Reupholstering a Beautiful Settee

You will need for whatever furniture piece you get:
-Fabric
-Staple Gun and Staples
-Upholstery Trim
-E6000 (or hot glue if you are in to that kind of thing)

Now. I am not really very domestic in the realm of sewing.  We got this bench from a fantastic neighbor and my mom said she would teach me how to reupholster things.

Even if you have never done it before, this method is super user-friendly.

 First, I pinned the fabric onto the back of the bench to hold it in place.  I readjusted it to make sure my stripes were right, and then began stapling.

You want the fabric to come about halfway over the previous trim. 

Start stapling in the middle and work your way out to each side, stretching it as needed to keep it tight.

I did the top, sides one at a time to make sure it stayed tight, and then finished with the bottom.  I put staples in every 2-3 inches as needed.

After I got all four sides done I cut the fabric close to the staples.  My fabric was from an extremely wide bolt.  If your fabric is wide and does not have stripes or a specific direction, you may be able to buy a lot less fabric and still get your pieces out.  Definitely plan ahead on that.

I have a lot extra but plan on making some pillows.

Next I moved to the front top panel.  Staple the top center, the bottom center (I had to sit on mine to squish the super poofy cushion down enough to get the staple in), and work your way outward, finishing with the sides.  If you plan it just right, you can get the top and bottom done without having to cut two sections.

To do the trim, I started at a corner by putting a staple in it.  I then put a bead of E6000 up to about the middle, and followed it with another staple. Make sure that it covers the original fabric.

I tried to only do about 3-4 staples in, and will run a paint pen over them to make them blend in with the trim a little better.

I ran my trim in a solid stream for each section, putting staples in before and after the corner to help it stay in place.

I found clearance fabric at Joann's for $9/yard and bought my trim at Hobby Lobby which was CONSIDERABLY cheaper than Joann's even before my 40% off coupon on it.  All in all, I would say that the material used for the bench and the trim probably came to about $25.

If you have never upholstered something or assume that it is astronomically expensive, you might just be surprised with what you can do on a budget.  Including buying the bench, I don't even have a hundred dollars invested in this bench.  And it will be fantastically perfect for my room, which is full of vintage natural style colors and prints.

I think of all the fun things I see at flea markets that are so cute, but the fabric is just hideous. Now, I can buy whatever I want and make it AWESOME!

Happy crafting!