupholster dining room chairs_Recover Seat Cushion — Here are the cushions before being taken apart

Sew together the seat cushion

After I had set one seat cushion aside as reference, I used a seam ripper to take apart the cushion cover so that it could be laid flat and used as a pattern. This was my guide and I traced the pattern on the back of the new fabric as described in the last post.

DIY Reupholstery_Two back panels_upholstered backs_cut and trace fabric

Using the intact cushion as a guide, I noted which edges would be sewn together.

reupholster dining chairs_two panel backs_recover seat cushion

Then I used some pins to pin those edges together. Remember to make sure the two outward-facing sides of the fabric are touching.

DIY Reupholstery_recover seat cushion_dining chairs_DIY project

DIY Reupholstery_recover seat cushion_dining chairs_sew seat cushion

Get out your sewing machine (I actually went to my local library to sew the first few cushions! Can you believe that they have a sewing machine in our maker’s space?!) and sew the edges that you marked.

Reupholster Dining Chair_recover seat cushion_sew seat cushion

The more difficult piece was the rounded edge. I sewed carefully, pulled out the pins as I went and made sure that I was keeping the fabric from bunching too much.

Once all the corners are sewed, it’s time to staple it back onto the seat cushion.

Staple the fabric to the Seat Cushion

Fit the fabric over the cushion and staple the fabric to the back like you did for the padded back panels (here), only this time you don’t need to staple the tack strip beneath. These will be reattached with nails through the bottom of the chair.

Reupholster Dining Chair_recover seat cushion_fit fabric to seat cushion

When you recover the seat cushion, it’s important to make sure that it is a tight fit. To do this, there is an order/method to the stapling process.

Staple all the way around the outside. I started at the back of the cushion and stapled around the fitted edges first. To get the best fit, I pulled the fabric tight so that there were no wrinkles and put one staple on each of the straight edges. (When you let go it may wrinkle, like in the picture below. But it’s ok, that will be fixed when you add the rest of the staples.)

recover seat cushion_staple fabric to cushion_dining chairs_reupholstery

Then, I went back and stapled around those first two staples, pulling the fabric tight as I went.

After stapling around the fitted back edges of the seat cushion, I moved on to the front edge. This will be the most visible part of the seat cushion so I made sure that the entire edge was pulled tight with no wrinkles. I start in the center and work outward towards the edges.

recover seat cushion_reupholster dining chairs_staple fabric to cushion

Finally, staple along the left and right sides of the seat cushion.

TIP: If you get to a section where there is barely enough fabric to staple, even when you pull it tight, then use an additional pair of hands (or your own weight) to compress the cushion so that there is more fabric to pull over the edge. Once you release the weight on the cushion, it will just pull the fabric tight.

Recover seat cushion_dining room chairs_DIY reupholstery project

It’s important, if you do this, that you make sure that you don’t staple it with a wrinkle at the place where you had to add compression.

Once you’ve recovered the seat cushion, find the dust cover that you set aside and staple it back onto the chair.

Reupholster Dining Chair_recover seat cushion_staple dust cover to seat cushion

Set the cushion back on the chair and use the screws you set aside earlier (see first post) to screw the seat back onto the chair!

Reupholster Dining chairs _recover seat cushion_dining room chairs DIY

TIP: Before you hammer or screw any of the pieces back onto the chair, spray them with Scotch Guard and let them dry! This will add an extra layer of protection to your fabric!

The Big Reveal!

Ok! It’s time for the big reveal!!

To remind you what the chairs looked like before….

DIY_Reupholster_Dining_Room_Budget_Dining_Room

Here they are now!

recover seat cushion_DIY Reupholster Dining Chairs

And, of course, we need to see the side-by-side!

Recover seat cushion_dining room chairs_DIY reupholstery_before and after

This was a long project, but not a terribly expensive one. I hope it inspires you to give DIY reupholstery a try! (And if you’re not quite ready for a project the size of this one, check out my post on Easy Reusable DIY projets. There’s an easy project in there using old BBW candle jars. It’s the perfect way to keep all those BBW candles we burn through during the fall and winter from going to waste!)

Thank you so much for stopping by! If this post was helpful to you in any way, please consider pinning it to your DIY project board!

Reupholster_Dining_Room_Chairs_DIY_Project_recover seat cushion

~Virginia

Reupholstering Chairs with Two Padded Back Panels

November 19, 2018 by Virginia 22 Comments

Hello friends! I’m back this week with Part 2 of Reupholstering Dining Chairs. This time I’m going to show you how to deal with reupholstering dining chairs that have upholstered back panels on both sides of the dining chair. (See Part 1 and Part 3) But first, let’s recap.

At the end of the first post:

all of the chairs were down to their frames
staples and fabric were removed from each panel and seat cushion
each panel, seat cushion, frame, and fabric piece was labeled with a piece of tape and a number matching the chair.
fabric was chosen and ordered

Materials Needed to Reupholster Chairs with Two Padded Back Panels

fabric of choice
fabric scissors
tack strips
staple gun and staples
brad nailer and air compressor (optional) | New Cordless Option Available
rubber mallet or here

Please be aware that affiliate links are used in this post. That means that clicks or purchases from the links in this post may result in a commission for me at no cost to you. It’s how I can justify spending so much time and energy making detailed posts like this, so thank you! For more information, see my Privacy Policy.

Cut the Fabric to Size

Once you have chosen your fabric (see the first post in this series) and it arrives, you need to cut it down to size. You can see my image in the first post for how I planned out where to make the cuts. Once it arrived, I arranged the original fabric pieces according to the diagram and used them as a pattern to cut the new fabric down the size.

Make sure to have a clean surface for this step. I actually placed a blanket on our floor and put the fabric on top of that to keep it from getting dirty. You want to flip the fabric so that the good side is down. Then, trace around the pattern with a pencil. Finally, cut it into pieces with sharp scissors. MAKE SURE TO TRANSFER THE PIECE OF TAPE WITH THE NUMBER ON IT FROM THE OLD FABRIC PIECE TO THE NEW FABRIC PIECE!

*Note: I actually used each individual piece of the old fabric as the pattern for the new pieces. They were basically the same size, so I could probably have just used 1 piece of fabric as a pattern for the back panel and one of the seat cushion pieces as a pattern for the seat. Then I could have thrown the rest away right up front. However, I couldn’t be sure that ALL the cushions were the same depth so I used each piece as a guide. Since they were numbered, it would guarantee that if the old piece fit on that chair originally, the new piece would also fit.

I will note that if your chairs have padding that is old and disintegrated, you may need new foam. Mine didn’t need it so I just batted them a few times to knock out any dust and then recovered the old cushions with the new fabric. (Now that I think about it, I would recommend vacuuming the old foam too!)

Now that you have all of your new fabric cut into pieces, it’s time to put the new fabric on the chairs!

Reupholstering Dining Chairs: Two-Panel Padded Backs

The most difficult part of refinishing these chairs was the fact that there was a padded back panel on both sides of the chair. Most tutorials I found online didn’t show how to reupholster chairs with two padded back panels. But, as noted in the first post, research said the first step was to take the chair apart and see how it was put together.

When I took it apart I found that the two padded back panels were attached with a brad nailer. The cushions were covered in fabric, which was stapled to the back of the padded panel. Then the panel was pushed up against the back of the chair and the brad nailer drove brads through the fabric into the wood of the chair. Since the fabric was a loose weave, the nails did not leave any bunching. The fabric could be moved just a little so that the brad would slip through. However, the fabric I bought to replace it was a tighter weave. It would leave indentations or holes all around the edge if I tried to nail through the fabric.

Reattaching the panels will depend on your fabric:

If your fabric has a looser weave (ie, you could stick a pin through without leaving a hole), you can simply staple the fabric to the back of the padded back panel using a staple gun. Then, attach the two panels back onto the chair by using a brad nailer and stapling right through the fabric into the wood of the chair.
- Make sure to keep the brads close enough to the edge of the panel to catch the lip of the chair on the underside.
If you are using a fabric with a tighter weave (like my suede), then you won’t be able to staple through the fabric. Instead, you will need to use a tack strip.
- I tried two kinds of tack strips and infinitely preferred this one. It was sturdier and easier to break into pieces by folding the strip back and forth until the metal snapped.
  - (This was the other I tried. It was more expensive and harder to use for this project since I had to cut the pieces down to size. The pieces were very difficult to cut and since the top of my chair was curved, I needed the pieces trimmed down. More about that below.)

Step 1: Place the Tack Strips.

As explained above, make sure to have a clean surface for this step. You don’t want your fabric getting dirty while it is being pushed down onto the floor.

Place the tack strips evenly around the outside of the chair, so that the back panels will tightly adhere to the frame. See image.

This can be difficult with furniture that has rounded edges. Since the tack strips I found were all straight, I cut pieces to roughly fit the straight areas of the curve. This is why it was much easier to use this kind of tack strip.

Bend the strips back and forth and they will snap off. This allowed me to use smaller pieces that fit the curves. Otherwise, you would see a tiny bulge in the fabric at the point where one of the straight edges would protrude out a little from the curve.

Step 2: Staple the Tack Strips

TIP: This next step is easiest when you have a second pair of hands...

Wrap the fabric around the padded back panel and tightly fold the fabric up and over the prongs of the tack strip. For me, the easiest way to do this was to turn the tack strip on it’s side and push the tack through.

If the tack strip is pointed down slightly, then when you flip the tack strip so that it is flat against the panel, the fabric will be pulled tight.

You do have to actively think about this as you poke the tacks through the fabric. Sometimes you have to slightly pull the fabric up so that it will be a tight fit when you push the tack through. Otherwise, you will get to the end and flip it over and realize that the first part is tight to the edge and the last part of the tack strip has drifted away from the edge.

Tips: Keep the tack strip as close as possible to the edge of your board. To be able to attach these panels to the chair, the tacks need to be close enough to the edge to catch the lip of the chair back when you hammer them in.

Once the tack strip is tight, staple it in place. Make sure that the metal is completely covered and that there is enough fabric on the edge for the staple to fit. See picture above.

Pull the fabric tight and staple as close to the edge of the strip as possible. This will keep it from moving around when you hammer it to the chair in the next step.
Continue to pull tight, checking to make sure that the metal has not slipped off the edge of the panel and staple all the way around the edge.
I think it works best to pick either the left or right side to start with. When that’s finished, staple the side opposite to it. That way the fabric will stay tight.

After the sides were stapled, I stapled the top. This is the most important edge and the one that will be the most visible, so I was very careful to make sure there was no bunching. Since my edge was curved, I started with the flat spot in the middle and then worked outward toward the edges, pulling the fabric flat against the curves as I went.

Step 3: Hammer panels back onto the chair

Once all of the tack strips are stapled into place, reattach the two padded back panels to the chair. Make sure to match the numbers so that the fabric goes back on the right panel and the panel gets attached to the correct chair! (see the first post for more information on numbering!)

For this step, I turned the chair on its back and set the panels on the chair.

Then, with a rubber mallet, I hammered them into place. I recommend using a rubber mallet because when I used a hammer, it caused marks and damage to the fabric.

TIP: Place a towel over the fabric where it is being hammered and hammer over the fabric. This protects the fabric from marks.

Hold the chair up to eye level and check for gaps. It may take a few rounds of hammering around the outside until it adheres completely.

Do this for both sides are you’re ready for the final step! I had a grand plan to share recovering the cushions in this post too since it’s short but that just didn’t happen. So, stay tuned for Part 3 and the reveal of the new DIY Dining Chairs next month!

Don’t forget to check out Part 1 of this post if you haven’t already:

And if you gained something valuable from this post, please consider pinning to your project or DIY board!

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to sign up for my email list so that you’ll know when the next installment of this DIY Reupholstery project goes live!

Have a wonderful week!

~Virginia