A New Look in the Living Room

When I bought my RV in 2012, one of the features of it was a fabric pattern clearly stolen from someone’s grandmother’s home in the late 1980s. While I can definitely see that browns and blacks go well with some accent colors… Gold is not the one I would choose. Also not in the quantity that someone thought was appropriate for this fabric. On top of the stellar color choices, this particular fabric uses various textures that of course get snagged and rubbed wrong every time someone touches it. Using it on the back seat cushions for the dinette was probably THE worst idea.

After a few years of putting up with it and watching certain spots wear down and fray apart where people sat, it finally just became too crappy to put up with any longer. If it were possible, I am sure it would have started bringing property values down soon.

I looked into getting the RV re-upholstered when I first bought it. Not because this  horrendous fabric had already gotten to me, but just because I wanted to know what a more ‘custom’ choice might end up costing. The prices were anywhere from $2500 to $10,000 to redo various amounts of interior fabrics.

Luckily for me, a few years ago I was given a sewing machine. It was for an entirely different project (that actually became a small side business) but it seems I am finding new uses for the skill of sewing on a daily basis. This offensive fabric, having become the bane of my RV existence, became the latest target of that skill not too long ago.

I had learned enough to make simple things with the machine, and I didn’t imagine this was too far ahead of my skill set. Of course, my confidence is always the last thing to get in line when I need to complete any project, so I did consult with a wiser and more experienced seamstress! Mrs. S kindly helped me plan out the project and get a better hold on how hard (for me) or easy (for her) it would be to accomplish.

Melody chimed in with helping to find a suitable replacement fabric, and we went through a range of ideas…all of which were really great choices even though I can’t openly admit that to her for fear of an ‘escalating project scope’ she would lay out to redecorate *everything*. Eventually, my simple tastes won out, keeping the project isolate to the dinette cushions for now.

We were actually able to locate the exact material used for the bottom seat cushions in a local Hancock Fabrics store. Just to the left of it was the same material in a lighter beige, which ended up being perfect!

For the grand total cost of about $65, not including the time Mrs. S put into the assembly… the dinette now has two-tone brown cushions that don’t fall apart every time someone sits on one. This is especially great since we’ve decided to lower the table and keep it stowed, leaving a larger ‘lounge’ area or place for boxes or bags during travel.

Now I just have to sort out how to safely remove the window valances to get at the rest of that original material and exorcise it as well…