[make] Upholstered Bench Top

I did it! I conquered my first summer DIY project, as I mentioned in this post last Sunday. I followed through: go me!

Here's what I did:

Bench top
Quilt batting
Staple gun
1 yard of fabric
Scissors (not pictured)

Lay out your batting on top of the bench top and decide how many layers of batting you would like to have as your cushion. I had enough to keep the batting folded in half, as you can see in the second picture:

 

Flip your bench top over and lay it upside down on top of the batting. This is how you will staple the batting into the wood:

Start stapling by pulling the batting tightly so there are no bubbles, gaps, etc. As you staple, you can cut excess batting off from around the edges. Remember, this is a bench top, so it will still need to be able to fit correctly on the bottom part of the bench!

Finagle the corners and their batting by stapling/cutting as needed. These little "nubs", for lack of a better word, keep the bench top sitting snugly on top of the bench, so make sure they are seen!

 

Ta-da! 1st step down.

 

Next up, lay your fabric over the top of the bench top, where the batting is, so you can cut it to size if needed. I trimmed about two inches off of the length, just so I wouldn't have as much fabric to pull taut while I was stapling. 

 

Flip the fabric/bench over. Same step as before: pull your fabric taut as you staple around the edge of the bench. This fabric has a subtle, repetitive pattern, so depending on what kind of fabric you use will depend if it needs to be aligned straight or if you can just cross your fingers and pray it turns out alright. I did the latter and it worked fine :) The fabric is slightly crooked in some places, but if you can point that out, shhhhhhh.... Don't tell anyone!

Finagle your corners again, trim, and admire your work. I'm sure there is an upholsterer (?) turning in his/her grave because my job isn't very neat or professional looking... but nobody will see this ugly side unless they lift the bench top to store things on the inside of the bench... And those people will only be myself or Nate... and we are very forgiving :)

Front side: smooth, no wrinkles, and the pattern looks pretty good!

 

I put the bench top back on the bench and Oliver immediately approved. What a swell guy.

 

Chloe wasn't too sure, so she stayed in our bed. And yes, our bed is not made. #keepingitreal

I am pretty proud of myself that I stuck with a project that I said I was going to complete in the same week! Stay tuned to see what next week's project will be... and it will be simple because I am going to Dallas next Thursday-Saturday :) So fun!

Happy Friday and happy weekend!

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4





See where I link up: Monday Made it @ 4th Grade Frolics, Blog Hop @ Naptime Review, What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots, Craft-O-Manic Monday @ Craft-O-Manic, Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T./Lines Across/Uncommon Designs/That's What {Che} Said/Creatively Living, Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Show Me What Ya Got Linky Party @ Not JUST A Housewife, {Wow Me Wednesday} @ Ginger Snap Crafts, Link Party @ Destination: Craft, The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible, Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello, What I Wore Wednesday @ The Pleated Poppy