We have a winner for the Pleated Poppy Giveaway. Random.org selected number 239 - Michelle from Someday! Congratulations, Michelle and a huge thanks for Lindsey for providing this awesome giveaway!
I know some people may be sick of them, but I love antique grain sacks. This is not just a passing fancy for me, either. I bought my first one about eight years ago for $1.00. I am drawn to antique utilitarian pieces like fans and scales; things that have been well used and lovingly mended. Unfortunately, the European grain sacks that I love so much are way out of my budget. $50 for a grain sack? I just can't do it. So, I've shared before how I took matters into my own hands and made some myself. (You can find the tutorial here.) This is my latest endeavor...
I know some people may be sick of them, but I love antique grain sacks. This is not just a passing fancy for me, either. I bought my first one about eight years ago for $1.00. I am drawn to antique utilitarian pieces like fans and scales; things that have been well used and lovingly mended. Unfortunately, the European grain sacks that I love so much are way out of my budget. $50 for a grain sack? I just can't do it. So, I've shared before how I took matters into my own hands and made some myself. (You can find the tutorial here.) This is my latest endeavor...
My inspiration was this antique grain sack listed on Etsy by Christina from grainsack.
I mixed red and burnt umber acrylic paint and brushed it on to create the stripes. Make sure you leave some of the white showing through. If you are someone who is a perfectionist, you need to check your OCD at the door. This needs to be imperfect for it to look right. If you have two absolutely perfect stripes that are fully painted in, it will not look like an old grain sack. It will look like you painted perfect stripes on a piece of drop cloth. Ok? So...take a breath with me...and relax.
Now, here's the part where you get mad at me. I just hand painted the letters to look like the stitched monogram in the inspiration piece (although, I left off the S.) Do not dismay, though, you can draw something out lightly with a pencil or fabric chalk. Use a really thin brush, so you have more control. If you're more comfortable with a needle and floss, you can always embroider this. I'm just too impatient for that and paint is my medium of choice.
At a glance, people are going to assume this is stitched on, not painted.
I allowed the paint to dry before I moved on to the sewing.
My grandfather's wife gave this ottoman to me. It was in perfect condition when it came into my possession and my cats shredded it in under a day. I no longer have cats, so it was time to address this piece.
I made a simple slipcover with piping trim around the top and used the hemmed drop cloth edge for the bottom. I was thinking about adding a ruffle, but there's something very humble about the simple hem. Canvas is also a pain to ruffle, because it's so thick.
I know, I've been stalling on a slipcover tutorial, mainly because I don't really like sewing. I do it because I can't afford to pay someone else to do it. The other reason is that every piece is so different and I kind of make it up as I go along. If you want to make a slipcover, check out my tips. A boxy ottoman like this would be a perfect first piece.
You can always use this "grain sack" to cover the seat of a chair; you could make a pillow out of it, or frame it. Tons of options, here.
Here's the bottom line. A small canvas drop cloth from Lowe's cost a little over $4.00. You can buy two bottles of acrylic paint (red and burnt umber) for about $2.00 at a craft store. So, assuming you have some bleach and white thread on hand, you can make this for about $7.00. I'm going to try some in blue as well.
There are several community yard sales tomorrow morning, so I hope to have lots of treasures to share with you. Fingers crossed for good weather.
