It was in Home Economics class in the eighth grade, when I came to the conclusion that I would never be a good seamstress. After weeks of instruction and hands on training, our teacher, Mrs. Z, announced it was time for us to spread our wings and complete our very own sewing project.
I can still remember how sweaty my palms were when Mrs. Z handed me my assignment–a pattern for a vest.
“I think velour would be the perfect material for your assignment,” she’d said. (Don’t laugh-this was in the late 70’s folks-velour WAS in!!!) But, the truth is- I could have cared less about what material I was going to use. All I could think about was how much I HATED sewing, and now I HAD to do it-or I wouldn’t pass the class!!!
I’m not sure why I hated sewing. All that measuring,cutting (have I told you I can’t cut a straight line?),and threading a sharp needle, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Never mind the fact that I constantly pricked my fingers with SAID needle!!! NOT FUN!
But maybe it’s genetic. Growing up, the only thing I ever saw mom sew was a button, and even then, she struggled.
Regardless-I was young and impressionable back then-so I bit my lip and concentrated on completing my vest. Did I get an A? NO! Did I ever wear the vest? NO! (I won’t embarrass myself any further-but I will tell you it had something to do with alignment!)
Any who- not much has changed since that horrifying experience way back when. I still hate sewing. In fact-I avoid it like the plague!
Which brings me to my latest project-the outdoor cushions on our porch chairs.
I’ve had them for about 3 years, and although they’ve held up pretty well (they are usually kept out of the elements being on the covered porch) the fabric is beginning to fade. Since there are only 4 cushions, I figured I could replace them pretty inexpensively. But then I realized I would also need to replace the cushions on my porch swing and wicker loveseat. KA-CHING! KA-CHING!
The cost to replace all was WAY over my budget-so I went online, in search of a more-budget friendly way to recover them.
Initially, all my searches ended up with that dreaded word- SEWING, and then, as I was browsing the site of one my favorite bloggers- I found one that didn’t. Diane, over at In my own style, had a great tutorial on how she recovered her porch swing cushion using pins! What a great idea!!!
It was-until I happened to mention what I was going to do to hubby one day. “I’m not sitting on anything that could potentially stab me in the butt,” he said.
Obviously, there was little chance that would happen (the pins are on the bottom side of the cushion), but I figured it would be just my luck, that no matter if I followed Diane’s instructions to a T or not, hubby would somehow end up with a pin in his hind end.
So…….I did this instead.
First- the budget friendly part- I picked up this shower curtain at Target for the clearance price of only $5.99!!!
Although I loved the color palette (blue, tan and green), I didn’t like the stripes. Patterns mean “alignment”, and we all know how that worked for me. But, after telling myself over and over, that if it didn’t work out-I was only losing $6, I finally bought the curtain. It was the perfect size for my 4 cushion-and water repellent to boot!
On a later visit to my local Walmart-I had a visit with a nice lady in their fabric department, and she told me about this amazing product!!! Can you believe it???? Someone out there must have gone through the same experience I did when they created this ‘no sew’ gem!!!
Following the instructions I’d read in all the tutorials, I measured my cushions, and cut the fabric so I would have at least 2 inches extra on every side. I then began wrapping it like you would a Christmas present.
I was doing just fine-until I remembered my cushions have ties on them!!!! Several of the tutorials mentioned this factor-but those crafty ladies knew what they were doing-and me…well, let’s just say I was back in eighth grade and in PANIC mode all over again!!!
And then it came to me….
I simply made a small incision in the fabric and pulled the existing ties through!!! After all-the ties are hidden underneath the cushions anyway!!! YAY-score one for ME!!!
After that little snafu- I continued to ‘package’ up my cushion, pinning it as I went to keep the fabric tight.
Once the cushion was completely covered, I began the process of sealing the fabric to the cushion.
This process was SOOOOOO easy!!!!
1. Turn your iron on to the WOOL setting.
2. Cut your stitch witchery to the size needed.
3. Place the stitch witchery between your fabric and the cushion.
4. Hold your iron down for a count of 30.
5. Continue this process until all sides are sealed.
Viola!!!
Once cushion down- three more to go!!
Okay-I can hear you laughing already! “But your cushion patterns aren’t lined up,” your saying between giggles. You are absolutely right! And guess what? That’s okay-for me! I never intended to go through the long process of making sure the lines were perfect. In fact-I wanted them to be IMPERFECT-because that’s how I role. It’s just to darn stressful sometimes to be PERFECT.
And why would I want more stress?
Hubby and I enjoy our time sitting out on our porch.
I pulled out the water fountain, which sits right near the porch. And after a quick cleaning-it will soon be playing our favorite song!
We have an amazing view of blooming flowers and trees….
While we sip a cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade!
Here’s to IMPERFECTION and NO SEWING!!!
Happy Wednesday!