When I first spoke of doing new slipper chair slipcovers, several of you emailed me, in horror, that I would consider covering our red chairs in a neutral color (you can see them here). Trust me, I haven't completely lost my mind! There's really a plan behind this madness.
Here's little history on the chairs. They came to me in 1997 when a friend pulled up in front of our house unannounced, carried them in, and said "I bought these chairs at a sample sale today. You need them. They're your color. And by the way you owe me 80 bucks." Seriously, I got both of these for just $80.
They had really brightly striped cushions, and the red cotton that you still see below was on the base. I lived with them for a while, then decided that I was done with the stripe. I bought what I thought was enough fabric to slipcover both chairs, but never got any farther than the cushions, as I had not gotten enough fabric. Of course, when I went back for more, it was sold out. These two fabrics matched at that point, so it was okay. But too many years sitting in west-facing windows led to this
They're gross. Seriously faded, and filthy. Aren't you glad I never showed this before ? :) 15 years of kids, animals, and family living will do that. It's really time for an update! When I realized that I had pinned white slipcovers over and over again, I knew I was ready to make the change.
What a difference! I love them!
And again, this neutral base gives me more opportunity to change my pillows and accessories on a seasonal basis. They look great with the Christmas plaid pillows
And the Pottery Barn knock off sweater pillow (from a $2 thrift store sweater!)
Ticking stripes and toile would be an option, too.
How fun will it be this spring to make some vintage tablecloth pillows! I have wanted those forever, but they would never have worked with the old fabric. I can't say enought about how crazy I am about this fabric, the washed and bleached canvas drop cloths. This entire chair was done with a two-pack of drop cloths, purchased for $15. I was initially concerned that they wouldn't be light enough, but once on the chair, they appear lighter than the fabric actually is. It's a great cross between white and ivory. I really could not have chosen a worse time of day to take these photos, but I hope you get the idea.
Ugh, now the rest of the room looks horrible! I think I just created a few more projects for myself :)
And while I do have a good amount of sewing experience, I truly feel that even those of you with just basic sewing skills could do this. I photographed the entire process, and hope to complete an organized tutorial in the next few days. Once you all see how simple it really was, I hope you'll be tackling your own slipcovers.
Thanks so much for coming by to see my new slipcover! I'll finish the second one tomorrow, then you all will probably get bombarded with more photos of these chairs than you ever thought possible.
I'm joining:
Diann's Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove
Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Farmhouse Friday at Laurie Anna's
Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Heather and Vanessa's Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence
Karen's What Have You Redone at Redoux
Honey's Potpourri Friday at 2805
Sherry's Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Jen's Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello
Donna's Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors












