You guys may recognize these chairs I reupholstered from Drop Cloth. I shared a couple of photos with the chairs in my most recent post about how to make easy 3D DIY Dollar Store Thanksgiving Wall Art Signs.
Today I’m going to talk all about how I made these Reupholstered Drop Cloth Chairs with a Hand Stitched Design.
It would be a lie if I said this was my newest completed DIY project. I actually reupholstered these Drop Cloth chairs years ago.
In fact, I reupholstered these twice. The first time I attempted it was my first attempt at upholstery and it failed miserably.
I talked about how difficult reupholstering can be for a beginner in my How to Reupholster A Deconstructed Chair Series. Just like any hobby or special skill, practice makes perfect.
Since my first attempt at reupholstering these chairs, I’ve learned some useful tricks.
If you’re new to reupholstery and looking for tips, I recommend reading that series.
Like I said I’ve reupholstered these chairs twice now. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from the first attempt.
However, I was able to dig up a couple photos of the chairs when I first bought them.
I got these guys from a local ARC thrift store around 5 or so years ago.
At the time I was really loving white painted furniture made to look farmhouse style. I was trying to style my house in as much neutral and white colors as possible.
That was what I tried to do with this set of chairs. I took off all the existing upholstery. I was not conscious of trying to preserve the existing material for later use.
Then I bought the cheapest can of primer and painted a thin layer on the frames. I took some sandpaper I had on hand and attempted to give it that distressed look.
I used a very thin light-colored fabric clearly not for reupholstery to cover the front seat arms and main support, and used a similar light fabric in a mustard yellow color and cotton stems printed on it for the back on the opposite side.
Honestly, at first, the chairs didn’t look too bad but they didn’t last long at all.
At the time I used what are similar to brad nails to secure the new fabric on. I hadn’t used any sort of cording or decorative lining to finish the chairs off with either.
As you can imagine after any sort of contact with the chairs the fabric would pull right through the nails and fall off.
I left the chairs like this for several years. Not quite ready to attempt reupholstering them again until this last year.
Since then, my interior design style has changed.
Out of the white distressed farmhouse fetish to a more eclectic meets vintage meets farmhouse look with a new obsession for dark colors and fun prints.
Although I’m still trying to figure out how to blend all these looks together. One thing that hasn’t changed is my love for Drop Cloth.
What is Drop Cloth?
Drop Cloth is a thick cotton canvas material. It’s very durable and originally was used by painters to protect floors and furniture from getting paint on them.
Today I’ve seen it used countless ways in Home Decor and DIY projects of all kinds. I myself have used it to make curtains and these super easy personalized Drop Cloth Hampers.
Drop Cloth has become popular in DIY projects
Not only because it’s much cheaper than other fabric you’d buy from the store.
It’s also durable. The neutral color also makes it incredibly versatile.
I’ve seen armchair slipcovers sewn from Drop Cloth. However, I hadn’t seen it used much in upholstery.
When deciding to reupholster the chairs again I chose Drop Cloth.
About the Hand-Stitched Design
I didn’t want the chairs to be plain Drop Cloth. I hoped to create a unique look something I hadn’t seen on Pinterest that made them a little unique.
With a little Pinterest binge, I sketched a few ideas.
Landing on a simple cross stitch pattern in the same color I was painting the frames.
Black.
I used this black upholstery thread I had on hand and decided to leave the arms alone in the plain drop cloth.
I added a little upholstery burlap to the back for some change.
I’m all about saving money, and upholstery lining can be really expensive depending on how intricate it is.
Needless to say, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. Regardless, the chairs needed to be finished.
So in the spirit of repurposing, I used the sewn hem from the drop cloth as the lining.
I’m not sure if I’m going to leave the chairs like this or not.
Sometimes I look at them and wish I would have stitched the crosses in a smaller pattern.
As a whole, I think they turned out pretty nice for an inexpensive DIY project.
I’ve been loving black furniture lately. It’s funny how drastically your taste can change over time, isn’t it?
I don’t know about you guys but my taste seems to fluctuate constantly. What trends are you guys loving right now in home decor?
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Check out some of my other DIYs and upholstery projects if you’re looking for some more DIY inspiration.
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