Unfortunately, I had to have a bit of unexpected surgery and missed the deadline to get everything to her. And I feel terrible about that, Dixie! I am sorry to have let you down.
So... I'm posting this little project here today, but would love it if you took a few minutes to visit Dixie's awesome blog for a little fashion DIY inspiration. She's a truly amazing seamstress.
I get so excited when I “shop” my fabric and supply stash and discover new ideas for things I already own. Isn’t that the best feeling?! And that's where I began with this fun chair re-do.
Allow me a moment for backstory…
{Cue music…}
There was a time that I aspired to be a nursery designer. I had the good fortune to work with friends and friends-of-friends to create special spaces for their little ones and it brought me such joy! Thinking it would be a great source of "play money," I jumped in and invested in a lot of really great materials.
After a couple of years, my enthusiasm waned and I began declining custom jobs. It proved to be a burden of stress lifted from my shoulders, but to this day, I still have tons of supplies cluttering my storage spaces. Take a look at this roll of bumper batting…
{Wait. I’ll say it for you… Holy cow! That’s a lot of batting!}
I’ve sold some and given some away, but there is still so... much... left. I have 5 rolls of this in storage. I’ve come up with some fairly creative uses for it. Such as…
This massive bulletin board:
And… these pot holders:
And… the chair makeover that I’m sharing with you today – redone entirely with materials that I already own.
I salvaged the chair from a university that was replacing old classroom furniture. What a find! Here’s the before:
Materials and tools used for this makeover:
- Scrap fabric
- Bumper batting
- Hot glue gun/glue
- Staple gun/staples
- 1 ½ inch cover button
- Leftover nail head trim
- Sewing machine/Thread
I cut a piece of fabric large enough to “upholster” the padded chair back. I tucked the edges in ½ inch all the way around (to hide the raw edge) and stapled into place.
I determined the dimensions for my skirt by measuring the sides and front of the chair and the length from the seat to the floor. I added extra width to accommodate side hems (1/2” each) and corner pleats (2” for each corner) and extra length to accommodate a top and bottom hem (1/2” each).
I sewed my side and bottom hems and pressed the top down by ½”. I then stapled the fabric to the chair by securing the top hem, forming my pleats as I worked my way around with the staples.
I then finished off the chair back and skirt with nail head trim.
And… here’s the after!
Isn’t it precious? I love the use of ticking because this chair can be used in feminine or masculine settings. I can use it in my boys’ rooms or in my guest room or in my studio. Gotta love multi-purpose furniture!!
Any ideas for more fun projects to use up my endless supply of bumper batting?
