Do You Miss This Decorating Resource as Much as I Do?
There’s nothing quite like the calendar flipping to September to get my creative decorating juices flowing. Knowing that fall will soon be here makes me almost giddy with excitement. If you are a fall lover too, you know exactly what I mean.
Two weeks ago I shared in a post that I dumped the contents of my fall decor bin and more all out on my living room floor so I could start to figure out how I wanted to use it to decorate my house for fall this year.
But I ran into a problem when I wanted to change up the white slipcover fabric on the cushion on the ottoman that I have in the room. I was thinking of making a new slipcover for it using a fabric with brown in it since brown and darker moody colors are having a moment in the decor world now and of course brown in a fall color.
I love decorating with fabric, especially budget fabric that doesn’t cost $50 or more a yard. It is the fastest and easiest way to change the look of anything.
Since I was 24 and moved into my first home with my husband, Ed I began to decorate on a budget using both fabric and paint.
I would head to the fabric store with an image of the fabric I wanted to use in my mind. With the vision I could always find a fabric I envisioned at one of the many fabric stores that used to be in every town I lived in over the the last 42 years – Hancock Fabrics, Calico Corners and JoAnn Fabrics to name a few.
I always went straight to the clearance or remnant section and 90% of the time found exactly what I was looking for at a bargain price.
This “shopping around town for decorating fabric” scenario is no longer possible and I truly miss it!!!
I know you can buy fabric online and I have done this, but have always been disappointed when I got the yardage in the mail as it never looked, felt or had the drape I wanted that the sample swatch I ordered looked and felt.
There are a few upscale interior design shops around me, but you need an appointment to look at the fabrics that and the fabrics are very pricey.
I do have one budget fabric resource still available to me in western South Carolina called All About Fabrics. It is a big warehouse filled with rolls of fabric and a room filled with folded remnant yardage.
The problem with this warehouse is it is 2 hours away and only open 3 days a month so I have to plan ahead. When I get an idea in my head I want to act on it right away.
I have been to the warehouse a few times over the last 10 years and found that most of the fabrics are older, the patterns and colorways are no longer a style I liked. I have come home from these trips empty handed and going for a 4 hour round-trip outing doesn’t seem worth the time.
I also enjoyed simply going to a fabric store that I can get to in under 30 minutes to browse around as a source of decorating and creative inspiration even without a project in mind. It was always an inspiring outing and I came home with many decorating ideas. I MISS DOING THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!
Over the summer I wanted to complete two decorating projects – new window shades for my bedroom and a bed headboard for the blue guest room, but didn’t get either made because I couldn’t find a fabric I liked.
Decorating with fabric is one of my main decorating tools I use to get the style I want on a budget.
You have seen the many projects I have done all over my house from making an upholstered headboard, curtains and drapes, pillow covers, all styles of cushion covers, covering picture frames, covering boxes to create pretty storage and even covering a piece of furniture using fabric. And I can’t forget the dozens of smaller no-sew decor projects I have made using pretty and colorful fabrics.
Like I mentioned above, I also like decorating with paint to easily change the look of a piece of furniture or a decorative accessory.
Fabric and paint are my to go-to’s when I decorate. Using them I can instantly change my furnishings over and over again and in many cases change the look of furnishings I have had for years like the ottomans in my living room.
Adding the First Layer of Fall Decor Using Fabric
In my living room for fall, I couldn’t find the style and color of fabric I had in mind to cover the ottoman as the only place to buy fabric in my area is Hobby Lobby and Walmart where the decorator fabric selection is very limited.
I found this plaid fabric at Hobby Lobby. I decided to go with it for two reasons. The first I didn’t have another option I liked better. The second was that after reading an article about a trend in decorating called, Eclectic Grandpa or Grandpa Chic I could decorate the living room with my husband in mind. :-).
He lets me decorate however I want as long as he is comfortable. In 42 years of marriage the only time he wanted something was about 6 years ago when he wanted recliners in the living room, which I was against at first, but now I couldn’t imagine living in the house without them.
The Eclectic Grandpa or Grandpa Chic style focuses on comfort that feels personal and lived-in, rather than overly curated or minimalist. As well as nostalgic through mismatched, vintage-inspired pieces and mixed patterns. So I figured why not decorate the room with this in mind.
I even found something fun that isn’t quite my style for the kitchen to go with the Grandpa aesthetic that I knew Ed would love. :-) I found them at Hobby Lobby. They are also sold on Amazon – Football Dishtowels
After making the plaid slipcover for the ottoman I had enough extra fabric to make a matching throw pillow cover for the sofa.
Now that I have the first layer of fall decor completed in the room, I will be adding more cozy layers, textures and color pops as we get closer to fall and I start feeling an autumn chill in the air.
As for the other colors I plan to layer into the decor – blue will be one along with silver accents – kind of like the vintage chambray Ralph Lauren look. Lots of experimenting and playing with what I have will get me to just the right cozy mix that both Ed and I will enjoy.
And if I find I don’t like it, I may just revert back to the cozy Grandma Chic that I know feels good to me. :-)
The Many Fabrics on My Ottomans
I have had the two ottomans you have seen in my living room for about 30 years. They can be considered vintage now. :-)
Being able to make new slipcovers for these very comfy and well made ottomans has saved me money as a few yards of fabric is more affordable than buying new ottomans when I want to see a change, which I like to see often.
Over the years I used inexpensive fabrics to make different slipcovers to cover the ottoman cushions.
I used to have two of these ottomans in the living room as I learned in design school that a pair of matching ottomans is a good thing to add when decorating a living/family room. A few years ago I moved one of them to the multi-purpose room that was once my studioffice where it comes in handy.
Here is what the ottomans look like without a slipcover. When I first bought them for the living room in my previous house, the color scheme in my living room was purple, green and magenta. I started covering the cushions when I changed the room’s color scheme.
The first cushion slipcovers I made for the ottomans I used a heavy duty white canvas that I found for $1 at yard at my favorite fabric store of all time called Jomar in Norristown, PA. Sadly, like many of the fabric stores, it is no longer in business. For these white canvas slipcover I even made a ruffle trim.
The second slipcover was a green and teal fabric from Waverly with small pom-pom trim.
The third was a purple buffalo plaid with corner tassels made of yarn. I still have these and may use them again in the future.
The most recent has been the large snowball pom-pom trim that I have been using for quite a few years now.
And now they have taken on a Eclectic Grandpa style. I am sure this change will not be their last.
How to Make an Ottoman Cover When You Don’t Sew
If you don’t sew, a slipcover can be made using fabric glue in place of a row of stitches or you can simply cover the cushion by itself the no-sew way. No-sew cushion cover
Do you enjoy decorating with fabric? Do you still have a local fabric store near you? If not, I am sure you miss it as much as I do the fabric stores in my area.
More Cushion Covering Ideas
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