Wardrobe Treasures Turn into New Furniture Look
Don’t discard favorite clothes… dress your furniture with them!
Rainy days are ideal for decluttering my closet, and I was in the mood for it. Soon, I had proudly gathered a pile of clothes, ready to donate it to Goodwill. But I also had the familiar treasures that I always put back in the closet because I just can’t let go off them.
What I Could’t Let Go of
- A washed out 20-year-old T-Shirt from one of my visits to the town of St.Helena, Napa Valley, where dear friends of mine live. Torn, mended, unwearable in public, yet very well loved.
- Blue jeans from a trip to Austria’s „Apricot Country“ (the beautiful Wachau Valley north of Vienna). I fell in love with their cheerful bright blue colour. They were tight when I bought them, and now, there’s no way they will fit if I ever plan to breathe in them again.
- Another pair of summer denims whose sunny yellow makes my soul jump with joy, a €5 Goodwill catch, unfortunately a bit on the small side for me. Yet, a boost of sunshine I will not let go!
- Several blue jeans, too old to wear, but way too connected with fond memories to part with them yet.
I Needed a Plan
I was determined. I couldn’t be defeated yet again by sentimentality and my holding-on gene. I just couldn’t put these items back – yet again.
What were my resources? Time, great music to accompany the task, creativity, scissors, sewing needles and thread. (Please know: I have hardly any sewing skills, just enough to do the job.) And I had the greatest tools since the invention of fire and bookprinting: safety pins.
If I Can’t Fit into Them, I Sit on Them
Yes, I decided to dress my furniture with treasures that I no longer wear. Introducing the stars of my furniture reinvention fashion show:
SAINT HELENA: The New Darling in My Bedroom, Coastal Grandma Style
My plain old white Ikea armchair got dressed with baby-blue jeans plus the washed out St. Helena T-shirt, complete with a pillow made from the top of another pair of blue jeans, stuffed with two old outworn sweaters (which I would otherweise have discarded). Everything can be taken off, washed and re-fitted.
MISTER LEVI: The Elegant Armchair
Thanks to three pairs of blue jeans, an elegant armchair (one of a set of two) whose velvet covering had suffered from heavy use, got a fresh Bohemian face, topped with a matching pillow – also stuffed with garments from my previous decluttering safari.
SCOTTY: Mister Levi’s Twin
Mister Levi’s twin armchair turned into a cheerful Christmas character: the kind of armchair that Granny would sit in when reading fairytales to grandkids. All made possible with the help of a Kilt-style long skirt, a big red woolen shawl, a checker patterned apron and an elastic cotton belt. Just stuffed everything in – no sewing, not even safety pins.
LIMONCELLO: Sunshine Chair
This Ikea chair is now my sweet Little Miss Sunshine, dressed with that pair of yellow jeans from the thriftstore and held together with a former bathrobe belt. (PHOTO: yellow chair in front of red sofa)
What Did I Gain from This Project?
- A new fun furniture look at zero cost.
- The experience of creative transformation.
- Joy and the feeling of accomplishment.
- I get to keep, use and look at beloved items.
- And I contribute to a sustainable environment.
You can do it, too! All it takes is a little reinvention spirit, a touch of courage and perhaps a rainy day to start the project. For more ideas and inspiration see my book: 17 STEPS TO BEING HOME.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you recently hesitated to let go of something you no longer use but still hold dear to your heart? How did you deal with this situation? Share your inspiration with this community. Every idea is a stepping stone to the next empowering project.
How creative, practical, and great way to recycle!
Oh wow, these are SO cute! I just love the whimsy of the blue-jean-pocket pillows. Like you’re sitting on cushy-tushies. Very fun.
My favorite is the Limoncello chair, I think.
Question: did you actually use safety pins and needle-and-thread, and not a sewing machine?? It looks so good and I fear if I tried this it would look terrible and sloppy, without using a sewing machine. I gave my machine away years ago. Do you just pin them very closely? Would love any extra advice about how to prevent a sloppy look (yours look so neat!).
Thanks for this fun and original, creative article.
Dear Liz,
you are an ingenious word creator: „cushie-tushie“ is the perfect way to describe what it is. Thank you for this! – NON-PERFECTION is part of the charm of this creative approach. So, the concept of perfection needs to be loosened a bit. It takes some courage, but then again: if the results aren’t what you imagined, just try again, with another piece (that you would otherwise discard). At zero cost, the potential for a grand new look is always alive.
HOW TO DO IT: The upper “tushie” part of pants is ideal for turning into seats or pillows because of their rectangular shape (when you cut off the legs). Simply sew the bottom part by hand, then stuck some filling in, and bind the top together with strings or even a belt (which I did with the pillow for SAINT HELENA). Use the little belt loops for this. No further sewing necessary.
For LIMONCELLO, I did use a sewing machine only for the part where the back meets the seat. Just one easy straight line (which can easily be done by hand). It didn’t turn out perfect (due to material elasticity, the cut of the pants and the fact that I am no big talent at the sewing machine). The front and sides of the chair (2/3s of which are formed by the complete upper „tushie“ part of the pants, and 1/3 by the rest of the pants’ legs) I did by hand, with the material directly on the chair, with my other hand underneath the material to make sure that I wouldn’t sew it onto the chair. NO SAFETY PINS on LIMONCELLO. –
All my creative furniture covers can be taken off for washing.
SCOTTY is „all tucked in“ only, not even safety pins. – MISTER LEVI: the tushies were all sewn by hand. The back consists of 2 legs sewn together with the machine (easily doable by hand). The seat consists of 2 tushie parts (= the tops of 2 pants) stuck around an existing flat pillow, united by a string through their belt loops.
Hope this is helpful.
Best wishes for your own creative projects. Just go for it. Confidence grows while doing it.
Thank you, so very much, Beate, for the generous help! This is delightful, and makes it seem feasible. And you’re right—I should relax and enjoy it, and not worry that my seams won’t be perfectly straight. (I’m glad you enjoyed my word-making.) I’m looking forward to doing this new and original project. Hugs and gratitude,
Liz