How to Make Faux Grain Sack Chairs

Everyone is asking how you can get the look of grainsacks on a budget, and guess what? Clever Cindy is going to show us how today! I’m pretty excited. I love everything she does. Here is CINDY FROM EDITH AND EVELYN

Lately I have gotten a lot of questions about vintage grain sacks. Most questions have been about where to find them, and why they are so expensive. Many of you love the french look of grain sacks in your home decor, but in some areas, they are difficult to find and can be a little pricey, even when you do find them.

So I thought I would try and create a faux grain sack to “get the look” of the real deal. I have to say, I am loving the finished result. And it was so quick and easy to do!

Drop cloths have been used for so many projects and I have used them for a lot of different decor ideas in my own home. When washed, they have a wonderful vintage like texture. I even used drop cloths for the drapes in our recent dining room renovation!

So for this project, I headed to my local home improvement store and picked up a small drop cloth….only $5.98 for a 4′ x 5′ size.

I washed it to remove any chemicals that may have been in it and also to soften it. I always add bleach to whiten the drop cloth a little bit more, however that is strictly personal preference. After drying, I ironed the drop cloth to get out any wrinkles and make it completely smooth.

I have a pair of French style chairs that I bought about 10 years ago. They are not old and both had very modern upholstery, so they don’t work in my current decor. But I have kept them all these years because of the style {I have somewhat of an obsession with frenchy chairs!} and knew that one day I would get around to changing their upholstery. This project was the perfect opportunity!

Hubby was kind enough to strip the old fabric on the chair for me, which was great, as that is my least favorite part of any upholstery project. He was so fast in stripping it though, that I didn’t get a before picture! But here is what the chair looked like after she was stripped.

Using the old upholstery as a pattern, I cut out my new pieces from the washed and ironed drop cloth.

And then using painter’s tape, I placed one strip of tape down the middle and then spaced one strip on each side to create the stripe area. You could play around with this, creating different size stripes if you wish.

Be sure and press firmly along the edges of the tape, so that when you paint, it doesn’t bleed.

The paint I chose to use was Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue chalk paint, simply because that is what I had on hand, and I love the color. But you could very easily use any acrylic craft paint or fabric paint, choosing any color of the rainbow, whatever works with your color scheme.

Using a small, flat artist’s paint brush, I painted down each stripe, dabbing the paint into the drop cloth. I didn’t make a solid paint line, leaving it faded in areas so that it would closely resemble what an old grain sack looks like.

Be sure and place a piece of cardboard underneath so that the paint doesn’t bleed through to the work space.

After letting the paint dry, usually just a few minutes, I carefully peeled back the strips of tape, revealing the painted stripes!

I did this on both pieces that would be used for the seat and back of the chair.

Some of my favorite grain sacks are the ones that are monogrammed with the farming family’s initials. They are rare and very collectible. So to create the same look, I pulled out some inexpensive alphabet stencils which are easily found at the big box craft stores. Or if you are artistic, you could freehand the letters!

On the piece of drop cloth that would be used for the back of the chair, I placed my initials on each side of the stripe.

Using the same paint as I used for the stripes, I stenciled my initials, and taking a small, pointed artist’s brush made some “x” marks on the letters to resemble stitches.

Voila! It looks just like a vintage grain sack! It took very little time and minimal cost!

I took the pieces, centered them on the chair and upholstered it. This is the final result!

I love how it turned out!

Though I have a stash of vintage grain sacks, this turned out so fabulous, that I’m going to use these faux grain sacks on the mate to this chair as well.

You could use this same technique and materials for so many different projects such as pillows or table runners. And personalize it any way you like, with a monogram or date.

It gives you the French grain sack look without the expense!

And I have to show you the back of this chair, it has a sweet little surprise on the back.

I found this beautiful toile fabric at Hobby Lobby about a year ago. I loved the colors, but most of all, I loved the sheep!

I hope this gives you some inspiration to create your own “grain sack”!

Cheers,

Cindy

Cindy’s Blog EDITH AND EVELYN

Other posts by Cindy

Edith and Evelyn Etsy Shop

Get my ebook, 8 Ways to Add Farmhouse French Style and 3 more bonus PDFs, and my emails... it's all FREE!

CEDAR HILL FARMHOUSE - updated country French style

Your information will never be shared or sold to a 3rd party.