Garden furniture nightmare!

Many years ago my husband surprised me with outdoor furniture for our redwood deck.  At the time green wrought iron was all the rage.  He brought home an oval table, six dining chairs, a glider and two lounge chairs.  The following spring we added four bar chairs and a baker's rack.  Sometime after that,  a bistro table and two chairs made the trip home.  All was well in our little outdoor space.  We hosted many bar-b-ques and have lots of happy memories.

Unfortunately, time changes everything. Now the furniture is too green, spindly and a pain to clean. The original cushions are long gone and the cheap replacements just don't cut it. Unfortunately, our budget does not allow room for new outdoor furniture. Oh how I long for beautifully uphostered sectional with lots of throw pillows!

Well, I can mope around and avoid the backyard or I can do what I do best.  Sew.  My go to fabric is canvas drop cloth from the hardware store.  It's cheap, easy to clean and virtually indestructible.  I slipcovered an old hand-me-down ottoman with a canvas drop cloth a few years ago. Our dogs use it as a perch while they monitor the front yard for enemy intruders-aka the mailman.  Once a week, I throw it in the washer, dryer and back on the ottoman.  No ironing needed.  It looks beautiful!

In the coming weeks, I will use canvas drop cloths to refresh and update my outdoor space.  So far, I used one 9 x 6 cloth ($10.95) to recover the dining chair seat cushions.  I have plans for drapes, to make the space feel cozy as well as frame the view, a slipcover and throw pillows for the glider as well as slipcover two of the dining chairs so that they look more substantial.

Check in to view my progress and share your ideas and comments.