Monday, June 20, 2011

. . . DIY Cushion Cover and A Yarn Wreath . . .

I have a bench sitting on my front porch that my parents and sister gave us as a housewarming gift years ago.  It came from an Amish Woodworker and I love it because of the sentimental value.  I don't like it without a cushion and for the first few years of owning it I'd go out and buy new cushions but they are pricey and fade so quickly in the amount of sun we get on the front porch.  I finally got smart and started covering the cushion with a vinyl tablecloth!  It is not a bench we use alot so I never worry about the cover shifting or anything like that so I don't know if it would work on a bench you sit on daily.  It is so much fun to pick up seasonal tablecloths and cover the bench--and don't forget CHEAP!  Most of the time the tablecoths can be used again so I have a stack of them in my garage and just recover it with them when I want a change.

I also like to have my front door decorated with a wreath that matches the cushion cover of the moment so with July 4th right around the corner I decided to go with a Red, White & Blue theme.  Do you remember these Fuzzy Yarn Wreathes I made?  Well, I thought this was probably the perfect wreath to make again in red, white and blue yarn and add stars--luckily my grandmother had tons of red, white and blue yarn so it was a very inexpensive project.  I printed off stars in the size I wanted--2, 3 and 4 inches-and cut them out of cardstock to trace them onto my felt, cut them out then I pinned them to the wreath with pearl head pins.  Tada!  It's totally festive for the Independence Day Holiday.

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The cushion is still wrapped in the bright tablecloth I used at the beginning of summer.
You will need a vinyl tablecloth and safety pins.

See how terribly faded this cushion cover became over time?  Well, I no longer worry about fading because it's so inexpensive to go snatch up a cute vinyl tablecloth.

Lay out your new tablecloth backside up.  Place cushion in center making sure the tablecloth is smoothed out.

Take one end and pull up over the cushion tightly.
 
Now you are basically just going to do a "gift" wrap technique and place your safety pins throughout so it doesn't come undone.  I typically use three pins on each end and then three across the cushion bottom.

Flip over the cushion to place on your bench.  Don't worry about the creases from the folds because they will go away very quickly. 

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Yarn Wreath for July 4th
•  Cut all the yarn you want to use in long strips the same length.  I find cutting enough yarn to cover about half the wreath works great otherwise it's too much yarn and it gets tangled.  
• Pin your yarn to the wreath form and start wrapping continuously around the form.
• Trace out your stars or circles to create flowers.
• You might one more than one size star templates.  I used 2, 3 and 4 inches.

 • I layered 3 stars together in alternating color.
• Pin your stars to your wreath with a pearl head pin
• I put three stars on one side and two on the other
• Hang on your door


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6 comments:

  1. I LOVE the vinyl table cloth idea for outdoor seat cushions! SO much cheaper than buying new pillows every time you'd like a change. :) I also really love your yarn wreath. The fuzzy yarn is so fun! :)

    http://craftysix.blogspot.com

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  2. What a great idea! Loved your diy projects! Beautiful blog and now, am your newest follower....hope you will follow me back:)

    ~Sanghamitra.

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  3. I LOVE that yarn wreath! The fuzzy yarn is so much fun and almost gives it a "firework" effect! Very clever on the tablecloth for the cushion cover too! Thanks so much for sharing your fun ideas! :-)

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  4. So cute! I love the new red white & blue cushion and the yarn wreath is too cute!

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  5. Love your red, white and blue! I especially love that wreath with the fuzzy yarn. I have some of it and I love working with it.

    Cheers,
    Tracy Screaming Sardine

    ReplyDelete

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