Porch Prep and More Pillow Talk (...66)

My mission today was to revive my porch from its long cold Boston winter slumber.  This involves moving my indoor plants outside, adding a few new ones, and making the seating comfortable.

This year I have new seating!  It's a lovely long bench bought last year at the Brimfield Antiques Show.  The bench is wrought iron, six feet long, and sturdy.  The curved back caught my eye and the price was right.  I've already sanded, painted, and rust-proofed it.  Now all I need is cushions and pillows! 

I'm on the hunt for an affordable way to make this bench comfortable for summer lounging, reading, laptop lallygagging, and BBQ eating.  It's not inexpensive to buy durable off-the-shelf pillows for outdoor use.  So, finding greatly discounted pillows at an outlet store or making them myself is the goal.






Today I found these two pillows at T.J.Maxx for $12 each.  They're outdoor and large 20x20 pillows, good for my two Adirondack chairs.  But I'm not convinced I'll keep them so they're still in the bag. 

 

The bench needs a custom cushion because it's an uncommon length.  Most cushions I've found online are too short, too puffy, and toooooo pricey.  Many are $150 to $200... Sewwww, sewing the bench cushion is my next project.

Fabric.com sells discounted outdoor fabric, but still pricey at $10 a yard.  I need 4 yards, foam batting, and welting cord, so I'd like to find a better deal.  The other challenge,and  the most enjoyable, is choosing fabric.  Look at these gorgeous prints!

How to narrow the options...How to choose among these beauties...Oh yes, and how to make a cushion...I've made a purse, baby blanket, and an apron up to now, but a custom box cushion with welting, constructed to fit snugly around a foam insert?  Hopefully a future post will include a stunning "After" picture worthy of Remodelista!