Upholstery Update

Time for an update to my vanity bench.  I loved this print that I used to cover the brown cover that came with this bench.

I covered the bench five years ago when we did a bathroom update.  You can read about that here - 

Bathroom Update

After five years of using the bench every day the fabric was starting to wear at the edges.  I did not have enough of that original fabric

(actually a drapery panel) and was searching for something new.

I found this Waverly 1 yard package of fabric at Walmart.  I liked the colors, loved that it was Paris, and thought it would go well with the storage bins that have a French theme in the closet nearby.

I cut a generous square of fabric,

folded it tightly around the cushion and used a staple gun to attach the fabric to the seat.

Next I tucked it around the sides of the bench, continued with the staple gun...then cut off the excess fabric.  I started with more fabric than needed so I would have a good amount to grab and pull tightly on the edges.

Voila!

After I screwed the top onto the legs I noticed some wear on the legs of the stool....my bad!  That's from me wrapping my feet around the legs while I do my make up and nails!

I tried this furniture repair marker, but it did not really cover.

So, I went to my tried and true...magic markers and sharpies!  I have touched up so many things over the years  - these markers are great.

Done!

I love the look of the bench with the granite countertop!

John is photo bombing in the mirror while checking out the finished project.

But, I was not done yet...

It is a family joke that my mother, who made curtains for our kitchen every so often, could not bear to throw away even a scrap of fabric.  She would end up making something out of the scraps...often a pin cushion that she would fill with used coffee grinds.

Yep, she grew up during the Depression and made the most of everything.

I still have one of those pin cushions in my sewing nook...

and this image hanging in our laundry room as she would always say this!

SO...what can I do with the leftover fabric???

How is this for "vintage"?  We received this hamper as a wedding gift from John's mother in 1977.  It was originally a trendy harvest gold color...but when we moved here and I was on a spray paint rampage I turned it white.

The top had a little ding in it and I was looking for a new hamper...

but...this was customized!  

Back in 1979 this book was published...I found it in the early 1980's and one of the ideas to streamline laundry day was to divide your hamper into sections to make it easy to throw a load of laundry in the washer without having to take everything out and sort it.

John got some plywood, cut it to fit, and made three sections.  Those telltale masking tape residues show where I had written "whites, darks and permanent press" so it was easy to know where to put the dirty clothes.   We got so good at sorting our laundry that we no longer needed the reminder labels.

SO...

I had enough fabric to cover the hamper lid!

Not sure what kind of particle board the top was made from, but the staple gun would not penetrate at all.

Plan B...hot glue gun.

That worked great, but I did not like the way the raw edges looked when you opened the hamper...

Duct tape to the rescue... and it even matched the dark color in the fabric.

Voila !  Again !

LOVE the way it looks.  You can just about see that the hamper is in our closet and right next to the laundry room.  It is so easy to just toss things from the hamper into the washer.

And here are the organizers that hold things we use in the closet...goes great with the fabric on the cover!

So happy with how things turned out.  Yes, I love going to the Container Store. And yes, I know they have divided hampers...but this one has a history.  And it helped me to

Have you done any projects around the house recently?  Is there anything you have had for years that you just want to keep and spruce up a bit?  I would love to hear your ideas and projects.  Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista today - leave a comment below.  I really enjoy hearing from you!

Enjoy the rest of November and the lead up to Thanksgiving!