House Homemade: Outdoor Fabric Roundup

We spend a lot of time outside most of the year but the spring has a special place in my heart. I love that it isn't miserably hot yet. There usually aren't mosquitoes. And our plants start growing and blooming and making me so happy. The girls love exploring and making "potions" out of whatever they may find. We grill a lot more and stay out a lot later than normal. Spring is the best!

I posted this picture of our front yard to my Instagram last week. We've done so much work to our house and it's so sweet to look at this picture and be thankful for the little piece of space God gave us.

That being said, I also use springtime to clean and freshen things up. I got the chairs on our front porch for $15 at a yard sale a few years ago. I covered them in this (indoor) floral fabric that I had laying around and they've probably lasted out there for 2 years. Whenever they'd start to fade, I'd just flip them over. That technique eventually ran it's course and this spring, it was time to replace them.

Amazon is basically my favorite store...I don't know if you know this, but they sell EVERYTHING. You're welcome. So I browsed the outdoor fabric selection and bought a couple yards of something that I thought would look good now and look good as it faded....because my cheapness always has me thinking 3 steps ahead.

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The cushions are one long cushion with a break in the middle so basically, I sewed a huge pillowcase and slid the insert in. 'Eyeballing it' is my super sophisticated technique for measuring.

The makeover took me about 20 minutes one morning before most people (people without toddlers) are even awake. I am NOT a seamstress but I got the job done. Actually I think sewing outdoor fabric is much easier because it's very stiff and easy to work with.

This picture was taken weeks after the "before" shot. Look at how much bigger the plants are! Heart eyes. (I'll tell you about that super easy, super cheap "hello" sign at some point.)

front porch, chair makeover- House Homemade

I found the table in between the chairs on a facebook garage sale page. It's resin and perfect for outside.

The chairs on the back patio were given to us years ago. Shout out, Kels! I recovered every huge cushion and they have always stayed under the porch so that they would look nice for as long as possible. They still look pretty good but their time is running short. I will probably keep them the way they are through the summer and repaint and recover them in the fall.

You saw the little spring tray wreath here and the ironing board was $1.50 at a garage sale. I spray painted it, wrote on it and attached Christmas lights on the back so that it can be plugged in for cuteness at night.

The green bentwood hooks were from Ikea last summer. It's a shame they don't have them anymore and a shame that I didn't buy another for somewhere inside... This whole patio needs some love.

But the chairs are all facing out because:

Thank you husband, for the big deck, magical tree fort and usually freshly cut grass. It all makes my heart happy.

In case you are looking for an update to your patio and upholstered cushions, I've done a round up of great fabrics for you! Most of these are under $10 a yard so even if it doesn't fall under the free shipping category, it's usually still cheaper than going out to the store. Plus you aren't going out to the store!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

I think its fun to branch out when choosing fabric for outside. I like to pick fabrics that are a bit more vibrant or bold than what I would use inside the house. I think number 8 might be what I buy for the back porch chairs.. That fabric with some bright outdoor pillows might be motivating me to redo them sooner.

Another thing to think about for you ladies with wee ones- Outdoor fabric is great for floor cushions or upholstered dining chairs because it's easily scrubbable and much heartier than the indoor stuff.

Hope these finds are helpful for you. Make sure you let me know if you update anything around your house!

Thanks for reading, friends!

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