No Sew Cushion Makeover!

Caroline Sturman
Oct 3, 2016
3 min read

Here is another revitalized project!

To start, I can't sew. I opted to take band and Spanish in middle and high school instead of home economics and I have zero regrets, but it would be helpful to know how to sew on a button or make my own pillows...maybe one day!

This past summer, Charlie and I have been attempting to get our screened in porch together. Remember, the crab baskets and USA flag? Well we needed some furniture for out there and I wanted some nice lounge furniture so we could sit out there and chill with some friends. Anyway, Craigslist came through for us again! Here's the original furniture (I apologize for the mess...we were putting our grill together at the time I took this photo and it's my only "Before" photo because sometimes I fail at life).

As you can see, this orange floral pattern was not going to work for my "rustic America" themed porch. I researched how much it would cost to get the cushions professionally reupholstered or just custom done (this was after some intense searching for the cushion sizes online). To get them redone would've cost close to $600 so that just wasn't going to happen. Thank goodness I found this step-by-step no sew tutorial online! Check it out!

All you need are the following items:

glue gun
glue sticks (amount depends on how many cushions)
outdoor fabric
chalk
measuring tape

Before jumping into the steps, I want to mention that I did not redo the pillows. I just bought new pillows from Lowe's. I also want to say that I did all of this in one evening so it is not that long of a process! Yay, quick inexpensive fixes!

1. Measure and Cut. So ideally you want to measure the cushions before buying the fabric. Make sure you have enough to cover the top, sides, and then some of the bottom. I'd also advise you cover the entire backside of the cushions if you can see them from behind the furniture. Once you've bought the fabric, you measure all over again. I used chalk to mark the measurements and a piece of cardboard as my straight-edge. (I struggle to cut in straight lines). I also labeled the fabric that way I could easily know which cushion the piece of fabric was for.

2. Glue. This step is literally you wrapping your cushions like Christmas gifts. Put the fabric down on the floor (outside part face down) then you pull the middle and glue, then corners and glue or however which way you wrap your gifts...just use glue instead of tape. If you mess up, just wait until the glue is dry and then peel the fabric off and try it again. The beauty is that no one is going to be looking at the bottom of your cushions! And if your cushions get dirty, you can peel the fabric off and wash them because the glue sticks to the cushion material and not your fabric. No idea why...just another way God is telling us He loves us, I guess.

That's all!! Two steps! The fabric cost me $70 from Jo-Ann's and some extra glue sticks cost me $10 for a pack of 100. New pillows from Lowe's cost $20, I believe. Voila! Now if only me and the hubby could agree on an outdoor rug.... Stay tuned for a full recap on our screened-in porch makeover!!