Watching my husband and mother-in-law reupholster a "free couch" that had been given to us by a dear friend was a real learning experience for me a few years after we married. The couch was really just a simple upholstered mattress that folded back up into a couch. It was very low to the floor, so we decided to elevate it by designing a wooden storage base to fit under the couch. It was a bright orange color so recovering it became mandatory. My mother-in-law was extremely gifted at making things from scratch and she had years of quilting experience that gave her strong hands which are needed to "pull" upholstery very tight when you are nailing it to the frame. My role was master designer, selecting fabric, color and style and detailing what the base storage unit needed to provide.

First, my husband's mother taught us how to make a "pattern" from the existing couch, so we would be able to lay the patterns onto new upholstery fabric that we purchased from a local wholesale mill. I was excited. It was a very pretty gold and white swirled design, heavy fabric. My mother-in-law never complained; inwardly she must have groaned, knowing how difficult it would be to stretch it tight enough. She was up to the challenge. Next, my husband began crafting the storage base and he put a divider support brace down the middle of what became two wonderful, deep boxes that held linens for this combination couch and guest bed.

Next, we had to be taught how to tear apart the old couch. I stood there in shock as the fabric was ripped away, exposing very old, sunken cushioning underneath. I must have thought we would just put new fabric over the old. It never occurred to me that all new "batting" material would be the wisest approach. If you are going to tear it apart, you might as well do it right so it lasts for years. As I viewed the debris, I wondered how much bacteria and how many dust mites had happily lived in there for decades. Soon, we were down to the frame and now my mother-in-law went to work like the Energizer Rabbit. She knew exactly what to do since she had recovered many pieces of furniture over the years. It was a simple process to her.

Soon, she and my husband were bending and installing new, fluffy and thick batting and I do not recall if the foundation under it was a pad or if one was on top but soon they were ready to attach the new upholstery. Now, I got nervous. We could not afford to buy more fabric if pieces were cut wrong. After all,

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