Like any craft fiend, I love working with high quality fabrics. They can be a little tougher to work with, but produce great results that last. You may pay a bit more for these fabrics, but that extra cost is balanced out by the great results. My favourite high quality material is upholstery fabric.
Now I can hear you thinking of upholstery fabric. What can you do with that apart from covering a sofa? Well the answer is quite a lot.
Here are a few ideas for some home projects that you can tackle using upholstery textiles:
Matching Cushion Covers
By shopping online, it is relatively easy to find upholstery material that is either a perfect or a close match to the fabric that your furniture is currently covered in. Making cushions from that same material is a great way to pull a room together, add a touch of class and make your home more comfortable.
Make A New Piece Of Furniture Blend In Better
If, like me, you enjoy rescuing chairs and transforming them, you will love using high quality upholstery materials for this task. The results are so much better. In a few hours, you can easily transform a shabby chair into a stylish new piece of furniture for your home.
Now I am not saying that reupholstering a chair or sofa is easy, but it is a skill that, over time, you can learn. The trick is to start with something simple. My first re-upholstering project was a set of dining chairs. The shape of the cushions meant that I only needed a fabric stapler and the help of a couple of YouTube videos to complete the project successfully. It was a lot easier than I expected.
Next, I made new covers for the base cushions of my sofa and easy chairs. That was more challenging, but I found my previous sewing experience allowed me to do a good job that I was pleased with.
If you have never sewn with these heavier fabrics before my recommendation is that you start with one of the smaller projects on this page. Making a bag or tablecloth is a good way to get used to working with stiffer, heavier, better quality fabrics.
Make A Throw
The weight of upholstery fabric means that it makes a good throw or cover. If you can sew in a straight line this is a project you can definitely handle.
Naturally, not all furniture fabric works for this kind of project. Some of the fabrics are too heavy or stiff, but there are plenty of beautiful silks and velvets that work well.
Make A Tablecloth And Napkins
Another straight-line project is making a set of napkins. These fine fabrics also make great table runners and tablecloths.
Stylish Handbags And Shopping Bags
The fact that upholstery fabrics are so durable means that they are perfect for bags. You can make fantastic handbags, shopping bags and wallets with upholstery fabric.
Of course, there are dozens of other projects for you to try, but these are my favourites. On this page, there is something for everyone to try, from easy items that take less than an hour to complex projects that you could tackle over a weekend or several evenings.
