Second Life - No Not That One!

These two lawn chairs were my Mom and Dad’s when they lived in the house I mostly grew up in, on Post Road in Warwick, Rhode Island. That means they must date from the late 1970s or early 80s. Instead of a flat woven web, they’re covered in what I think must be a vinyl tubing, all on an aluminum frame. They are still very comfortable. But as is true of almost any lawn chair, if you sit on one while wearing shorts, there is a tendency to end up with some sort of stamped impression on the back of your legs when you stand up! In this case, that would be stripes.

So I decided to make a couple of slipcovers for them. I wanted the fabric to be washable, soft and not too thin. I also wanted to use something I had on hand - preferably recycling something in the bargain. That’s when I thought of some old cotton terry cloth bath sheets I had tucked away for whenever another dog joins our family. Because the towels were very worn and frayed on the edges, I first trimmed and hemmed the top and bottom. Then I draped one over a chair, fussed with it a bit and began pinning. I first stitched up the top pillowcase-like end on my trusty Singer. Then I slipped that part over the chair and decided what to do next. Some more pinning, stitching and then aggressive trimming ensued. Lastly, I did some machine tacking where the long front meets the pillowcase-like back. I figured that was the point most likely prone to strain.

The reason I made them so long was because I wanted to be able to use them on our foldable lounge chairs as well. We really like these covers. They’re soft and cozy and in this humid climate, help us avoid the clammy, clingy feeling of vinyl on bare skin. But I admit, they are a little ho-hum. So now I’m trying to decide if I want to tie dye them or dye them some other interesting way! Stay tuned...

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