Thursday, July 5, 2012

Recovered

_MG_7445.jpgWe've had these chairs for years. In fact, we picked them up at the Clothing Co-op while we lived in Indiana and my husband was attending the seminary. While I loved the chairs I didn't love that they were kind of worn and faded. My mother-in-law was out to visit and she helped me recover the chairs. This is what we came up with. We've since moved and these chairs have stayed with us. I was ready to get a little more pop out of them, thus, another makeover. 
_MG_7466.jpgWhen I saw that some of my favorite fabrics were on sale I jumped at the chance to purchase them and figured it would be the perfect time to change things up again. How fun are these chairs now? Cute, right? It think they turned out quite nicely.
_MG_7522.jpgWe've had this sofa and loveseat set since we've been married, so that makes it pretty old. They kind of needed a makeover too.
_MG_7468.jpgI decided to make new pillows for the sofas.
_MG_7485.jpgWith ideas that I found on Pinterest I decided that a little ruffle would be fun.
_MG_7473.jpgWhile rummaging through my desk drawer I found a ruffler foot that I forgot I had. I had never used it before. (I had bought it for a different machine.) With all of the ruffling I had planned, I decided I better figure out how to use this foot. It's super easy to use and makes for a lot less headaches.
_MG_7472.jpgRuffles in just seconds! I'll never go back to hand ruffling again.
_MG_7478.jpgThen it was time to finish up some pillows. Pin your ruffle along the outside edge of your pillow. Then place your other pieces on top. (I made envelope pillow cases for easy removal and cleaning.)
_MG_7523.jpgThey're like brand new couches aren't they? I love how they all turned out and they were so much fun to make!
_MG_7526.jpgAll of the ruffles were made with my ruffler foot.
_MG_7528.jpgTo make your own pillows simply measure them and cut your fabric to the size of the pillow.
Ruffle Pillows
For a 20x20 inch pillow
  • cut a piece of fabric 20x20 (front of pillow)
  • cut 2 pieces 20x14 (back of pillow)
  • cut 4 strips the length of your fabric (should be about 42 in long)x 4 inches wide.
To make the ruffle for the outside of the pillow sew all 4 pieces together. Then iron that long piece lengthwise. Ruffle the the strip. Attach the ruffle to the right side of the front of the pillow piece. Place the pillow backs on top of the front of the pillow right sides together. The pillow backs should overlap. Sew around the outside of the pillow. Finish edge with a serger if desired. Turn pillow inside out and you're finished.

Ruffle on front of pillow
  • cut a piece of fabric 20x20 (front of pillow)
  • cut 2 pieces 20x14 (back of pillow)
  • cut a stripe 3 inches wide by 2 1/2x the length of your pillow.
For the ruffle sew all pieces together. Then finish the outer edges with a narrow hem. Ruffle the strip. Attach and sew it to the front of the pillow. WIth right sides together pin the front and back pieces together. Sew along the outer edge. Serge edges if desired. Turn pillow inside out and you're done.

4 comments:

Lauren said...

I LOVE those pillows. I was just about to make some for my couch but now I'll have to see if I have a ruffler. Those are too cute. I love the colors. Great job!

Esther said...

I OFFICIALLY NEED A NEW MACHINE. A ruffler foot? THAT. IS. AWESOME.

Erin said...

Love the fabric. I just made new valances for my kitchen in the red/ white Amy Butler floral you have.

Gretchen said...

Another vote for love. If I send you a picture of MY lumpy couch will you send me some pillows? Seriously, nice job. Both chairs and couch are transformed and super cheery.