Grain Sack Ottoman

05/7 2010

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…

My inspiration was this antique grain sack listed on Etsy by Christina from grainsack.

I started out with a technique that is nothing new. I think it was featured in Country Living magazine a couple of months ago. I washed and bleached the heck out of a drop cloth to slipcover a wing chair (which I’ll reveal soon) and I had enough left over to cover this ottoman. Using my handy Frog Tape, I masked off two stripes.

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.

I posted this to DIY Day, TDC’s Before & After Party and SNS.

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Comments

Angela says:

05/7 2010 at 7:25 pm

Wow, you do good work!!

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal says:

05/7 2010 at 7:26 pm

This turned out great. I love the shape of this ottoman. All chunky and square!

Patty@ Time to Boom says:

05/7 2010 at 7:32 pm

I have an ottoman to cover and I would have never thought of a drop cloth. Thanks for the inspiration!

gail says:

05/7 2010 at 7:36 pm

wow! I'm in awe at how simple you make it sound… do I have to remind you how I can NOT paint!
gail

Willow Decor says:

05/7 2010 at 7:38 pm

OMG!! This is awesome!! I love how the paint is soft and mottled – Great job! You are such an inspiration.
This is a fabulous job.
xxx-Gina

L.Duncan says:

05/7 2010 at 7:54 pm

What an inspiration! I showed your free hand letters to my "I can draw that" husband and told him to get busy;) you did a great job hun!

Oh and I retweeted this post!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says:

05/7 2010 at 7:56 pm

Love the new slipcover! I have been planning on making a table runner out of a drop cloth and using this paint technique. I never thought of bleaching the drop cloth though. I do like it so much better in white. Great Job.
Hugs,
Sherry

Cindy says:

05/7 2010 at 8:01 pm

That is beautiful, you did a great job on it. I saw your heading and I had to check you out. My post today was also on a footstool, I covered mine with burlap.
Like you, I don't really like doing this kind of thing, but nobody will do it for me, so that leaves me. I don't do tutorials either.

Corn in my Coffee-Pot says:

05/7 2010 at 8:20 pm

Well now that looks simple enough…now I just have to get to painting.
I'm out of practice, …but with your tutorials, and a little bit of patience on my part…MAYBE, I'LL BE ABLE TO DO SOMTHING THAT PRETTY.

Traci@ Beneath My Heart says:

05/7 2010 at 8:41 pm

Again, you amaze me! I love this project!
I highlighted you on my blog tonight.
Have a blessed Mother's Day.

paisley penguin says:

05/7 2010 at 8:55 pm

That looks great. At first glance I DID think it was cross stitched!

bj says:

05/7 2010 at 9:20 pm

O, Miss Mustard…this turned out so so cute. I love it. Gosh dangit..you are so talented with that painting of yours. I can't paint the broad side of a barn!!
)
hugs, bj

Funky Junk Interiors says:

05/7 2010 at 10:03 pm

I LOVE it.

Do you mix the acrylic paint with any fabric medium to make it fabric friendly, or use it straight out of the bottle?

Donna

Tamra says:

05/7 2010 at 10:15 pm

Ok I bow to the grain sack queen!!

Stunning! I was just starting to upholster a chair seat with drop cloth but now I'm gonna do it grain sack style.

Thanks!

Rooster Coop says:

05/7 2010 at 11:06 pm

Your blog is wonderful! I have a quick question. Did you bleach your drop cloth? I bought two at Lowes, but decided the color wasn't quite what I was looking for. If I bleach them, they might. They are the larger size though. Did you just wash them with bleach, or fill a tub or something else?

Thanks.

Bayside Rose says:

05/8 2010 at 12:00 am

What an amazing job you have done! Love your blog and thanks for the inspiration.

Miss Mustard Seed says:

05/8 2010 at 3:28 am

I recently got some fabric paints from DecoArt that I want to try out, but I just use acrylic paints. They wash and wear great. They can be a little stiff and first, but they soften up in the wash.

SueAnn says:

05/8 2010 at 3:29 am

Love the slipcover!! Perfect!! Can't wait to see what treasures you find.
Hugs
SueAnn

Flick, says:

05/8 2010 at 5:29 am

Hey Marian, I have been looking for an alternative fabric for ages, and you had a simple amswer the whole time…
The sewing I can do, painting furniture or houses is fine.. but that crazy, gorgeous, fiddly hand painting nonsense has to be a joke right?? You are amazing.. I thought it was a stencil, and still couldn't believe how it was still so neat. Some people get all the talent! ha
I am beyond help.
Flick

Laura PARING DOWN says:

05/8 2010 at 5:46 am

That is truly beautiful. You do such beautiful work!

Tattered & Timeless says:

05/8 2010 at 6:04 am

How beautiful. And I am getting better and better with the tiny paint brush. I did tons of signs for my show and it was actually fun – once I let go of the OCD that ties me down sometimes.
tammy

Terry @ La Bella Vie says:

05/8 2010 at 9:28 am

Oh My, Oh my! This is sooo amazing!
Now I must do this for…some ottoman that…I don't exactly have yet…but will just as soon as I find one:)
I love it and this blog!
Terry

{oc cottage} says:

05/8 2010 at 10:53 am

I think you need to change the name of your blog to "Miss Genius"!!! LOVING this!!!!!

m ^..^

Suzanne@Meridian Road says:

05/8 2010 at 10:53 am

My house needs one of these. I love it! Blue will be pretty, too.

Samantha2818 says:

05/8 2010 at 3:26 pm

This looks amazing. I agree that the price of grain sacks is ridiculous so have been making my own copies too. Your footstool looks fantastic!

Dreamy Whites says:

05/8 2010 at 5:25 pm

Okay you are amazing!!!
My goodness, I wouldn't have ever known that wasn't the real deal. I LOVE it. I am partial to the red grain sacks as well! : ))

Have a great weekend!
Take Care,
Maria

Tales From My Empty Nest says:

05/8 2010 at 8:24 pm

Your ottoman cover is awesome!! I love it. Thanks for sharing with us. Happy Mother' Day tomorrow. Love & blessings from NC!

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden says:

05/8 2010 at 10:27 pm

You're so talented. From farther away, your painting really does look like stitching! How many times did you have to put it through the wash with the bleach before starting?

Alyssabeth's says:

05/9 2010 at 5:06 am

Perfetct post, my husband showed-up last week with two ottomans that neighbors had set on the curb. Now I have a great solution for at least one of them. Thanks for the insipration!

Miss Fergie says:

05/9 2010 at 12:35 pm

I love all your work. I'm a fellow painter. I have been faux painting for people for 12 years now and I still love it. I just started a creative how to blog and I'll add you to my side bar .

Cheryl says:

05/9 2010 at 5:14 pm

So pretty and you have such a steady hand. I would of stitched it….don't have such a steady hand.

carolyn says:

05/9 2010 at 6:45 pm

You had me excited until I found out you freehanded the design ; ) But seriously, what a beautiful slipcover. I don't mind sewing, but I'm not very good at it. Maybe an ottoman would be a good place to start.

Julie @ followyourheartwoodworking says:

05/10 2010 at 11:57 am

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT. You are just full of great ideas that you bring to life!

Allison @ House of Hepworths says:

05/10 2010 at 8:23 pm

I love love love love love this!!!! Did I mention that I LOVE this?!!

I'd love for you to share this at my party this Thursday!

http://www.houseofhepworths.com

xoxo

fiberdoodles says:

05/11 2010 at 7:06 am

I love it! It looks awesome!!

Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage says:

05/11 2010 at 9:33 am

OH my I love this one!! Thanks!!

Karla @ {The Classy Woman} says:

05/12 2010 at 9:02 pm

This turned out great!

Kerry's Vintage Treasures says:

07/20 2010 at 3:51 am

You've inspired me, I've been wanting to work on some new things for some time, I'm very keen to get started. Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas and the how to do it………..
BIG SMILES
Kerry

Buy King Size Quilts says:

09/14 2010 at 3:55 am

I LOVE it! Wonderful job and great tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing about Buy Ottoman Furniture

S Oldham says:

12/18 2012 at 4:38 pm

Beautiful job! Quick question for you…how do you bleach canvas in a high efficiency machine? I haven’t been able to find a solution on the web. Can you bleach something in a sink, then wash it? Thanks for your help. You are so talented!