Variations on a theme...

Yesterday I showed you my vintage patio set makeover. I love that fabric! I chose it because I wanted something with a darker background that wouldn't look so dirty all the time. I'm a big fan of brown. It's probably more of a staple in my wardrobe than black (oh my!) - so I wasn't at all surprised that I was drawn to it in the amazingly vast sea of outdoor canvas that was available at the fabric store this year! Seriously there were at least 100 bolts to choose from that weren't special order! Heaven!

So let it be known, I can't sew. I want to sew. I can more or less sew a not so straight line. I took 2 semesters of sewing in high school, but alas...my mom pretty much did my work. I admit it. I mentioned before that having a mom who sews ROCKS. I promise I will learn to do it at some point - like when I have a PLACE to do it...soon. Soon...

Over the years my mom has sewn clothes for me (from the time I was a baby up until high school), she made a  bed skirt for me when I went off to college, and throw pillows for my bed. She made drapes and pillow covers for me when I bought my house (the very same week I graduated from college no less - speaking of college graduation - she altered the dress I bought for that too). She even whips up heating pad covers like they're going out of style (for my iguanas). She hems my pants, she alters things that don't fit quite right on me...yep - my mom is awesome like that! 

This time I hit her up for removable covers for my patio cushions. You know...like 3 days before my Memorial Day party (yes, she does have a full time job - she also keeps saying she's going to retire - we'll see...) Mom is rarely one to disappoint. So of course I had all new covers for my patio furniture...and even some extra goodies when she showed up (late...because she realized she never  stitched the 4th chair cushion together).

(two before photos of the cushions)

Behold my beautiful porch and deck - and mom's handiwork. 

The deck - pardon the grill cover draped over the deck railing...I promise it's not a Hefty bag! Not a bad patio set for the side of the road eh? No, i'm not Canadian...

Chair cushions re-covered so they can be washed

The vintage lounge chair - thought I would give the retro print a rest and get a coordinating stripe to break it up. Mom had leftover canvas so she whipped up a tie on pillow cover (like you use on a hammock) only she forgot to grab a bag of stuffing- it's on my to-do list.

Better shot of the pattern...pardon the hanging thing behind it. That's the inflatable salad bar that we used at the party on Sunday...has to hang to dry before rolling it up to put away. Don't want any mold...

The bench on my front porch..and a bonus pillow for the rocking chair!

Yes, I realize my porch needs some work. It's going to get extended about 3' so I haven't bothered to stain the concrete since i'd just end up doing it again anyway.

Yes...that rocker is another project...you can see that Mr. Paisley started sanding it...

Mom and I talked about getting more of the stripe fabric and doing a "wrap" for the back and seat of the rocker. I had planned to redo the rush, but maybe not at this point if the cover works :-)

I'm linking up to these parties today -

check out what all the other crafty bloggers have going on!

 

I'm going to submit this for thrifty too - because we re-covered existing yucky cushions instead of buying new ones. It wasn't cheap, but I did get the outdoor canvas 50% off ($8.99 a yard) and it still cost less than buying new cushions - let alone throw pillows. It's a bargain in my book - plus washable! So they'll last more than one season. Go Green!