Miss Dixie of DixieDIY.com contacted me a few weeks ago to ask me to write a guest post for her blog while she takes a much deserved vacation. I was thrilled and so honored that she asked me!

Unfortunately, I had to have a bit of unexpected surgery and missed the deadline to get everything to her. And I feel terrible about that, Dixie! I am sorry to have let you down.

So… I’m posting this little project here today, but would love it if you took a few minutes to visit Dixie’s awesome blog for a little fashion DIY inspiration. She’s a truly amazing seamstress.

I get so excited when I “shop” my fabric and supply stash and discover new ideas for things I already own. Isn’t that the best feeling?! And that’s where I began with this fun chair re-do.

Allow me a moment for backstory…

{Cue music…}

There was a time that I aspired to be a nursery designer. I had the good fortune to work with friends and friends-of-friends to create special spaces for their little ones and it brought me such joy! Thinking it would be a great source of “play money,” I jumped in and invested in a lot of really great materials.

After a couple of years, my enthusiasm waned and I began declining custom jobs. It proved to be a burden of stress lifted from my shoulders, but to this day, I still have tons of supplies cluttering my storage spaces. Take a look at this roll of bumper batting…

{Wait. I’ll say it for you… Holy cow! That’s a lot of batting!}

I’ve sold some and given some away, but there is still so… much… left. I have 5 rolls of this in storage. I’ve come up with some fairly creative uses for it. Such as…

This massive bulletin board:

And… these pot holders:

And… the chair makeover that I’m sharing with you today – redone entirely with materials that I already own.

I salvaged the chair from a university that was replacing old classroom furniture. What a find! Here’s the before:

Materials and tools used for this makeover:

  • Scrap fabric 
  • Bumper batting 
  • Hot glue gun/glue 
  • Staple gun/staples 
  • 1 ½ inch cover button 
  • Leftover nail head trim 
  • Sewing machine/Thread 

I cut the batting to fit the back of the chair and adhered in place with hot glue.

I cut a piece of fabric large enough to “upholster” the padded chair back. I tucked the edges in ½ inch all the way around (to hide the raw edge) and stapled into place.

I determined the dimensions for my skirt by measuring the sides and front of the chair and the length from the seat to the floor. I added extra width to accommodate side hems (1/2” each) and corner pleats (2” for each corner) and extra length to accommodate a top and bottom hem (1/2” each).

I sewed my side and bottom hems and pressed the top down by ½”. I then stapled the fabric to the chair by securing the top hem, forming my pleats as I worked my way around with the staples.

I then finished off the chair back and skirt with nail head trim.

And… here’s the after!

Isn’t it precious? I love the use of ticking because this chair can be used in feminine or masculine settings. I can use it in my boys’ rooms or in my guest room or in my studio. Gotta love multi-purpose furniture!!

Any ideas for more fun projects to use up my endless supply of bumper batting?