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Reupholstering furniture is a quick and easy way to bring new life to an old piece of furniture that might otherwise end up in the trash (or something that you rescued from the trash!), and its also a great way to take basic furniture and make it fabulous.
Manhattan Nest's Daniel Kanter wrote about how he transformed an Ikea FJELLSE bed frame into an upholstered bed using a wool blanket from a local Army surplus store as affordable upholstery fabric. Kanter's story got us thinking about upcycling as an alternative to expensive upholstery fabric for your DIY projects.
Whether you're recovering chairs, making an upholstered headboard, or transforming an ugly ottoman, there are lots of ways you can upcycle gently used items to ensure your upholstery projects are green and inexpensive. Here are 5 alternative sources for upholstery fabric:
Thick Blankets Gently used blankets from thrift stores or second-hand shops are perfect for a lot of upholstery projects. One inexpensive blanket can upholster a bed, headboard, or all of your dining room chairs. Make sure the fabric is strong and on the thicker side.
Vintage Curtains Hit up your local second-hand shops for vintage (or newer) curtains. For very little money you can get a lot of fabric, and good curtains are made with upholstery fabrics, so you'll actually be getting the real deal.
Old Suit Jackets If you have a thing for suiting fabric, head to a thrift store or ring up relatives looking for old suit jackets--you can even use ones that have stains on the front because you just need the back panel to use for upholstering dining chair seats.
Mom's Table Cloth Raid your mom's stash of table cloths, or if she can't part with any of them head for a second-hand shop. Look for a table cloth made from a thicker fabric, and remember that a natural fiber is best.
Rethink Slipcovers Slipcovers are a great way to make an old sofa look fresh, but they can also be a fantastic source of upholstery-grade fabric that can be used for large-scale upholstery projects.
