the finished projects
I started with reupholstering a storage bench that was a hot mess.
Flaming hot mess, right? After years of abuse and our dogs using it as a step stool to jump up onto the bed, I had to reinforce it with tape. I tried to get our dogs to use doggy steps. Didn't work. Those are sitting in the garage. Our oldest buddy would only use this bench. So I couldn't get rid of it. I told my mom about my plan and she said, that I could have some batting and gold upholstery velvet that she had left over. SCORE! Fabric is expensive. I pulled it out into the garage and stripped it down.
You can see why it was sagging. The stuffing was deteriorating and pushing through the webbing. Once I stripped it down completely and removed the top (sorry no photos). I could start rebuilding. I grabbed some 2 inch thick foam at the fabric store. I bought remnant pieces to save a little money. I put one piece on top of the webbing you see (green webbing) and covered that with the cotton batting from my mom.
I used the pieces I removed from the bench as my pattern. Then I covered the top and stapled it down. I cut pieces of foam to place under the green webbing. I wanted this bench to be super reinforced. My original plan was to place it back at the foot of the bed and I knew it would get tons of wear.
I reinforced again with more webbing (I cut strips of the fabric). I used the same fabric to cover everything (sorry no picture).
I realized after cutting that I wouldn't have enough gold to do the entire bottom portion of the bench. I went to the fabric store and found a black white and gold print that worked well. Using that fabric on each end gave it a nice contrast and kept it from looking like patch work.
I finished the bottom edge with a roll of nail head trim, which I just noticed in the picture above, is crooked on one end. All in all, I'm really happy with the results. I definitely didn't follow upholstery practices but it looks good and that is what is most important to me. There were some supplies left over. I have enough of the white, black and gold fabric to make a pillow and enough batting to do my dining room chairs, plus some additional nail head trim. Similar benches go for $150 and up.
Total cost: $45!
Because I didn't finish in one day, we needed an alternative "step" for the dogs. Our older guy, Blue, was distraught when he couldn't get up on the bed.
How could I say no to that sweet face?
I remembered this old, sad, green, ottoman in {msL's} office. It was a hand me down from a friend many many years ago, along with a matching sofa and chair. The chair and sofa went to Goodwill ages ago. My intention was to use it until the bench was done. Well, the dogs and {msL} liked the size and the height better than the storage bench. So when I finished the bench, it went to the corner of the room and I was faced with a dilemma. I wanted to make them happy but I hated the look of this sad green ottoman. What to do?
Because of the style of the ottoman, I knew it would be a massive upholstery project that I didn't want to tackle. I thought of options, I've seen painted fabric but since it's dark green, black would be the only option. Plus, painted fabric wouldn't be soft and if I ruined it, things might get bad in my house. Then I thought of making a slip cover. That could also take tons of time. That's time I didn't want to spend. I'm not sure how I thought of it but suddenly it came to me.
The ottoman has this weird pillow top. It's indented between the base and the top. Why couldn't I just create a slipcover and attach it with some elastic, like a huge hair tie?! I went searching on fabric sites and didn't find anything I loved or wanted to spend $12+ a yard on. I measured the ottoman with an allowance for the indention and realized that I'd need a rectangular and it hit me. Why not use a tablecloth!? It could be a good print and it would already be hemmed. Bonus! I searched and found a print that I liked and would work with our bedroom. I grabbed elastic from the fabric store and measured the indented area.
I cut the elastic and sewed the ends together, reducing the length by a few inches to make the fit tight.
I laid the table cloth over the ottoman and centered it.
Then I added the elastic band and started tucking and adjusting the fabric. It was a little long on the ends and the corners but tucking and adjusting helped it to fit.
Hands down, the easiest slip cover EVER!! It took less than 10 minutes from start to finish! When it gets dirty, I can just pull it off and throw it in the wash. Slipcovers range in price from $18 (in really blah fabric) to $85 and up.
Total cost $24!!
It's even dog approved, as you can see by the indention. We'll be using the storage bench as our new hamper. I'm now hunting for a basket that is the right size to fit inside.
