Operation Deck Oasis almost complete: Adding Drop Cloth Seat Cushions and Curtains

 Operation Deck Oasis almost complete

After many weekends of people hanging out at our house and in our backyard/deck area, I came to the conclusion of 2 things- 1) The benches are not the most comfortable place to sit on your butt (the back pillows are nice, but your butt starts to hurt on the hard benches after a while) and 2) The deck bench area is STILL so bright and sunny to sit at (even with our makeshift sunshade).
So, I was able to fix these 2 problems easily this past weekend. Firstly, the hubs brought home this HUGE long wooden curtain rod someone was getting rid of at his work- I looked at it and just kept thinking, "Where the hell are we going to use THAT!?" Then light bulb went off- "I wonder if it would work for the deck?" Sure enough, the short side of the deck was a perfect fit. I put off doing much with the thought though, as curtains are costly- especially for the number of panels I wanted to close off the bench spot.
Then, Saturday afternoon I come home and passed by a stack of 4 patio furniture cushions on the side of the road down the street from our house. I walk on down- assess the quality (they weren't in bad shape- just ugly pattern and faded as all hell), so again- lightbulb went off- "I can cover these, and there is just the right amount for the benches!"

What to do with these hideous things...

After much debate, I came across a Pinterest post on no-sew cushion covers using painters drop cloths and safety pins. I decided this was the way to go for me, since I am leery about sewing drop cloth on my sewing machine (it being thick and all) and wanting something I can simply change if I didn't like it. I decided to go with the drop cloths, since they were a neutral light solid color (since my pillows are so crazy colors) and they are cheap for the amount of fabric you get.

Supplies for the day

 Sunday afternoon I took my two 9ft x 15 ft drop cloths, a box of safety pins and scissors and went to town.
For the cushions, I basically "wrapped them like presents" then safety pinned into place on the bottom. Since no one sees the bottom, this was easy and cheap to do.

Gift Wrapping the cushions in fabric

Safety Pin in place!

Cushions all done. Notice the one is slightly too big- but its ok, as that's the best corner to have extra cushioning and the back pillows cover it up.

For the curtains, I installed hooks on the sunshade support beams, added a middle beam just for the curtains (since I didn't have a rod big enough for the longer side of the bench area, so I made it into 2 smaller rods). I cut holes in the tops of the cloth curtains, and added strips of funky black and white fabric I had laying around (leftover from remnants of what I covered my bar cart with), which I tied to the curtain rods.

poke a hole...

... add a tie...

Simple shade made!

Instant Curtains!

Since I already had the curtain rods and acquired the big one for free, had the black fabric and safety pins already, and got the cushions for free, literally the only thing I had to buy was the 2 drop cloths to do both these projects. Score!

The sun shade dips down a little bit on the right side, but that's ok. Still shady now!

I'm so happy how it turned out..

And the tire table is still holding up strong, even after many bad rain.

Perfecto!

Full view of the deck...

What the neighbors see when I'm hiding in the spot..

When it was all done, it was PERFECT. Finally, the place is fully shaded, a little quieter, more comfortable and overall becoming my little oasis. Sunday afternoon after I finished up, I sat down with my Diet Ginger Ale and Mango Chutney/Cream Cheese dip and chips, and enjoyed the afternoon on my ipad. I can certainly see myself hanging out here more- and it is now perfect for a bbq we are hosting this coming Friday for a going away party.

My favorite corner now.

I was so tired after doing all of this though.

 I also made sure the curtain rods could be easily taken down and put in the shed when the weather stinks, so overall, easy as pie project! I now know why everyone raves over using drop cloths to cover everything! haha

So, for a refresher- here is the before and after:
Before:

Before the curtains and cushions.

After:

We still are trying to fixup our little walkway to our mini pool, then the backyard is pretty well done. ;)

Little walkway awaiting paint and being pushed down a little bit. Possibly a little bench made on side.

Do you have your own little oasis at home?
Anyways, Hope you're having a great day- I sure had a blast making this project a reality. ;)
-M

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