I’ve posted some in progress pictures on social media, but at long last the cushions are done, and oh my what an improvement!
After wheedling a lot one year about 12-14/15 years ago, I convinced Paul to buy this “wicker” (ie extruded plastic) furniture. It came with the cushions you see below. I dislike stripes, and don’t like drab colors. I’ve wanted to replace the covers all this time, and finally last summer purchased the Sunbrella Awning fabric in the Aruba color. The Awning fabric is wider at 60″ than the regular upholstery fabric, stiffer so harder to work with it, and sheds water. It was both the width, which allowed me more efficient use of the yardage, and the ability to prevent water from getting into the cushions that led me to use this version of Sunbrella. I bought it online from a place in Florida, Outdoor Fabric Central. I used almost all of the 7 yards ($28 a yard).
This is what it looked like before. Furniture nice, fabric: definitely not my style!
Apparently I really dislike the old cushions so much it took searching in 4 years of summer photos to find a single one with the old striped cushions!
Here are the old ones on the floor in my basement studio. I used to work for an interior designer for a couple years when we lived on San Juan Island, so I learned to pattern from an existing cover and also to start from scratch. Measuring existing is easier! I knew I didn’t want the backs tufted, and knew also that I would move the zippers and do things my way.When I opened up the seat cushions I discovered the reason they weren’t comfortable is because there was no foam, just dacron! I still need to do something with the frame–it is “strung” with elastic, and after 14 years the stretch is stretched out. I set plywood under the cushions last summer, but even with the addition of foam, I need something with more give. Will look for webbing/strapping to see what I can find that my arthritic hands can actually install and make work. I used an egg-crate foam mattress topper that Eli used to use. I’m replacing his twin with a Queen sleeper sofa for when the kids come to visit, so the topper is now cushion fodder.With careful planning and careful cutting I had minimal waste! My trusty M7 Continental from Janome sewed through stuff like a champ! I used my antique (20+ years old) serger to overcast the inside seams. Because of the stiffness of the fabric, I chose to not do piping.The Janome at work, the dog at rest.My circle templates came in handy for rounding corners.Wonder Clips (from Clover) are worth the price! I bought a pack of 50 and have used them for so many things! And of course the machine sewed like a champ! I LOVE MY JANOME! You might also wonder about the tan zipper. Well, 20 years ago I bought a roll of black and a roll of tan zipper tape and a billion pulls. Since I completely hide the zipper, no worries that it doesn’t match. This is wide and strong zipper tape as there is a lot of stress on seat cushions…the same bulky weight as sleeping bags. Here’s the pile of nearly complete cushions.
Thanks to a suggestion from Diana Feit on FB, I cut a pool noodle in half and used that arched inside the settee back cushions to fill them out. I had already cut a 3″ wide strip from the egg crate foam, smooth side out, and then used the foam arched from one bottom corner to the other to fill that out. Worked like a charm. Also, notice those DEEP zipper plackets. The place is centered on the gusset, and there are “zipper garages”–little pockets on either end to conceal the zipper pull. These deep plackets use a bit more fabric, but they cover the zipper SO much better that I always make them. Last year about this time I did a blogpost tutorial on one of my Michael Miller Fabrics brand ambassador projects here and here. Click on those links for details on the how–the process is exactly the same.
So there we are….now all I need to do is MAKE TIME to sit on the porch (once it warms up, even with the electric throw it was kinda nippy out there two days ago, then it got colder!). But summer IS coming and I intend to enjoy some Porch Time!
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on Thursday, May 6th, 2021 at 5:07 pm
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2 Responses to “Drum roll! Snoopy Dance! Ready for summer!”
Thanks so much…. I used to work for an interior designer with Very High End clients…people whose third home was a million dollars kind of clients. I never liked zipper plackets that bulge open on dresses or anything else, so I wanted to make them look as good as possible. The designer taught me about the zipper pull “garages” and I morphed that and a deeper overlap on the zipper into what you see. They look good upside down too (just hopefully they aren’t crumb catchers!), and don’t gap and show the zipper when someone sits on a cushion on something that shows the back of the cushion (chair). It also means for built-in window seats and whatnot the zipper won’t scratch the surroundings–my biggest “window” c cushion was just a few inches smaller than a twin bed–let me tell you cutting and wrapping the foam, then wrestling it into the fabric was hilarious…most of me was inside the covering at one point trying to smooth everything out and perfect the placement of seams and corners! Thanks!
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May 6th, 2021 at 6:41 pm
Well done! The zipper placket looks so professional! I need to get started on covers for mine.
May 7th, 2021 at 10:01 am
Thanks so much…. I used to work for an interior designer with Very High End clients…people whose third home was a million dollars kind of clients. I never liked zipper plackets that bulge open on dresses or anything else, so I wanted to make them look as good as possible. The designer taught me about the zipper pull “garages” and I morphed that and a deeper overlap on the zipper into what you see. They look good upside down too (just hopefully they aren’t crumb catchers!), and don’t gap and show the zipper when someone sits on a cushion on something that shows the back of the cushion (chair). It also means for built-in window seats and whatnot the zipper won’t scratch the surroundings–my biggest “window” c cushion was just a few inches smaller than a twin bed–let me tell you cutting and wrapping the foam, then wrestling it into the fabric was hilarious…most of me was inside the covering at one point trying to smooth everything out and perfect the placement of seams and corners! Thanks!