Camp Trailer Makeover- Part 2

Can you believe it?!  I’m finally getting around to the camp trailer makeover-part 2.  Did you see part 1?  You can check it out HERE.  It was big the reveal post—all of the BEFORE and AFTER pictures.  Today, I’ll get into a little more detail about what I used, where I got it, and how I did it.  We’ve spent a lot of time in this trailer this summer and LOVED it!  We just got back from a big family camping trip for Labor Day weekend.  I’m happy to say, all the upholstery still looks awesome, even after all the camping we’ve done this summer.

Before we dive in, here’s a couple pictures of the trailer again.  What it looks like now:

What it looked like BEFORE:

Let’s talk about the window changes first.  First thing I did is pull down the valance/curtain/mini blind combos.  I wanted the trailer to feel open and light and it just didn’t feel that way with all that stuff on the windows.  Each valance/curtain/mini blind combo was all one piece, so it was literally just a matter of unscrewing them from the trailer wall.  Super easy!

Searching for trailer curtain fabric was overwhelming for me.  I wanted the fabric to have a finished look on both sides and I didn’t want to have to figure out how to line curtains.  So I started looking for already made curtain panels. Store bought curtain panels are made of heavier quality fabric and usually look good on both sides.  Plus, with a little planning, I was able to use the existing seams on at least part of the curtains saving time and sewing stress.  I bought the navy curtain panels for the main family room and kitchen area from Shopko.  I was able to make all the curtains using one and a half curtain panels.  AND they only cost about $25 for the pair, which is probably the same if not less than I would have spent on home decor fabric.  

The curtains in the ‘master bedroom’ are from a curtain panel I got at Target.

Once the curtain grommets are cut off, it’s just a big piece of awesome fabric!  I measured, cut and sewed to fit the windows, creating a pocket at the top for the rod.  (Also, I just used the really inexpensive metal curtain rods-they are perfect for a trailer!)  

These curtains are made from shower curtains (again from Target.)

Shower curtains were perfect here because they already have the small grommets at the top.  I cut one shower curtain exactly in half to make these curtain doors.  I also just used iron on hem tape for the seam.  There was only one side to sew here too, just where I cut.  The top, bottom and one side were already sewn because it was a ready to use, finished, shower curtain!   

Now let’s talk about the couch.  reupholstering a couch sounds super intimidating, right?  The good news it, this couch is faux reupholstered!  No Sewing, no stapling, and no taking apart.  I measured the couch and bought the fabric-which is actually suiting fabric.  It’s pretty heavy duty, but soft, and it was only about $5 a yard (much less expensive than most home decor fabrics.)

I cut the fabric in two pieces: one for the back and one for the bottom. Then I wrapped the fabric over the top and sides and just clipped it to the metal rods along the back.  Where the back meets the seat, it is just tucked-it’s tight enough that it stays in place really well!  

The bottom seat part is the same thing; wrapped around along the bottom and clipped to the metal rods.  Then again, where the back meets the seat, it is just tucked.  

Along both the sides, I just tucked the fabric as well.  I gotta say, it’s held up and stayed in place better than I expected!  I haven’t had to re-tuck it much at all!   I think part of the trick to this method is having plenty of fabric.  There is a lot of excess fabric tucked which helps it hold really well.  I am so happy with how this faux reupholstering is working, I will most likely leave it like this forever!  Why make something harder than it has to be right?! 😉

Okay, are you still with me?  Ha ha!  Now I will try to explain reupholstering the cushions.  Lucky for me, my mom is an excellent seamstress, so I recruited her to help me with the cushions.  First step, remove the old covers and use them as a guide for measuring.  I turned the covers inside out and measured each piece to determine how much fabric to buy.  Once I bought the fabric I used the existing covers again as a guide for cutting and sewing too.  I used them as a pattern.

Here’s how the pieces worked out:  For each cushion I cut a front piece, a back piece, 2 long side pieces and 2 short side pieces.  All measured and cut according to the existing covers.

For the zipper, I cut one of the long side pieces in half (as shown below) and sewed the zipper along one side.  Then sew the other side to the zipper as well.  A little tip for zippers:  buy it by the yard!  It’s much less expensive and then your guaranteed to get the length you need.  There are helpful instructions on YouTube for using zipper by the yard. (I used THIS tutorial.)

Zippers are also much easier than I thought.  You just need a zipper foot for your sewing machine and they are a breeze!  Like I said, my mom was a huge help and she showed me how to do the zippers.

Now it’s just a matter of sewing all the pieces together.  Sew the 2 long sides to the back piece, (right sides together) then sew the two short side pieces.  The corners can be a little tricky.  Once you’ve got all the sides sewn on, sew on the large front piece.  You’ll need to unzip the zipper to finish sewing the large front piece.  Then  you can turn it right side out and put it on the cushion.  

They certainly aren’t perfect, but they turned out great!

Last, the trip pieces.  They were super easy! 

All the trim pieces just unscrew:Then I just used a staple gun and some extra fabric from the curtains and cushions to cover the trim pieces.  I just stapled the new fabric right over the existing fabric.  Super easy!

Then we just reattached them!

I think that covers it all!  If you’re on the lookout for trailer makeover fabrics I would like to suggest being open to all kinds of fabric.  I used curtain panels, shower curtains, suiting fabric, and home decor fabric for this makeover.  I even considered using sheets, or thin blankets for some of the changes.  There are lots of types of fabric!

I have had a lot of people tell me they want to do the same thing to their trailer and I say GO FOR IT!  It’s amazing what just some fabric can do!  If nothing else, I think just switching out the window coverings will make a huge difference.  Now that summer is coming to an end, you have all winter to work on it! 😉

Click HERE to see the Trailer Makeover part one post.

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