In the film Gone With The Wind, Scarlett O'Hara, desperate for fabric for a new dress, rips down the curtains. Maria, in The Sound of Music, uses old drapes to make playclothes for the Von Trapp children. Though both of these acts are considered scandalous, when it comes down to it, what's the big deal? Curtains are just big bolts of fabric, and they're both excellent examples of reuse. That's what I told my friend after she spent weeks searching for grey linen to cover her couch.
Her feather and down sofa had started its life as a particularly comfortable example of Shabby Chic, slipcovered in white denim with a white skirt daintily hiding its cankles. It had then donned a tight green velvet casing, white piping picking out its tailored lines and newly narrow arms. But now my friend was moving into a new, smaller space and was hoping for something simple and dog-friendly. She'd fixated on dark grey linen (probably prompted by my constantly e-mailing her photos of dark grey couches). But her budget was tight. What about the curtains? I suggested. Ask the upholsterer if he can use them. The grey linen of the Aina curtains from Ikea were exactly what she'd been searching for. He gave the material the thumbs up. Now it's done and she couldn't be happier.
Moral of this story: Before you toss those curtains or grandma's giant linen tablecloth, consider whether the material can be used for that upholstery project you have in mind. They can also be run up into a duvet cover or a stack of giant floor pillows. Consider the possibilities, and have fun!
(Image: Abigail Stone)
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"I saw it in the window and I just couldn't resist it." Anybody else remember this Carol Burnett classic?
I can't imagine that a linen used for curtains would be durable on a couch. At any rate, the material would work out to be about $7/yard, which would be minimal compared with the cost of reupholstering.
My parents once made a horrendous fabric choice for a reupholstering project. In hindsight they would have been better off waiting a couple of years and getting a new couch. The fabric started to wear noticeable within about six months of the job being completed.
yeah if you would have used a coupon for joanns or hancocks you probably could have gotten it for cheaper.
Michael W. --- first thing I thought of was that curtain rod across her shoulders! Classic.
Griffin -- Heh Heh Heh...She's great, isn't she?
Ah, the Carol Burnett Scarlet -- so great!
I think the only issue with using fabrics in ways they aren't advertised for is durability. Upholstery fabric tends to be heaviest. Slip cover fabric somewhat lighter. Drapery fabric often lighter, still. Quilt and dress goods even lighter. You can probably interchange them as you like as long as you can work with the texture for the project (heavy upholstery fabric might make a coat or vest but maybe not a nightgown, drapery fabric might make a better slip-cover than upholstered piece -- unless it's a low-use piece or one you don't mind re-doing sooner than otherwise.) I currently have sofa pillows I made with upholstery fabric fronts and drapery weight backs... I have used dress goods quite satisfactorily for pillows and dining chair covers.
I'd just avoid using USED draperies for upholstery -- the UV light that fades the curtains also weakens the fabric. I once used some yummy silk velvet drapes to back a small velvet patchwork quilt, even though the fade marks were apparent. (It FELT good! Cozy lap robe...) Now, though, all those sections have frayed apart and I have to re-back the quilt, which has a complicated saw-tooth edge. The project has been in my "to do" pile for literally years, but I can't face the hours of hand work involved!
Those Ikea curtains, if they're the same ones I have, are plenty thick and durable enough for upholstery. Plenty.
And that Carol Burnett gag is reputed to have gotten the longest laugh ever on live television. I'd forgotten the line ("saw it in the window") so thanks for that happy reminder! Smiling big now.
Could I, then, use this fabric to cover my dining room chairs? The current fabric isn't ghastly; I only just bought them 6 months ago, but as I develop my colour scheme in my open-concept space, the fabric on the chairs seems too heavy. The curtains are advertised as linen and light enough to daylight shine through, so I would think they are really good for recovering... If I were to cover over the current fabric (assuming the older fabric doesn't show through), would not the rubbing of the two fabrics further weaken the new cover?
*that should read 'aren't really good for recovering'...
maybe this curtain material is very THICK and very durable and would do fine for this purpose. But usually uphostery fabrics have labels of 30,000 - 50,000 times that are beaten with a presurizing machine, to see how durable they are. So those are usually pretty durable fabrics... Plus upholstery fabrics have a small % of a man made fiber to increase longevity. A 100% linen fabric is going to wear quick on a sofa, without some poliesters woven in to keep it last.... You can uphoster with linnen and cotton, but I would not do it on the most used piece of furniture...
I agree with a lot of the posters. Curtain fabric is NOT made for sitting on. Sure, the fabric may appear thick & durable- but something made for hanging in the window & dealing with the glare of sunlight is not necessarily made for sitting on, laying on, spilling food on, romping & jumping on, dogs little toenails scratching on.... Unless that curtain upholstered furniture is just going to sit in a window & be admired, it is not going to hold up to the wear & tear of human butts flopping on it, kids climbing or dogs being dogs on it. Sure, a tea towel turned cafe curtain. A sheet turned duvet cover. A table cloth turned wrap around skirt. But curtains as upholstery? No way. And "Gone With the Wind" and "The Sound of Music" were movies! I own an autographed copy of her autobiography, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" (Image Books, 1949), by Maria Augusta Trapp (she dropped the "Von") and she did NOT make clothes for the Von Trapp children from curtains. That was Disney.
If it is a well made sofa and you love the lines, it's always worth reupholstering especially if you shop around for a good upholsterer who offers a fair price (true, that can be a challenge!) Some of the newer affordable sofas are poorly constructed and why add to a landfill?? That Ikea curtain fabric is extremely durable and the panels are a great price and you get a LOT of fabric from them. I have used them to make bedskirts, a chair slipcover and in my daughter's first college apartment, we draped and tucked them over the hideous furniture. The fabric went on to being bedskirts after a couple of years. As for linen for upholstery, I had a great sofa custom made from Norwalk (not sure they still exist) and the sofa is now 13 years old, in perfect condition and in daily use including a dog. The original fabric was linen and I couldn't kill it. I got tired of the design and had it recovered after 9 years, but it was like new. So there! I will keep recovering this sofa as it's a classic design and so comfortable. Nice job on the sofa by the way...it's not all about me!
Variegated sausage dog: 'Hey, this photo is gonna be for a famous home design blog. You want them looking at your butt?'
Chubby brown sausage dog: 'Then maybe should have checked your ear was the right way up.'
Variegated sausage: 'Damn.'