Recovering Dinette Cushions

I'm not going to lie. When I first starting thinking about recovering the dinette cushions for our trailer I got nervous. I love me some sewing, but I still haven't completely mastered putting in zippers. (I've actually only done it once.) Plus, we've just had so much other stuff going on lately. I just wanted to do something simple to recover the cushions. So I did was any other modern day housewife/stay-at-home mom would do...I looked on Pinterest for ideas! After searching for what seemed like FOREVER (mostly because I got so side tracked. *Wait, how did I end up pinning all these cupcake and frosting recipes?!*) I didn't find anything that really helped me. Pretty much everything had to do with sewing. That's when I decided to do wrap them. Yep! Wrap them up like a present! Simple enough, Right? So here we go.

Your (almost no sew*) 

step-by-step guide 

to recovering 

dinette cushions

*You could do this completely no sew if you wanted to. 

I just wanted to hem a few of the edges.

What You'll Need: 

• Dinette Cushions 
• Fabric - about 5-6 yards (I used a Pro-Tuff Outdoor Fabric from Walmart - Polyester/PVC)
• Scissors  
• Measuring board/tape
• Sewing Machine (optional)
• Thread (optional) 
• Sewing pins
• e6000 glue - We got ours from Home Depot 

Step One

Open your fabric up and lay it out horizontally (selvage edges up/down) on a table, floor, or any big work space. Measure about 6 inches in from the edge of the fabric and lay down your cushion. 

Step Two

Measure 6 inches from the right side of the cushion. Cut all the way across the fabric. Then place the cushion in the middle of the cut piece of fabric. Be sure to keep 6 inches on each side. 

*Optional Step

I quickly turned my raw edges in about 1/2 inch and sewed them down. I don't think I really needed to because this fabric didn't unravel at all after being cut. BUT I'm a worrier and I know these are going to get a lot of use. So I just did this extra step as a precaution. Depending on what type of fabric you're using, you might want to do this. :) 

Step Three

Fold up the bottom section of fabric to cover the back of the cushion. 

Fold down the top to repeat the process. 

Pull the fabric taut as you fold the top down and pin the fabric into place. 

Step Four

On the side, tuck the fabric you just folded under the cushion. This will help create triangles on the side to fold in.

 Just like wrapping a present, fold in the corners of the sides to meet the side of the cushion. Pin in place

Pull the fabric taut then fold the flap up and over the back of the cushion. Make sure to smooth out any wrinkles or extra fabric. Pin in place. 

Repeat with other side. 

Step Five

Unpin your cushion (we only unpinned one side at a time so that the fabric wouldn't slid around at all.) Take the e6000 glue and first glue along the seam on the back of the cushion. Press and pin into place. 

Repeat the gluing process one side at a time. Glue the triangles to the side of the cushion. Next, glue the flap up to the side of the cushion. Lastly, glue the tip of the flap to the side or back - wherever it falls on the cushion. Pin in place to help hold until the glue sets (24-72 hours.)

And that's it! Set that baby off to the side to dry for a few days. Just don't forget to remove the pins before using it! Here's the before and after pictures of our dinette cushions. 

(**Please note: This is a semi-permanent cover. The fabric we used is NOT washable. So we chose to glue the fabric instead of using a different closure method. This is not meant for covers that will need to be washed periodically.**)

Let me know in the comments what you think about the tutorial and any questions that you may have! 

Until we have s'more! 

Busy Busy!

Hello again! It's be quite a while since my last post. Boy, have we been busy!! Work has been super hectic for Jon. I swear his phone never stopped ringing the past few weeks. Plus, M started gymnastics and C has officially started teething. Oh yeah, AND our dog, Elmer, got very sick. We were up every hour with him for a few nights. That was not fun at all. Poor guy. Thankfully he pulled through and is doing great now.

I don't like blogs that talk forever about random stuff. I always scroll past all that. So I'll get right to the good stuff. We've been busy on the trailer, too! By "we" I mean Jon. Jon has been busy working on the trailer. He's been spending his free time painting EVERYTHING. It's really coming along! Here's our progress:

Jon took down the ugly window covering things. 

We went to Home Depot and bought some boards to make these. 

Nothing fancy. Just nice and simple. 

Good-bye ugly floral wallpaper!

Hellllllllooooo New Paint!!!!

We painted right on top of all the wallpaper. 

First layer was a gripper to help the paint stick.

M loves to watch Jon work on trailer. 

Actually, she likes playing with the tools and tape. 

Two coats of an off white "elegant eggshell" color.

While the paint inside the trailer dried, Jon started painting all the cabinet doors, hinges, and handles. 

Spray painted primer on the handles and hinges then spray painted them with a silver and clear coat.

No. More. Gold!!!

M helped Jon paint the cabinet doors. 

Priming all the cabinets and wood in the trailer.

I've been busy too! 

Sewing and recovering stuff. 

I've started a little hoarding corner for camper stuff in my dining room. 

Curtains and tie backs, throw pillows, dinette cushions, and the little chair railing things for the dinette. 

All just waiting for Jon to finish painting. 

Dinette Cushions

<-- BEFORE & AFTER -->

(Click HERE for my tutorial.)

I don't have any pictures of me sewing anything. I usually sew on duty nights or when Jon is at work during the day.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love me some selfies, but just not when there's a needle involved. I'm pretty clumsy and would rather not take a trip to the ER because I sewed through my finger. 

We're really hoping to have everything finished and put back together in the trailer by the end of next weekend. That way we can start packing because...we've booked our first camping trip!!! We've booked a spot at an RV park for Memorial Day. Which means we only have two weeks to get everything done! *que small anxiety attack* I know it'll all come together. Hopefully. 

Speaking of our first camping trip, what are your top 10 MUST HAVES for a trailer? 

Until we have s'more! 

Get ready to be FLOORed!

The weather has been so nice lately that we decided to enjoy a fire in the back yard. Of course, we HAD to make some s'mores. Jon got the marshmallows out then I realized we were out of honey crackers. Eating s'mores turned into eating roasted marshmallows. Though, I'm pretty sure M didn't care. She loved the idea of having a treat (or two) before dinner!!

After what seemed like forever, it finally rained. Guess what. NO LEAKS!!! Yay! *Happy Dance* Which means we were finally able to start on the flooring. We started with pulling up staples and more staples. And. More. Staples. (Seriously, I'm pretty sure they went a little staple happy when they put the carpet in.)  We pulled staples for several days. Even M helped out! 

Saturday was a relaxing day. Jon went golfing with two of his buddies that were both transferring. We spent the evening just doing nothing. M played in the yard while we sat on the porch with C. Sunday morning Jon watched the kids so that I could have a few hours to myself. C is still exclusively breast fed and doesn't like to take bottles. He also likes to eat constantly. Me getting more than 30 minutes to myself is pretty much unheard of. I pumped that morning then went off to enjoy almost four hours of doing absolutely nothing by myself. It was glorious! But I started really missing my babies and it was so nice outside. I knew it'd be a good day to play outside and work on the trailer. 

That afternoon Jon started laying down new flooring! We decided to go with Style Selections Peel & Stick Vinyl from Lowe's. It looks like wood laminate, but it's more lightweight. After making sure all the staples were up, Jon sanded down a few spots on the sub floor to make sure everything was even. He vacuumed like a mad man. He primed the floors using Henry's Self-Stick Tile Primer. He had to wait about two hours for that to dry. Then the moment we've been waiting for finally happened. He laid the first plank! It's taken him two days so far. Working around military schedule is hard, especially when the boat is in port and you have duty days. Anyways, the first day he did the kitchen/dining area. Day two he worked on the living room and bedroom area. It looks amazing! Check out those before and after pictures at the bottom! 

Day one: Primer

Laying the first plank! 

But first, let me take a selfie! 

The end of day one. It looks so good!! 

Day two: Primer

M wanted to get in and help Daddy. She loves working with him! 

Guys. I am in LOVE with these floors! 

Next project: New curtains! 

Leave us a comment and tell us what you think of the new floors. Until we have s'more!