Freshening Up

A decade ago I started recovering dining chair cushions, and I’m quite sure I’ll never stop. It is such a quick and rewarding way to brighten your life with your favorite fabrics. As long as you avoid light colors, they’ll look good for 3-5 years (yes, even with kids!). By the time they’re faded or stained, you will look forward to an excuse to bring in something fresh, if you’re anything like me.

Today I recovered three chairs using these lovelies: Kismet Fleuron Haven, Kismet Kantha Charcoal and Good Folks Cathedral from Anna Maria Horner. I’m opting for simple, 1-fabric covers this time, because it feels like a little less is more in my current space.

My process? Cut fabric larger than the cushion so that it can wrap all the way around the edges. Quilt the cushion cover with batting but no backing. Remove the cushion from the chair (my chairs all are from Ikea). Then wrap/staple the new cushion cover on. Reattach the cushion and you're done!

This time I have a definite favorite, and you might be surprised that it’s the black chair. Whaaaat?

For real. I quilted that one with a motif called Floral Frenzy. The scale is just right, and it shows off beautifully on this otherwise simple fabric. Sometimes you get lucky.

In contrast, the same quilting motif doesn’t look nearly so nice on the wine/orange Cathedral print. It kind of gets lost, especially because I quilted the motif a tad too big. It’s not terrible, but I do feel that a simple stripe would have been better on the Cathedral cushion cover.

And, of course, I am fond of this blooming beauty. I can’t get enough of that fabric - Kismet Fleuron. So glad I took the plunge and remade my space with it as my starting point. I’ve not had an ounce of regret. When it is love, you know it.