…. well, temporarily.
Here’s the situation: I love our dog, but she isn’t too nice to our outdoor furniture. We have a set that is super comfy, but she has gotten up onto the cushions to sleep. That has made them dingy and a little thread-bare in places.
We host Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day Brunch and before each event, I get new fabric to go with my color scheme/decor and I temporarily recover the cushions.
Back in January I was shopping for fabric for no-sew drapes I was making. Because I knew ahead of time that I wanted to use turquoise, apple green & tangerine colors for Mother’s Day Brunch, I was able to snap up this apple green paisley for about $2 a yard. Major score since I needed several yards.
To do this, you literally are going to treat the cushion as if it is a gift you are wrapping… except that you’re using fabric instead of wrapping paper and a glue gun instead of tape.
Flip the cushion upside down, so that all of the seams will end up on the bottom or back of the cushion. (just like you would when wrapping a gift…)
Figure out how much fabric you need to use, then cut it.
Now unlike a present, you will secure the “short” ends first. I do this at the front of the cushion because it creates a smoother look on the finished cushion. (by the way, I wrap the fabric right over the little velcro tabs used for attaching the cushion to the chair.)
I glue the fabric directly to the ratty cushion and just pull it off when I change the fabric. If you want to protect your cushion from the glue, just allow for more fabric and glue the fabric to itself as you wrap the cushion.
Then, like a present, fold over the corners of the fabric and secure with the hot glue. Flip the cushion right side up and pop into the chair.
Finish up the rest of the cushions. Tah-da. Better. At least temporarily.
Oh, and see the cute turquoise coffee table?
It was a roadside rescue my sister picked up for me. A few coats of Valspar’s Mediterranean Gloss spray paint and it was all better. (I think this will be the first color of many layers of spray paint for this guy.)
Anyway. Cheap. Easy. Temporary. (It’s nice to have options).
What a great post, thanks for showing us!
Glad my tutorial helped. You know what is also great if it’s something you don’t use often is a small canvas print, it covers the area perfect!
Have a great day!
Kristin
So I have done this before and it IS just like wrapping a present.
The only thing is that I’m a BAD wrapper.
LOL
Um. Do you spend hours linking up?? Holy crap.
What a great way to think about it and take the intimidation out of it! Love the fabric you found!
wow! love this post! i have always wanted to try this but i thought it would be too hard! thanks for the inspiration!
madisonavenue2011.blogspot.com
Great info Vivienne, and I do love that blue table!
ok we are totally on the same wavelength… I am doing a post soon about outdoor pillows 🙂 Ca-razy…
~Alison
Ohhhh so fresh and nice.. and to think I am sweating out hours of sewing new cushion covers.. I feel like a dumb bunny!
Maddie
Hot glue? I would never have thought to use hot glue, I would have pulled out the sewing machine and probably ended up throwing it away.
That really looks nice! Love the fabric, too! ♥
Great solution. Perfect as a no sew. Thanks for sharing at my Swing into Spring party.
Oh my gosh! WE have the exact same patio furniture. Got it about five years ago and LOVE it.
Love that fabric! Love the price too! $2?!
Jen
Just what I needed to learn – I’ll be recovering cushions like this soon…NOW, if i could only find $2.00 yd fabric like you did!!
Great fabric. Great thinking.
HellO;
Great tutorial, so easy, and cute, I have the same chairs, my cushion need a new wrapping fabric, thanks,
I’ve been waiting for this post since I’m sewing impaired, and my chairs are almost just like yours. I think I will give this a try! I would like to know how this looks on the back side of the chair backrest, though, if you don’t have it up against a wall. Does it look okay?
This is a relly, really clever idea. But what if you only use Gift Bags instead of wrap presents? Tell that naughty dog to stay off the cute fabric too.
What a great idea! My husband looks at me funny when I say “I want to change the color of this room.” One day I’m actually ganna do it : )
This looks great! I’m always intimidated to try something like this. Thanks for linking this up to our WAW link party.
Love the color of the fabric! Thanks for making it easy!
cutest fix ever, if I do say so. Looks perfectly perfect 🙂 ~diane
Love that paisley fabric! Temporarily recovering the chairs is a great idea, even if they haven’t been messed up by the dog. Make it pretty for any occasion!
I absolutely love your fabric! I want to make something with it immediately! LOVE IT! (and your chairs look great in it too)! 🙂
My kinda project, no sewing required!!!! Awesome idea 🙂
Thanks for linking up to Your Whims Wednesday!
Shoot…Rondell is the gift wrapper in the house.
Great idea! I’ve tucked old antique linens on for a quick look. But wouldn’t have thought of this idea!
Brenda
The chair and table turned out great! Have a BLAST and a few glasses of wine OR EVEN A BOTTLE of wine for me! I just LOVE the idea of a girls weekend away!
Those look great!
I should totally try this with my outdoor furniture! I’m a great present wrapper!!!
Holy link ups!!! WOOOOW!
That is a SERIOUSLY great idea Vivienne! I love the fact that it is temporary so you can change it out to your heart’s content. Thank you so much for sharing another fabulous project with us at Inspiration Friday! 🙂
Vanessa
LOVE the paisley fabric! Thanks for linking up at the Sassy Sites Free For All party! When you get a chance, come back by and see what we’ve done for the American Crafter’s competition… and maybe vote for us too! *wink*
xoxo!
Marni @ Sassy Sites!
Cheap, easy, options – speaking y language lady! Great fabric. My furniture so needs a massive facelift! Great inspiration.
SO smart!
Hey I featured this on my blog today, come grab a button! http://mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/2011/05/your-whims-wednesday-8-and-features.html
I am in love with this green color! I am getting ready to do some outdoor curtains and this is the color I’m leaning towards! Thanks for sharing at Craft and Tell!
http://www.cherishedbliss.com
I must admit, I’ve done this once or many times too. It’s quick, easy, and changeable.
I just found your blog, and I am your newest follower! I love this tutorial, so quick and easy, I’ll have to try it out. Have a great weekend 🙂
http://www.skylarkmanor.com
Nothing beats free! What a clever idea about the cushion cover. They look really nice….Christine
I bought some large “painters cloth” awhile back and have been eyeballing my couches- Now- I’m going for it! (I may use velcro for easy removal for washing- I have 3 boys)
I love quick and easy! It’s even better when it looks fabulous when your done. Thanks for the tip.
I have been avoiding our patio set cushions because I really didn’t want to sew that much! I guess I just need to get the hot glue gun out instead:) Thanks for sharing!
So glad you linked this up to this week’s BFF Open House! Have a great weekend!
thanks for the tutorial there are a few chairs that can use some touch up around here come see me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
TOTALLY my kind of sewing project. 😉 Nicely done! Sure looks purdy.
Donna
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
Viv, what a great idea for a quick and chic furniture facelift! I love the fact that you coordinate the fabrics to your special holiday events.
Jenn
I have some outdoor chairs that are just waiting for a makeover. Thanks for the inspiration!
I need to find some outdoor chairs to try this on! Thanks for linking this up to Wicked Awesome Wednesday!
Love the new fabric! The chairs look great, thanks for linking up!
Thank you so much for this idea pretty easy really ! I’m going to do it to my swing cushions
kat
Very very good idea! Freshening up the cushions at a great price and so easily changed.
Another awesome transformation! Love that fabric. Thanks for the how-to, maybe now I will try to recover a cushion! You make it look so easy. 🙂
I used that same fabric to make couch pillows. Cute, cute!
Much better! Beautiful fabric!
Really nice Fabric! i like the Color Combination! keep it up!
Well, I have always wanted to try this but I thought it would be too hard. Your work is best for inspiration.
This is wonderful. It would be great at Christmas to have kids mark where they live. Artistic perfectionism is you done better than my work.
Wow! This is a very creative improvement on your chair. Your dog will surely be shy on ruining it again, eh.haha.
Cheers,
Cathy@adar scrubs
Here share above everything is awesome. I like creative improvement on your chair. I impressed by that. I appreciate your work. Thanks for share your ideas.
It was really nice blog. Everything is awesome in above shear. I like your creativity on your chair. I impressed by that.
I think the best interior design and furniture are necessary for house. It gives new and pretty looks of your house. Thanks for sharing such a great idea.
ecommerce scotland