Iron Back

The seat in original cover

Iron backs were a popular chair in Victorian times. This one had a very low seat and no back castors – so work clearly needed.

They were made with a wooden seat base with legs attached.

Iron rods, cheaper than wood, were shaped to form the back and arms and attached to the seat base.

Undercloth of chair removed

This construction means a lot more hand stitching is needed – no wood to staple or tack to!

The chair was tipped on its back and the under cloth removed.

Outer back before fabric and piping removed
Outer back fabric of chair removed
The button anchors clipped off

The fabric of the back was removed – the frame work visible at the base.

The button anchors were clipped off too.

Close up of collapsed rolled edge

The low front of the shallow seat bulged out – a symptom of a failed rolled edge.

Seat fabric removed
The stripped chair

With the chair turned around, the seat fabric was removed.

The inner back fabric, no longer held on with the buttons was also removed.

The very sad rolled edge of the chair

The undercover and stuffings were freed and pushed back, revealing a very sad rolled edge.

The wobbly front castors and replacement back castors
The cleaned up castors

The tarnished and loose front castors were removed. Suitable, but old, castors were needed for the back legs.

The new rolled edge

They were all cleaned, ready to be attached later.

Hair added over new rolled edge
The new rolled edge encased in barrier cloth

The rolled edge was taken off and a new one hand stitched to give a more suitable height and shape.

First piece of new fabric added to seat

A thick covering of hair was added and covered in wool guard as a barrier cloth.

The first piece of the new cover was added to the seat.

Chair front and seat completed and castors added
Side of chair before cover added

The fabric was added to the back and then to the arms.

The outer back with new button anchors

At the back, the buttons were held with small rolls of webbing.

Piping was added around the back and arms.

Outer chair back with new support cloth
New fabric added to outer back and arms

Hessian support cloth was added over the back, then barrier cloth and finally the new cover.

New undercloth added

A new under cloth completed the project.

Before and after comparison of chair profiles

Comparing the before and after, shows the much higher rolled edge and the back castors raising the back to improve the seating position.

A very satisfying project.

Completed Iron Back from a front corner
Completed seat from the front

JBerryUpholstery has many examples of furniture Recovering and Restoration and also Soft Furnishings to add to or complement the finished items. You can see pictures of these in the Galleries – Recovering Gallery, Restoration Gallery, Soft Furnishings Gallery and Transformations.

If you have some upholstery that is in need of a bit of TLC or you are interested in Soft Furnishings then please contact us.