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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

HOW TO FIX PULLS OR SNAGS IN YOUR FURNITURE UPHOLSTERY FABRIC


Sometimes I have tips that I consider sharing with you, but I wonder if they would really be all that useful to anyone.  Ways that I've solved a problem, but I ask myself, "Does everyone already know this??"  So for today, I have a solution to share with you, and even if it's a lightbulb moment to a just few people, I'll consider that a success!

If you didn't know, we have 2 kitties who just turned 5 on Valentine's Day.  (You can read all about them in this guest post I did at Cuckoo 4 Design.)



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Although I don't have a huge problem with them scratching on things, I do catch them occasionally stretching their claws on the corners of the sofa.  (Grrr!!)  With the tight weave of our sofa fabric, it does not get torn, but there are definitely some spots where they have left pulls in the fabric.

When preparing for guests over the holidays, I noticed that the backs of the sofas were looking a little worn.


So, using the same idea that I would with a pull in a sweater, I used a wooden skewer to gently push those pulls and snags onto the back side of the fabric.  I carefully placed the point of the skewer over the nubby pulled spot, and worked it between the cross weaves in the fabric to poke it through to the back side.  Then, I just lightly rubbed with my finger to close up the tiny hole that the tip of the skewer left when poking it through.


That's it!  Looks good as new!


Here's another spot before:


and after:


This little chore probably took 10 minutes, but made a huge difference in the appearance of my furniture.

While it might be tempting, I don't recommend just trimming the pulled thread or using something like a clothes shaver for this type of problem.  I've always worried that cutting the thread would weaken the integrity of the fabric, and over time might cause a bigger problem.  One exception, we do have an older sofa that has twill fabric that tends to build up pills in the fabric, and I have used a fabric shaver on that with beautiful results.  There, I'm not cutting any threads, just taking off the fuzz, much like you would on a sweater.

If you have kitties (or pups!) that like to scratch on the furniture too, I hope this is a helpful tip for you.  Even if you don't, I know that I've pulled the fabric at times by catching it on a piece of jewelry or maybe a rough spot on my clothing that causes a pull, so this method would work well for those problems too.





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Would you like to comment?

  1. So helpful!! I don't have any pets, but my kids love to destroy things....I believe they use the word play, but in the end a lot of things get destroyed. lol.

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  2. Why didn't I think of this?! I know why I'll be doing this afternoon!!! 💕

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  3. Actually, its a great post and one that is very helpful. Thanks.

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  4. Thank you! I have a 6 year old tabby :)

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  5. The fabric looks perfect! I've pulled thread or yarn through on clothing but not on furniture- smart idea! I have two cats and fortunately they are happy with their kitty tower to scratch (I hate having it iin my decor but it helps). I had two cats destroy the back of a recliner many years ago so I am aware of how that can go. You and your cats are so pretty together- love the first photo!

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  6. Jennifer this is definitely helpful. Unfortunately, our cat named Scout (don't you have one of those) chooses to use the end of our sofas. I'm so glad someone is addressing these real life issues for people who want their pet friendly house to look nice. Keep this kind of thing coming!

    Priscilla

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  7. There needs to be more posts like this in the world of decorating, we have four cats and they just LOVE anything with fabric so choosing furniture for our home that will last is not easy. Love love love your blog, my favorite by far. :)

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  8. This is just what I needed to know, Jennifer. Our cat never scratches but she does jump on the side of the couch and does a little bit of damage along the way sometimes. Thanks. :)

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  9. What a great tip! Our cats are always trying to claw on the furniture. This will definitely help. On a side note, would you mind sharing the brand/color of your lip product with us? It's a beautiful color and one I haven't found but would like to try. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Sure! This post will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about my lipstick. ;) http://www.dimplesandtangles.com/2016/07/friday-favorites-gap-my-lipstick-pizza.html

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  10. Cost does matters! In fact it matters a lot. While researching also look for the prices at which the furniture is being sold by different online retailers.
    1/4 plywood

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  13. I never would have thought of using a wooden skewer for this task. Worked like a charm! My sofa looks so much better.

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