Feb

19

How To Make Interior Decorating Fun and Easy – Using a Special Painting Technique

February 19, 2010 |  Tagged , | Leave a Comment

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This post is the last in the series of how we re-decorated our dining room.  In one of my earlier posts in this series, How To Make Interior Decorating Easy and Fun, I talked about the importance of picking out the right furniture.  Your furniture will determine your style of drapes and your paint color and technique for your walls.

Wallpaper Painting Technique

Wallpaper Painting Technique

Today, I want to show you a special painting technique that we used in our dining room. It is a little different that what you see in painting brochures. A photo is on the left.  And, as you can see in the photo instead of using contrasting colors to paint the stripes, we used the same color. This is the technique that will give your walls a wallpaper look without using wallpaper.

Here are the steps we used to create this special and unique look. This look is a more formal look and it worked perfectly with our Queen Ann furniture theme.

  1. Decide on the color for your room based on your furniture and draperies.
  2. Once you know what color you want your room to be, you will purchase two different types of paint in the same color. What we used was eggshell finish and semi gloss finish. So, for our dining room, we purchased 1 gallon of eggshell and 1 gallon of semi gloss. You will need to determine the right amount of paint you will need for your room. Bring your measurements to the paint center and they will tell you how many gallons you need. Tell them that you will be painting the room completely in the semi gloss color and you will be striping the room in the eggshell color.  The color that we used was Olympic Gothic Gold.
  3. Paint your room in the semi gloss color completely. You will need at least two coats of paint. Let the color dry for at least 24 hours.
    Taping the Stripes with Painter's Tape

    Taping the Stripes with Painter's Tape

  4. When the paint is dry, you will tape off the stripes. You can make them as wide or as narrow as you want. We used a 7″ stripe because that particular width worked for our room. If you are not sure how to actually mark off the stripes and tape the walls, watch the video at the end of this article. It does a really good job of explaining the process.
  5. Once we had our stripes marked off with the painter’s tape, we painted the stripes with the eggshell finish. Two coats of paint should be ample for the stripes because you do have a good base coat of the semi gloss underneath.
  6. Make sure that you remove the painter’s tape before the paint dries. If you let the paint dry, you will actually pull off some of the stripe paint. Removing the painter’s tape when the paint is still wet will ensure that your stripe will be perfect.

Re-decorated Dining Room

Re-decorated Dining Room

Here is a photo of the finished product. We chose the Queen Anne dining room furniture first, which helped us to choose the drapery style and color. Then we chose the wallpaper paint technique to pull everything together in the Olympic Gothic Gold color using semi gloss and eggshell finish.

If you have any questions about this technique, let me know. I can give you additional help if you need it.

Be sure to watch the video below. It goes into specific detail regarding how to tape off your walls. This is not a difficult process, but it does take time and needs to be done correctly or your stripes will not be straight.

Feb

9

Drapery Ideas and How Furniture Influences Your Choices

February 9, 2010 |  Tagged , | Leave a Comment

Drapery Styles with Queen Anne Dining Room Furniture

Drapery Ideas with Queen Anne Dining Room Furniture

Now, it is time to discuss your draperies and how furniture influences your drapery ideas and styles.  This series of articles follows the interior designing process that my husband and I followed when we started to redecorate our new home.

Last time, I told you how important it was to decide on furniture.  We thought we had an idea of what we wanted in dining room furniture, but when we went shopping for furniture, we fell in love with a totally different type and style of furniture.  Had we not gone shopping, we would have chosen the wrong draperies for the dining room.

The style of furniture that we ultimately chose was the Queen Anne design.  Once we had the type of furniture we wanted, we were able to move forward in choosing drapery styles and fabric for the drapes in our dining room.

We had someone make drapes for us because that is something I had never done and it is more complicated than you think.  If you have done it before, that’s great.  You can save yourself a lot of money.

Here is a photo of our draperies in our dining room with the Queen Anne furniture.

Because we chose the Queen Anne style of furniture, the drapery styles that we would choose from would be of a more formal type. If you had contemporary furniture, you would be looking for a less formal type of drapery or a more straight line type than the swag and jabot style of draperies that we chose.  Likewise, if you have a country style dining room, you might choose a ruffled type of drapery for your room.

This may sound a little confusing, so I found an article that might help you decide on what type you should put in your room.  The article is entitled, Drapery Types:  Winning Window Treatments.  It is a pdf file so if you click on the title, you can print it for your reference.

It is interesting that people will use the words curtains and draperies to mean the same thing.  But, actually, curtains refer to a less formal type of drapery, like what you would put in a bathroom or kitchen.  Draperies are more tailored and formal window treatments, like what you would put in a living room or dining room.

When choosing the fabric for your draperies or curtains, an interior decorator will help you make the right choices.  If you are not using an interior decorator, just look at your furniture and that will help you to decide on your material and colors.  We chose a dark maple dining room set so darker colors worked with the dark wood.

Formal Drapery Style - Swag & Jabot

Formal Drapery Style - Swag & Jabot

Here is a photo of our dining room curtains.  As you can see, they are very formal, just like the dining room furniture.  To tie everything together, we also chose a coordinating fabric for the chairs.

Something to remember when you are choosing your draperies for your room is sun exposure.  If your room faces west, you might want to think about putting up some type of shade on your window in addition to drapes or curtains.  The sun does a lot of damage to furniture, drapes and even carpeting.  Our great room faces west and the sun has lightened the carpeting where it comes in the window.

So, for your project this week, you will want to choose the drapery styles and fabric for your room.  Print the article on Drapery Ideas and Styles to help you make your decisions.  Read the part about the window shades and decide whether or not you need them, not only to protect against sun exposure but also for privacy.

Next week, I will show you how we picked our colors for our walls and also the interesting paint scheme and treatment we used.

Coordinating Fabric with Drapery

Coordinating Fabric with Drapery

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment.  If you want further explanation  on anything in this article, please type your questions in the comment box.  I will answer all questions.

Feb

2

How To Make Interior Decorating Easy and Fun

February 2, 2010 |  Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Woman-With-Decorating-Plan

Woman-With-Decorating-Plan

In my last post, I talked about the frustration that some people have when they try to come up with interior decorating ideas.   It can be difficult to choose the right color scheme or the right window treatments.  Interior decorating is not easy.

The purpose of this series of home interior decorating ideas is to show you how to make this process a lot easier than it seems.  I have learned a lot since my husband and I decided to re-decorate our home and I want to share what we did, what worked and what did not work, in various rooms of our home.

Last week, I told you to pick a room that you wanted to re-decorate and then pick the items that you would be keeping in that room.  Maybe you already have furniture, or window treatments or maybe you have picked the perfect paint color.  Whatever that is, that is going to be your starting point.

When my husband and I built our new home, we had a very old living room set, a few pieces of bedroom furniture, and no dining room furniture.  The style of the furniture, for the most part, was contemporary.  That is what we both thought we liked.

So when we moved into our new home, we knew we needed to have curtains so we would have some privacy.  We debated over the style of curtains and realized that we didn’t really know what we wanted.  We hired a person to make us drapes and she showed us a lot of different styles and fabrics.  We still didn’t know what we wanted.

So, I said to my husband, let’s go shopping for furniture.  Since we had never bought any furniture, we weren’t sure what we really liked other than we thought we liked the contemporary style.

Dark-Walnut-Dining-Hutch

Dark-Walnut-Dining-Hutch

We looked for dining room furniture in various stores.  We fell in love with a dining room set we found at Arhuas Furniture.  And, of all things, it wasn’t a contemporary style.  It was very dark walnut wood in a queen anne style.  I thought you would like to see a photo of the table and the hutch.  As you can see, it is definitely not contemporary.

Queen-Anne-Style-Table

Queen-Anne-Style-Table

If you have decided to re-decorate your room and you don’t have furniture and you also want to put up new drapes and paint, then I would suggest that you go furniture shopping.  If we had just thought we liked contemporary furniture, we would have picked out draperies and color for the room that would not have been right for the furniture that we ultimately chose for the room.  Remember that furniture will be the most expensive thing that you buy for a room, so you want to be sure that you have the furniture that you are going to be happy with for a long time.

I am telling this story because it is really important that before you decide on window treatments or paint.  If my husband and I had not gone furniture shopping, our window treatments and paint color scheme would not have been right and probably would have to be redone.

Another piece of furniture that we really wanted to keep in the dining

Wire-Plant-Rack

Wire-Plant-Rack

room was our wire plant rack.  It was a gift and we really both loved it.  We knew that our dining room furniture needed to work with this piece also.  Here is a photo of the wire plant rack.

So, when deciding on re-decorating our dining room and the rest of the house, everything was going to work with this new dining room set and the wire plant rack.

If you need help with what type of furniture is right for you, take your husband furniture shopping.  It can really be an eye opener because we were both very surprised when we picked our new dining room set.  It was definitely not what we thought we liked and it was not the style of furniture that we liked a few years ago.

If you are happy with the furniture you have, that’s great.  Next week, I will show you how we used the new dining room set to choose our drapes, the color of our walls and also a really interesting painting technique that really tied everything together nicely.

If you would like to view some furniture styles on line, click on this furniture style link and you can view a lot of different furniture styles to see what you like.

Next week, I will walk you through how we decided on our drapery styles and fabric.

Did you like this article?  Did it help you?  If it did, let us know.  If it didn’t, let us know that too.  If you need more information on a particular part of this series, drop us a line and we can help with more resources.

Jan

27

How To Do Your Own Interior Decorating

January 27, 2010 |  Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Are you intimidated about interior decorating?  Do you look around your room and say, “Where do I start?” Where can I get some interior decorating ideas without paying an interior decorator?  A lot of people want to redecorate but they don’t have the money for interior decorators & designers.

Are you frustrated when it comes to decorating your home?

Are you frustrated when it comes to decorating your home?

Do you see things in a magazine and think, “Wow, I really like that.  I wonder how that would look in my room?”

Many of the leading decorating magazines like House Beautiful or Better Homes & Gardens give you photos of beautiful rooms and on line, when you move your mouse over the room, it changes color.  They call this virtual interior painting.  That is pretty cool, but you need information about making your room look beautiful in your home, taking the rest of your home into consideration.

My husband and I have been doing room makeovers in our home for quite a few years.  It is taking longer than we thought because everything is so expensive.  We knew we couldn’t hire anyone to do the job, so we are doing it ourselves.

If you are overwhelmed by just the thought of re-decorating or coming up with interior painting ideas, choosing furniture for your room or window treatments for your windows, then you have come to the right place.

This post is the first of  a series of posts that will take you through choosing the right color paint for your room, picking the right furniture and also the right window treatments.  We will even go through accessorizing your room.

Tools that you will use when redecorating your room

Tools to use when redecorating your room

I will take you step-by-step what we did in our own home.  I will even post some photos so you will know what I am talking about and it will be easier for you to visualize things and maybe give you some inspiration.

I will guide you through picking the right colors, not just the colors you like, but the colors that will work for your specific room, that will go with your furniture or curtains that you may already have and want to keep.

I understand that it is difficult to throw everything out and start from scratch.  We may want to, but we can’t always afford to.  So, this series will take you through the process but I will show you how to save money along the way.

As we progress, if you have questions or if you have a piece of furniture that you would like to keep but it needs some work, let me know.  Send me a photo or describe it and I can help you with some suggestions of how to re-finish it or re-cover it.  Home interior decorating does not need to be difficult.  Let’s make it fun!

I am really excited about this series.  I love to decorate and my husband and I do a lot of the work ourselves.  I do have to confess though, my husband is the one who is really good with color.  So, I usually take his lead.

Your task this week will be to decide what room you want to makeover.  You don’t need to decide on color or furniture or curtains.  That will come later.

What I do want you to do is to make a list of the things in your room that you either want to keep or need to keep. Maybe you have a picture in your room that has some sentimental value or maybe you don’t have the money right now to buy new furniture.  Keep those things on a list because you will want to work with what you do have in your room that you won’t be getting rid of.  Sometimes it is better to have something to work off of instead of changing everything.

So, that is your assignment for this week.  Next week, I will show you how to progress and how to use what you have in your room and have everything work together to get you the look that you want in your new room.  Be sure to write down the items that you will be keeping in your room.  That will help with color selection and window treatments.

Remember, if you have any questions, just send them to me.

Jan

9

Top 10 Reasons To Use Western Red Cedar To Build Your Outdoor Wood Patio Furniture

January 9, 2010 |  Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

So, you have decided that you want to build your own outdoor wood patio furniture.   In times like these, that is a good idea.  But, only if you have the tools and the expertise needed to do the job.

Using-Hand-Tools-To-Make-Outdoor-Patio-Furniture

Using-Hand-Tools-To-Make-Outdoor-Patio-Furniture

Let’s say that you have the tools that you need, like a table saw or a jig saw.  Or, maybe you are doing the job using regular hand tools.  Whatever tools you decide to use, you also need to have your set of plans and you need to know what you are doing.

One of the most important power tools to have, in my opinion, to build your own outdoor patio furniture, is a jigsaw.  For more information on the proper use of a Bosch jig saw and to remove a bosch jigsaw blade, watch the video at the end of the article.

Now, the next thing to do is to determine what kind of wood you will want to use.

There are many different types of wood that you could use to make your outdoor furniture.  There are the hardwoods such as maple, oak and cherry.  And there are softwoods such as pine, redwood and cedar.My favorite of all of these woods is Western Red Cedar.  Below are the top 10 reasons that you should use western red cedar to make your outdoor wood patio furniture:

  1. Western Red Cedar wood is a very stable wood.  It does not shrink.  If you use a wood that shrinks, your furniture could be crooked or even fall apart.
  2. Western Red Cedar is a very strong wood.
  3. Western Red Cedar wood lies flat.  It does not warp.
  4. Western Red Cedar also stays straight and will hold your fastenings tightly.  These are very important factors when considering which wood to use.  If you use a wood that doesn’t lie flat, doesn’t stay straight and doesn’t hold your fastenings tightly, your outdoor wood furniture won’t last too long.
  5. Western Red Cedar is one of the easiest woods to work with.  The wood is lightweight and has a fine, straight grain.
  6. Western Red Cedar is easy to cut, saw and nail.
  7. Western Red Cedar holds a glue bond securely and you can sand to a very fine finish so that your paint or stain will look great.  For more information on finishing your outdoor wood furniture, read our post How To Finish Your Outdoor Wood Patio Furniture.
  8. Western Red Cedar has a natural resistance to moisture, decay and insect damage.  The fibers
    View-of-Western-Red-Cedar-Wood

    Western-Red-Cedar-Wood

    contain natural preservatives that prevent decay-causing fungus to grow.  It also has a wonderful aroma.

  9. Western Red Cedar exceeds safety classifications and does not need to be treated with preservatives for fire and smoke.
  10. Western Red Cedar is an all-weather wood.  When you properly finish your Western Red Cedar furniture, you will be able to leave your outdoor furniture outdoors in the hot sun, the rain, and the extreme cold temperatures and your cedar furniture will last a very long time.

What more could you ask for?  You can’t go wrong if you use Western Red Cedar wood for your next outdoor wood patio furniture project.

Not sure where to get red cedar?  Any place that sells wood, can order Western Red Cedar wood for you.

If you are building some outdoor wood patio furniture and are using Western Red Cedar wood, let us know how it turns out.

Or better yet, send us some photos and we will put them on the blog for everyone to see.

Jan

2

New Product Launch and Bonus – Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box

January 2, 2010 |  Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment

At Outdoor Furniture Today, we are very excited about our new product line.  We are adding a new line of teak furniture to our website – Royal Teak.

Royal-Teak-Cushion-Storage-Box

Royal-Teak-Cushion-Storage-Box

To introduce the new line, we have added our first new item to our website – the Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box.  Why would we add this item first in our new line?  How can the Royal Teak Storage Box help you?  Why should you purchase the Teak Storage Box for your patio area?

We have added this item first because:

  • You asked for it!   You don’t have enough storage space for your outdoor cushions and other items that you keep outdoors on your patio.
  • You need to make things convenient for you to use your patio and your patio furniture more often.  You don’t want to keep lugging your cushions and outdoor patio items inside every night.  Why not keep everything outside but in a storage unit that will keep everything dry?
  • By keeping things organized and in a handy place outside, you will use your patio more.  And, when that sudden rain shower happens, you can just put your cushions and things that need to stay dry in your Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box.

What are the benefits of this Teak Storage box for your patio?

  • First, it just doesn’t get better than teak – Grade A Teak.
  • Grade A Teak can withstand any type of climate – rain, snow, freezing temperatures, hot sun – that is why teak is used for shipbuilding.
  • The Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box weighs 70 lbs. – it is not going to move around on your patio when a strong wind hits
  • Grade A Teak has a silk-like feel to it whether the teak is new or 150 years old
  • The Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box, when taken care of properly, will never need to be replaced
  • The Teak Storage Box has ventilated sides to prevent mildew buildup
  • It has ample size to store all of your outdoor patio cushions and then some.
  • You can let the Teak Cushion Storage Box weather to a silvery finish or you can use our Royal Teak Sealer to keep that new teak look.

Why should you purchase the Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box now?

  • The storage box retails for $590.00.  But, for a short time, you can purchase the Teak Cushion Storage Box for $459.99 – an immediate savings of $130.01!
  • The Teak Storage Box comes with FREE SHIPPING!
  • BONUS - For the first 50 customers who order, we will send you absolutely free of charge a can of our Royal Teak Sealer which retails for $40.00.
  • This is a huge savings for you but will only be available through January 31, 2010.

    Bonus - Teak Sealer - Free with purchase - Limited Time Offer!

    Bonus - Teak Sealer - Free with purchase - Limited Time Offer!

To take advantage of the huge savings on the Royal Teak Storage Box plus get the Free Bonus Teak Sealer, click here.  Want more information regarding the Royal Teak Sealer – click here.  DON’T WAIT – CLICK HERE FOR SPECIAL PRICING – FREE SHIPPING – AND YOUR FREE BONUS GIFT!

And don’t forget, if you have any questions regarding our new product line or the Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box or Royal Teak Sealer, send us your questions.

Over the next few months, as we add new items to our new line, we will update you and each new item introduction will have special pricing!

The Royal Teak Cushion Storage Box and the Royal Teak Sealer come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, as do all of our items at Outdoor Furniture Today.

Do you like our intro offer?  Good – Bad – Neutral?  We would love to hear from you!

Dec

27

Top 10 Things You Must Have In Your New Home

December 27, 2009 |  Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

I was reading an article that appeared in The Canadian Press on December 15, 2009, written by Kim Cook, entitled Over the past decade, home décor gets more casual, practical and green, and I thought it would be interesting to write about it in this week’s blog post.

The article talks about how our wants and needs for living space has changed.  At the beginning of 2000, everyone wanted a very large home with big entry ways, a large formal living room, dining room and a great room leading into a very large kitchen with every appliance under the sun.  Every bedroom had a bathroom and the master bedroom had a bath or “spa bathroom”, as they call them, that was almost as large as the bedroom.

So, in reading through the article, I have come up with a list of the top 10 things you now need to have in your new home:

Outdoor Living Area - A must have for your home!

Outdoor Living Area - A must have for your home!

1)  No formal living room – You must have a great room/dining room/kitchen open area where everyone can be   together.  If your home already has a formal living room, turn it into a library or home office space.

2)  In your large great room area, you need to have a wireless computer.  You need to be able to work and be with the family at the same time.

3)  You still must have a spa bathroom.  If you are getting up in years or you don’t travel like you used to, you need to have a large luxurious bathroom.

4)  You must have a garden to grow your own vegetables and you must have a compost.

5)  You should also power your new home with solar panels.

6)  Your new home must have an outdoor space.  Not just a patio or a sun room, but a real outdoor space.

7)  Your outdoor space must contain an outdoor kitchen and dining area.  This does not mean a grill and a few plastic chairs.

8)  You will also need to have a space to sleep in your outdoor area.  Of course, people have had hammocks in their yards for years.

9)  You will also need to have a fire pit and/or an outdoor heater.  These are important because if you live in an area that gets cold in the winter, you will need the fire pit or the heater to extend your outdoor season.

10)  Your patio cushions will need to be made with weather-resistant fabric.  That way,  it can stay out in the rain and not mildew.

11)  I know I said that there were 10 things that needed to be in your new home, but the 11th one is that you should be reading a lot of magazines and informative blogs so that you can do a lot of this yourself to save money.

The author refers to the outdoor living space as “Living al fresco” or living and eating outside.  That phrase just made me laugh.  That is why I chose to write about this article.  And I hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Maybe it will cause you to think about designing or enlarging your own outdoor living space.  Need some help starting?  Let us know.  Send us a comment.  And, don’t forget to start reading those magazines and informative blogs.

If you want to read the entire article, click here.

Dec

16

How Do You Sew Patio Chair Cushions? Part #2

December 16, 2009 |  Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

How do you sew patio chair cushions – continued.  In my last article, I talked about the thickness of the foam that you should use when you make different types of patio cushions and the different types of fabric that are available.

Teak-Dining-Chair-with-Green-Patio-Chair-Cushion

Teak-Dining-Chair-with-Green-Patio-Chair-Cushion

Now, I want to explain the process of making a paper template and sewing your fabric to make your patio furniture cushions.

First, the paper template.  If you have the chair cushion, you can trace it on the fabric, allowing 5/8″ for the seams.  If not, you can trace the pattern from the chair itself.  Outline the seat on paper using a marker in a dark color.

Now, fold the fabric with the right sides together and pin the pattern to the fabric.  Allowing the 5/8″ for your seams, cut the fabric carefully.  You will then have the two pieces that will be sewn together.

Measure the thickness of your foam and add 1-1/4″ for your seams (top and bottom).  Measure the circumference of the foam and using these measurements, cut a piece of fabric that is the width of your foam measurement plus 1-1/4″ and the length is the measurement of the circumference.

Pin the fabric strip to the top cushion piece and sew together.  Pin the other cushion piece to the fabric strip and sew, leaving one side open so that you can turn the cushion to the right side and put the foam piece in.

Finish sewing the open end using a slip stitch.  If you want to have ties to tie the chair cushion to the chair, sew the ties into the seam when you are stitching the open end of the cushion.

Check out our Teak Dining Chair Cushions and our Multi-Patio-Chair-Cushions, which are on sale!

Let me know if you have any questions as you put together your patio cushions.  I would love to hear your success stories.  And, please tell me if I need to explain anything further.

Dec

12

How Do You Sew Patio Chair Cushions?

December 12, 2009 |  Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

How do you sew patio chair cushions?  You are asking a good question.  Times are difficult right now and we are all looking for ways to save money.  Making your own patio chair cushions is a great way to update the look of your outdoor patio furniture and also save money in the process.

Blue-Multi-Cushion-for-Teak-Chair

Blue-Multi-Cushion-for-Teak-Chair

When you sew your own cushions, you can make patio chair cushions cheap, expensive or anything in between.  It just depends on what type of fabric and foam you choose.

The purpose of this article is to give you step by step directions on measuring the chair, or the cushion if you have one that needs replacing, what thickness of foam you should be looking for and deciding on the type of fabric you will use to make the patio chair cushion.

First, you need to take measurements of the chair and decide the thickness of the foam that you will use:

  1. Measure the width of the chair seat. You will need to measure the width between the arms.  If the chair has no arms, just measure to the edge of the seat.
  2. Measure the depth of the seat. Add about 1 inch for an overhang so that when you sit on the chair, the cushion does not press up against your legs.
  3. If you already have chair cushions, just measure the cushion that is on the chair.
  4. When choosing the right foam for the cushion, use the following as a guide:
    1. 2”-3” thick foam – good for wrought iron and wood patio furniture
    2. 3”-5” thick foam – good for aluminum furniture
    3. 4”-5” thick foam – good for PVC furniture
    4. 5” thick foam – good for deep seating cushions.

Next, you need to decide what fabric you will use for the cushion.  There are a few different types of fabric that would be suitable for patio chair cushions.

Fabric-swatches

Types-of-Fabric-for-Patio-Cushions

  1. Vinyl fabric – This type of fabric is actually polyester yarn coated with colored PVC.  You can choose between an open-weave type of vinyl or a vinyl with a tighter weave.  The open-weave type allows water to drain through the underside of the cushion faster, but both are very suitable for outdoor patio chair cushions.
  2. Olefin fabric – This fabric is naturally resistant to mildew and staining which makes this fabric also a good choice.
  3. Acrylic and Polyester fabric – These fabrics are soft and very pliable.  Sunbrella fabric is an example of an acrylic fabric.  Look for acrylics or polyesters that are solution-dyed.  That means that the colors are woven in the fabric and not printed on them.  Fabric that has the color printed on it will fade.
  4. Marquesa® fabric – I have never used this fabric, but I have been told by a few people that this fabric is very strong and durable and it will not fade or fuzz.  It contains PVC and Olefin yarn.  Your patio chair cushions will dry quickly and will stay mold-free.  I have also been told that Marquesa® fabric is a very good choice of all the synthetic fiber materials for patio chair cushions.

Some things to keep in mind when you purchase your fabric:

  • Make sure that you purchase enough for the top and bottom of the cushion.
  • If you are making a cushion with a thick piece of foam (2” or more), you will need a strip of fabric for the side of the cushion.
  • Allow at least 5/8” for all seams.
  • When you go shopping for your foam and fabric, be sure to take your measurements with you.
  • If the fabric that you are going to use has a design, make sure that you purchase enough fabric so that the pieces are all going in the same direction.
  • If you are not sure whether the fabric that you like is solution-dyed or not, ask the sales person.  They are very knowledgeable and can help you make your selections.
  • You will need to decide if you want to put a zipper in the cushion or use Velcro®.  If you choose to use a zipper, you will want to purchase a #5 if you are using an acrylic or polyester fabric or a #7 if your fabric is heavier.
  • If you decide to purchase your fabric on line, many of them offer a swatch of the material for a minimal charge.

Since this article got a lot longer than I thought it would, next week, I will go into detail about how to make a paper pattern and sew your patio chair cushion.  In the meantime, get together your materials.  If you have any questions, please comment and I will answer any questions that you have.

Dec

6

Top 10 Things You Need To Do To Prepare Your Patio, Yard and House for Winter

December 6, 2009 |  Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

My husband and I were working outside this past weekend to get the yard, the flower beds, the patio and the house ready for winter.  Here in the Northeast, we are getting ready for the cold months.  It was only 20 degrees this morning.  I thought this list of the things that we did this past weekend would benefit you and to serve as a reminder and a check list of some things that you need to do.

  1. Make sure that your rain gutters and downspouts are cleaned out.  If the rain gutters have debris and leaves in them, when it rains, they will get blocked and then the water will freeze in them.  We had a problem with a gutter getting blocked with water and it actually caused some of the wood around our roof to rot.  So this is very important to do before the cold weather sets in.
  2. Tie some ropes loosely around your bigger tree branches so that if you get a freezing rain, the branches won’t bend and possibly break.  We do this every year toBirch-Tree-with-Rope-Supports the birch tree in our front yard and it works very well.  I took a picture of what we do to the tree so you know what I mean.
  3. Clean up the leaves that are laying in your yard.  If you don’t clean up the leaves, they will kill your grass.  A few leaves don’t matter, but if you have a lot of leaves that have come down this fall, you should clean them up.
  4. Now is the time to put down your winter fertilizer.  This will give your grass the fertilizer that it needs for the spring and will also take care of those weeds.
  5. Clean out the leaves in your flower beds.  Dead leaves don’t do anything for your flower beds, except make them look messy.
  6. Cover up any bulbs that you won’t be bringing in for the winter with some mulch.  The mulch will keep them from freezing.
  7. If you have been feeding the birds in the spring and summer months, continue doing so in the fall and the winter.  There isn’t much food for them during the winter months, so anything you can do for them is a big help.
  8. If you have large pots on your outdoor patio with perennials in them, you should bring the pots inside and put them in your garage or in your basement so that the plants won’t freeze and they will come up again in the spring.
  9. Drain the gasoline from your lawn mowers.  Leaving gas in the tank could damage your lawn mower.

10.  outdoor-patio-furniture-with-fire-pitThe last item is one for you to choose.  You can either relax on your outdoor patio furniture and light a fire in your fire pit or put bricks under your outdoor wood furniture to keep it up off of the ground and tie patio furniture  covers around them securely so the wind won’t blow them off.

You are now ready for winter.  Unless you live in Arizona or Florida, then, now is the time for you to enjoy the great weather and use your outdoor patio furniture.

What do you do around your house to get ready for winter?  Send us your suggestions and comments.   If you have any questions about what to do around your house, send them in and I will answer them in my next post.