Re-cover a Patio Cushion

So, I'm not going to lie. I've been dreading this post just as much as I was dreading actually making the darn things. First off, I had no idea what I was doing so I'm not really an expert on the matter anyway. But then I thought....so what? I did it, it turned out great...I may or may not be able to explain how I did it very well, but thats who I am and thats what this blog is all about :) We live, we learn, we tell....and then we just hope people understand it, right?

So, lets begin!
We got this patio set the summer after we moved into our house. So, we've had it about two years now. It may look good to you, but those cushions use to be green. Yep, deep forest green. And the wood on the table and chairs already need to be restained. Two years, folks. Two years.
For some reason when I bought these, I thought they would last a little bit longer than that. What was I thinking, silly ol' me. I even brought them inside for winter! And the worst part is, that the cushions looked like this last year. Thats only one year where they were actually green.

Well...I could have left them. But I didn't like the color. It was washed out, faded...and purple. Not my style at all. And I hated sitting on them cuz I had no CLUE what was in them....spiders, bugs, dirt, bugs, stickers, bugs. Who knows what the wind blows in or what climbs up those chairs. Anyway. I wouldn't sit on them. And I didn't know how to clean them unless I sprayed them down. Then they would be wet. And by the time they were dried, I would have forgotten that I was going to sit on them anyway and then by the next time I wanted to sit down, they were dirty again....its an on going circle....

I thought of just replacing all the cushions. The cheapest I found per chair was about $40. Plus I have a love seat bench type thing that is still in the basement that I would have to purchase new cushions for and that was ranging in the $100 range...And that still didn't solve my cleaning dilemma.

So, I decided to go the cheaper route and make covers on my own, ones that I could wash often and that would dry quickly. I thought about using outdoor fabric...then priced that out, and it would have been about $100 for all the cushions. Too much for me. I looked at my pillows that have been out there just as long as the current cushions, and they aren't outdoor fabric and seem to look great compared to the darn cushions! So I opted for the same kind of fabric the pillow covers are made out of, semi-outdoor is what I call it. Although its probably not at all. But it is for me! And then to go even cheaper...I didn't want to cover the back with the 'expensive' fabric when no one is going to see it. So I bought some cheap black dollar fabric for it. :) With this...my price per chair went down to $8.

So, to start. I took a yard and a half of my nice fabric and turned it upside down on the cushion. The bottom piece of the cushion was thinker than the top so it sloped down a little, but I didn't worry about that part of it, it would just fold into the cushion crease anyway.
I then pinched the fabric, and pinned the pinch all the way around the whole cushion. 
Next, I took the fabric off the cushion carefully and stitched the pinch closed with my sewing machine.
I then laid the fabric back on the cushion and maneuvered it into place.
Flipped it upside down (you probably don't really have to for this part) and pinned down the four corners from top to bottom where I wanted to sew, then left over piece will resemble a triangle (if that makes sense). This creates the dimension for the seat. Take off the fabric. Sew where you pinned and put the fabric back on the cushion. 
Carefully flip over the cushion. Now first off, you will need to measure the size of the top back cushion, and the bottom back cushion.
Cut the black piece a couple inches longer on each side. Fold over and stitch the fabric where the 'open' part is going to be on the cushion.
Now place the black fabric upside down on the cushion and line up.
Pin the black fabric to the other fabric on all three sides (do the top or bottom first, but not both at the same time). Slide the cushion out carefully and sew along your pins.
Now do the other section the same way.

Once everything is sewn together, you may want to send another stitch around everything to make sure its secure.

For me, putting the cushions back on was the hardest part. It was a game of shimmying....pull down one side, pull down the other. And since the two sections are attached (top and bottom) it was easier to fold the cushion in half and put both pieces into the cover at the same time, and do the shimmy dance all at the same time with both top and bottom.

Once that hurdle was over, I was glad to see it turned out perfect! 
This took about an hour to an hour and a half for each chair.
I have yet to tackle the big bench.
That may be saved for next year :)

Next in line for a makeover??? That darn wood!
I see a lot of sanding in my future :)
I'm not sure if I should keep the wood blackish brown....or paint it all black or even white!
What do you think?? I'm leaning towards white, but I'm not so sure I want to attack those crazy angles on the chairs just yet. Maybe keep only the table white??

37 comments

  1. Seriously, they look amazing! I have a bunch of cushions that I need to make for both inside and outside and I've been making throw pillows instead. I just can't quite get up the courage to start on them!

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  2. Love the new cushions. I wouldn't change the chairs to white though... the normal outside dirt will be very noticeable!

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  3. wow they turned out great! I actually really like the color of the stain on your chairs that you already have!

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  4. Love that fabric! You did a great job!

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  5. I love that fabric! You did a great job :) I wouldn't paint the chairs white...they would show dirt so easily! I like the color you have or go all black!

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  6. love the cushions and i agree....don't go white! leave them as is or go all black.

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  7. Like the fabric you chose...I like the color of the chairs already!

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  8. beautiful fabric!! Where did you find it? (I would also vote for leaving the chairs the color they are - I think it looks great!)

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  9. These look fabulous! I'm thoroughly impressed!

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  10. Ooh, I love it! The new fabric goes perfect with the black chairs :) I would love it if you'd link this up to my thrifty thursday link party! I know my readers would enjoy this just as much as I did.

    thriftyandfabuless.blogspot.com

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  11. Where did you find the fabric?????

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  12. Absolutely positively FABULOUS...just as they are!!

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  13. Oh, I love that fabric! So pretty:) You did such a great job!! Love the way they turned out! I am a new follower!
    www.karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com

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  14. Great job! Love the fabric, and the price! You make it look so easy, I might just try it on mine... :)
    I Like the black.

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  15. I Love the new fabric! I featured this today at my party. Feel free to grab a button for your blog, if you'd like :)

    http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/2011/08/delightfully-inspiring-thursday-party.html

    DaNita

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  16. I love the fabric too! Great job and price! Where did you find the fabric?

    xo, laura

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  17. Really creative. I can make one myself.

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  18. Cushions look great! Keep the black.

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  19. I recovered my outside patio chairs and used shower curtains. The water repels off it better and they look pretty.

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  20. Wow!! These look great, and perfect timing that I saw your post since I was getting ready to fork out the dough for new cushions. Sad that they hold up well but the color fades so fast :(

    I think your chairs would look awesome in white. If you don't want to tackles the curves use spray paint. I have used spray paint on a lot of wood furniture (Valspar + Primer is awesome). And you jut have to give everything a light hand sanding.

    Great job and nice thorough tutorial!

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    1. Jacque,
      Do you mean that you can just do a light sanding and then spray paint? Do you not have to strip the wood? I have some chairs I want to paint, but I am put off by the thought of how long it will to strip them.
      Rhonda

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    2. I spray paint EVERYTHING!!! Or if it just needs a bit of a touch up, I use a magic marker. I have a black dresser that had a few marks on it, not any more thanks to a black marker. Did the same thing with an old beat up kids desk. Found a marker the same color and everywhere there was a scratch I markered it and then wiped it with a tissue to blend it. It's that light brown wood desk everyone has had at one time or another. Also, that shelf paper you can get at a dollar store, I papered the top of a similar desk and nobody even knows!!

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    3. You can also paint the top of a child's desk with blackboard spray paint and they can write on it with chalk. Wipes right off.

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  21. WOW! These cushions look a lot better when you covered them Well, I think you may have to redesign your patio to complement the colors of the cushion. You can also change the color of the fabric and match it with the brown color scheme of your patio. :)

    Ryann@YanceyCompany.com

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  22. I recently restained my patio furniture (and blogged about it too!), and am now on the hunt for inexpensive pillows! HUGE improvement on your chairs

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  23. It's all wonderful and they look great, but I need to know how to best attach buttons (the old seat cushions I'm recovering have indentations - w/buttons). I thought you might have a better method than the one i"m using - 'cause i'm having a hard time with it.

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  24. Love this!! I wouldn't even change the wood...I like the shabby chic look!

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  25. This is really fun! I think I've thrown out a few sets that looked like that. That's pretty impressive how you were able to salvage them. If anybody's looking for new cushions, you should read this.

    http://www.patioproductions.com/blog/patio-furniture/dont-wear-out-your-bum/

    Great source for info!

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  26. So fantastic, I've got an old worn out chair in my garage it looks very similar to your chairs, I think I'll make it an outdoor seat! Thanks for the inspiration

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  27. I follow what you did till you put the back on...I'm not understanding how you attached the 2 together...probably because the colors are hard to see...they look great and love the black chairs...Currently doing my second set and was looking for an easier method...

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  28. Can you please let me know where you found this fabric? I have a client that is in love with it.

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  29. Did you leave the end open or use velcro or a zipper to close?

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  30. So excited to find this! I have a few cushions I’d like to cover just for a different pop of color. Will have to enlist my mom’s help on this one, but it looks pretty achievable! Pinning!
    Outdoor Chair Cushions

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  31. So fantastic,You can also change the color of the fabric and match it with the brown color scheme of your patio. :)

    http://goo.gl/F2wVSh

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  32. Try using a fabric shower curtain, these come in 72x72 inch lengths and can be washed! :) I shop Marshall's and I am never disappointed in what I find in the shower curtain area! Great article on tackling some dirt! I like the contrast of the black wood.

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  33. Cushions are the necessary parts of a sofa set. The beauty of a sofa mostly depends on cushions. So one must choose handmade cushion cover carefully.

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  34. I know I'm late to this party, but so glad I found your blog. I've been considering making slipcovers for my patio chair cushions and the cost of fabric is why I have delayed for a few years, but putting cheaper fabric on the backs would cut the cost greatly. What an ingenious idea...at least for me, with my limited sewing experience. Thanks for sharing! :)

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happy DIYing! Alicia