A can of spray paint can go a long way toward making a weary-looking piece seem nearly new. Spray paint is inexpensive, and it’s easy enough to repaint a chair like this every year. So, go ahead—try something bold. You can change your mind next year. Be sure to wash and dry your piece thoroughly before painting. Related: 10 Unexpected Uses for Spray Paint Chair seats can get faded and forlorn after a few seasons, especially if they receive direct sun. You can spruce up your patio set by reupholstering the seats. It takes only a little fabric and a staple gun. Just remove the seat pads from the chairs, and put on something new and stylish. You can remove the old fabric or leave it on if it’s not too thick and isn’t badly damaged. Related: Without a Stitch – 9 No-Sew Projects to Dress Up Any Room Taking Care of Teak Although teak wood furniture is extremely hardy and long lasting, it should be refreshed every few seasons. Use a cleanser especially for teak, follow up with a light sanding, and then seal it with protective sealer.
With care, teak will stay looking beautiful for years. Refresh faded cushions with—wait for it... spray paint. If you just can’t find new cushions you like, or if you don’t want to invest in new ones, you can extend the life of your current fabric with nothing more than regular spray paint right off the rack of your local hardware store. Bring a quick fix to drab and dated porch furniture by draping it with slipcovers. There’s something light and airy about a slipcover blowing in the summer breeze. It’s cheerful, inexpensive, and by no means permanent. You can reserve the right to change your mind and do something different next year. Bring some funk to the ubiquitous plastic lawn chair. Apply painter’s tape in varying widths and then spray-paint the chair. These fluorescent pink seats are definitely conversation starters. If you like an oiled look for your natural wicker, you can apply tung oil to your wicker pieces after washing them to protect them from the elements.
Be sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. The oil will harden to a deep, rich protective finish. Related: Wicker Gone Wild—10 Easy Ways to Transform Old Into New Sometimes a few colorful throws and pillows are all you need to refresh your outdoor furniture. It’s a quick fix and a simple way to update a style that feels a little tired. And when trends change, it's easy to refresh again. With some time and elbow grease, you can renew rusted metal furniture that you thought was headed for the trash heap. Knock off loose paint and rust with a stiff wire brush, then sand the painted edges smooth. Wash thoroughly and let it dry, and it’ll be ready for primer and paint. You won’t believe the transformation. A whitewashed finish looks great in an outdoor setting, and it’s not difficult to do. Water down white paint with two parts water to one part paint. Brush on and wipe with a dry towel. Go over the finish again with a dry brush to give it some depth. The beauty of whitewashing is that it shouldn’t look perfect—so don’t be afraid to try it.
Weathered wood furniture can look good as new with a fresh coat of stain. Sand and clean your piece first, then thoroughly wash and let it dry. Apply your new stain according to the manufacturer’s directions. The difference is dramatic and well worth the effort. Related: How To: Stain Wood Furniture Wicker is an outdoor decorating staple, but over time it's bound to show dirt and dust (and maybe even a little mildew). That’s OK, because it’s totally washable. Use a regular garden hose (NOT a pressure washer), a gentle scrub brush, and mild soapy water. Let the furniture dry completely in the sun for 24 to 36 hours before sitting on it, so as not to leave the lasting impression of your backside on it. So many cute bag patterns out there, but some of them are pretty intense! teach you tips and tricks of bag making, and you will learn: How to pick and install interfacing Tips for sewing through all the layers Properly arrange and cut your pattern pieces
(Eat your packed lunch) Read standard pattern language Picking Your Bag Pattern: Please make sure your bag pattern meets the following criteria: No more than 6 Pattern Pieces No adornments, such as excess straps, buttons, buckles, etc (these are just tedious and can take time) Noodlehead Patterns: 241 Tote, Poolside Tote, Super Tote, Amy Butler Patterns: Birdie Sling, Frenchie Bag, Spice Market Tote 1.) Pre-wash your fabric if you plan to wash it. We prefer to Scotchguard! 2.) Pack a lunch! FEE: $55 (supplies not included) Your Bag Pattern Of Choice Supplies As Listed On PatternStudents get 15% off supplies purchased for class! SKILLS NEEDED: Intermediate Sewing Skills SUGGESTED PREREQUISITE: Any Intermediate Sewing Class AGE REQUIREMENTS: 12 years and older. Find your class date below, and click ‘Add to Cart’ to sign up!CraftsSewingHow to Make Slipcover Patterns How to Make Slipcover Patterns
You can go to the store and buy a slipcover pattern that loosely conforms to the dimensions of your piece of furniture, but making your own pattern allows you to get your slipcover’s curves, contours, width, and length just right. Muslin is a terrific fabric for slipcover planning: Buy more muslin than you think you’ll need, even as much as one-third more. Take off the chair’s cushion. Starting with the outside back of your chair, measure the width and length. If you want the slipcover to go all the way to the floor, measure to the floor. Add 4 inches to your width and length measurements and cut your muslin piece. This extra amount allows adequate muslin to create your seam allowance. Pin it to the back of the chair with straight pins. With tailor’s chalk, carefully follow the seams that are already on your armchair, tracing lines with your chalk right on your pinned muslin. Make sure your lines are straight; use your ruler or L-square if that helps you.
Remove the muslin and using your fabric marker and ruler, draw another line a 1/2-inch to the right from the chalk line that you traced in Step 5. This mark is the cutting line and reflects your 1/2-inch seam allowance. With your scissors, cut the muslin piece out using the second line you drew in Step 6. With your fabric marker, write on the back: “Back, Cut 1.” Measure your chair’s side. Follow the same instructions in Steps 1 through 7. Add 4 inches to each measurement, measure and pin the muslin to the chair, chalk around the seams to get the shape, add your 1/2-inch seam allowance in fabric marker, and cut out your piece. This piece is your side pattern; mark it “Side, Cut 2, reversing one.” To get a mirrored pair of sidepieces, you must flip the pattern over when you cut the second piece unless your pattern piece is truly rectilinear. For the inside seat area, measure from the bottom of the seatback up and over the top of the chair, to the back area (where you made your first pattern), and be sure to add 4 inches to each measurement.
Chalk a line on the top where the fabric bends to meet the chair back pattern. Pin, chalk, remove your muslin, add a 1/2-inch seam allowance line around your chalk marks using your fabric marker, label it “Seatback, Cut 1,” and cut out your pattern. For the inside armrest area, you have to go over the top to meet your side pattern, and make sure to chalk a line at the bend. Pin, chalk, remove, add your 1/2-inch seam allowance line, cut out your pattern, and label it “Inside arm rest, Cut 2, reversing one.” Create your seat pattern. Start at the crease where the seat meets the seatback and go down to the floor in front of the chair. Repeat the steps as previously to create your muslin pattern and label it “Seat, Cut 1.” Create a pattern for the front of the armrests. Repeat all the previous steps to create your muslin pattern, and label it “Front armrest, Cut 2, reversing one.” You also need to cover your seat cushion. This cushion cover looks like a tube, and it’s easy to make.
To make the first pattern: Measure the cushion’s width and the circumference and add a 1/2-inch to each measurement. Create your pattern in muslin and label it “Cushion top, Cut 1.” Measure the cushion’s front and back. If your cushion is square, these measurements are equal. Add a 1/2-inch to each measurement. Create your pattern and label it “Cushion sides, Cut 2.” Pin the muslin pieces together working right on the armchair. A 1/2-inch in from the cut edge of the muslin fabric is where the pieces need to join. Use straight pins, or safety pins, the latter for more hold. After you pin your muslin, remove the muslin and, using a baste stitch, start sewing your pieces together, making sure to check the “slipcover” as you sew every few seams to make sure the fit is correct. For your cushion, sew the two ends of the long piece of muslin into a tube. Starting at the corner, pin in one rectangular piece of muslin into the open area, or the tube’s “mouth,” and stitch it in using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.