A long time ago I had a great idea. I would get outdoor fabric to upholster the seats on the new chairs I was getting for our kitchen table. I would be getting the best of both worlds, cute fabric that would stay clean through all of Jenin’s spills and drips. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. The fabric boasted that it is stain resistant, which it is. What it didn’t mention is that the fabric would fade miserably each time I wiped off the tomato sauce/chocolate milk/strawberry yogurt/oatmeal/etc.
Look how great the fresh, new fabric looks on the chair? Sorry about the picture, it was an after thought during some downtime while making cinnamon rolls, which explains the flour on the table and the chair. This is before I had gotten the new rug.
 |
| Just another shot. Another after thought. The chairs began falling apart so quickly that I didn’t really have a desire to take a good picture of them. |
To add insult to injury, slowly each few weeks, a leg on my brand new chairs would split and break. Ah, “quality”. Before even getting to fully enjoy my new dining set, it had already looked like it had been picked up from Craigslist’s free section. When my in-laws were visiting during the summer, we were sitting on white plastic folding chairs. Um, embarrassing? Now you’re probably wondering why I didn’t just take them back to the store, right? Well, we purchased them wholesale from a furniture warehouse that sells directly to furniture stores. All sales final.
 |
| J, there are better ways to get out of finishing your lunch. |
 |
| Maysoon putting my cookbooks to use. |
Outdoor fabric wasn’t as life changing as I had hoped. My next (desperate) option is to use laminated fabric. Tacky? Maybe. Most likely not because MADE did it first. I just can’t stand the site of stained (or faded) fabric on the seats. So I embark on the journey to find oil cloth fabric with a pattern that doesn’t fight with the stain resistant rug under the table. The rug is from JCPenney in my favorite pattern. Unlike the outdoor fabric, it is earning it’s keep in the house.
I love the rug and the fabric on your chairs! I had a similar problem with my chairs fading and staining thanks to a husband with a Kool-Aid habit…yes really. I recently had them recovered with a striped fabric that is far more forgiving, despite being silk!
Your decor is gorgeous…love it!
I got 2 black tablecloths to cover our 8 chairs nearly a year ago now. Because tablecloths are made to be stain resistant, I just wipe them clean. It was cheaper than buying fabric by the metre too.
I overlooked the fact that I used black fabric! I had white on there before that, don't know what I was thinking! But until I find a tablecloth print that I like, black it is!!
love your new rug!
hello! love it all!! fabulous~
Salaams 🙂
Just stumbled across your blog, and so happy I did. While you're looking for that perfect stain resistant fabric, you could make padded cushions for your chairs; tie them on, and wash every so often. Easier to remake new ones when they feel dated in appearance.
Hope you find the perfect solution. Your sewing skills are awesome, mashAllah!
Love and Peace
Thanks for the blog visit and nice comment. I love your rug and your chairs are beautiful. It's too bad that fabric can't stay fresh and new forever 🙂 Good luck with your quest to find great fabric for your new chairs. I'm no help because we put the clear plastic over our kid's fabric stools at the counter. Kinda tacky, but clean 🙂
I found you through the Tatertots and Jello party. How about leather chairs, or pleather if that fits the budget better? I got mine at Rona a big box hardware store, for cheap. Maybe worth a try. Love the rug too 😉 Visiting from http://www.lifeisaparty.ca
So pretty! I recovered one of our dining room chairs like 2 years ago just to see if I liked it and I did…just haven't gotten around to recovering the other 7. That's my ADD talking! Would love for you to visit me at Sew Chatty and link up to Made with Love Monday! The party will be open until Friday if you want to link up multiple projects. Hope you have a great day! http://sewchatty.blogspot.com
What online furniture warehouse did you purchase this dining set from?
It’s from Coasters Furniture.