6. Pretty, pretty fabric

It was certainly a rush trying to finish the majority of the painting and construction in the camper before it got too cold. It was wet and rainy September so we patiently waited for a few consecutive dry days and then shut up shop. Our tiny pop up is now closed down and hibernating in our side yard, waiting patiently for spring.

While it is cold and snowy outside, I have a few sewing projects that I would like to work on: curtains, cushions, throw pillows, and fitted bed sheets. I am on Christmas break and had the time to start working on re upholstering four of the bench cushions. The foam was in perfect condition. So was the fabric cover, but since it was dated I decided to sew a new cover to put on over it. I washed the old covers to give them a new and much better smell and went to work designing zipped bench cushion covers. After taking several measurements I began cutting enough fabric for each of the four cushions. This meticulous measuring, calculating, and cutting took close to two hours. I wanted to be very sure that I didn’t use more than the 5 yards of fabric that I already had cut. I created one panel for each cushion that had a zipper across the entire short end. When I was done, I squeezed the covered cushions in the new covers and zipped them shut. They fit like a glove! It took quite some time to get this project completed, but it was worth it. I know there are many tutorials on a “no-sew” cushion cover method, but I wasn’t sure how well they would hold up.

I plan on using the same fabric as I had used for the cushions to create several curtains for the bunk ends. I had already sewn four salmon colored panels (bright accent) and will add these to the Azure fabric and maybe throw in some plain white if it looks too busy inside the pop up. I also purchased two large throw pillows that I will reupholster with coordinating fabric. Chartreuse?

The foam beds/ bunk ends are an odd size at 47” x 71”. I looked for a traditional twin or full sized set of sheets, but neither worked well for what we needed. I have made several fitted sheets for my daughter’s bed and plan on doing the same for our camper beds. I will do this by adding another 8 inches on both measurements, cutting an 8” square in each corner and sewing the corners to make them boxed. I will sew a casing and add elastic, creating the perfect fitted sheet for what we need. Instead of purchasing expensive fabric from the store, I am keeping my eye out for a set of flat sheets that I can cut as needed.

Once I finish sewing the curtains and throw pillows, my goal is to work on creating a toddler bed to go over the dinette table when it is time to go to bed! I may use the cushions that are already on the benches and make a fitted sheet to make it more bed-like, or even cut a piece of foam as a mattress topper to make the bed a little more like we have at home.

Until it is warm, sunny and the flowers start to bloom, this pop up project will be on hold. Stay tuned for some more pictures and camper up dates in the spring!