A fleece futon cover would look great in a rustic room. DIY Decorating & Design host Nancy Golden explains how to make a cozy futon cover from two fleece blankets laced together with leather strips. Iron-on seam binding provides an edging for the grommet holes. Materials:
Two fleece blankets, one to fit each side of the futon
Iron-on seam tape to edge the perimeter of each blanket
Grommets
Grommet kit: includes anvil, hole punch, set punch and piece of hardwood
Leather lace
Piece of chalk
Hammer
Scissors
- Edge each blanket with iron-on seam tape.
- Use chalk to mark the placement of grommet holes every 3" to 4" around the perimeter of each blanket on the seam-bound edge.
- You'll need a hard surface for cutting the grommet holes and pounding the grommets in place. Nancy sets a piece of hardwood on a cement block on her worktable (figure A). A cement floor or driveway works well too. To cut a grommet hole at each mark, set the fabric on the hardwood surface, put the hole cutter in place on top of the chalk mark, and strike the hole cutter with a hammer. Remove the hole cutter and the piece of fabric. If the hole isn't cut completely through the fabric, use scissors to snip it.
- Set the anvil on the hardwood surface, and place the bottom grommet fitting, post up, on top of the anvil (figure B).
- Fit one punched hole in the blanket edging over the grommet post, set the grommet washer top in place over the post on top of the fabric, insert the set punch in the post, and strike the set punch with a hammer. Turn the set punch one-quarter turn every time you hammer (figure C). Remove the set punch.
- Use the same method to attach grommets at marked points all around each blanket.
- Arrange the blankets over the existing futon mattress. Attach the front fleece-blanket cover to the back cover, lacing a leather strip through the grommet holes with a blanket stitch (figure D). Tie the laces together at the end.
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