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How I Used My Hoarded Quilts Collection To Furnish The Craft Shed (+ Three Cheers To Quilters Around The World!)

This project has been a huge dose of serotonin to me – I get the same burst of excitement seeing these photos as my kids do eating their Sunday sundaes. It feels chemical, truly. Over the years I’ve shown many hoarding tendencies – you don’t become a stylist without an extreme love of “stuff”. Vintage quilts have always been something that I’ve let myself buy even if “I didn’t need it” (vintage fabric is generally on that list, TBH). I grew up quilting in 4-H so I know the labor, love, and time that goes into all quilts and it’s just hard for me to let them stay at a thrift store, sad, discarded, and unloved in their current life. So for this project, I took all my quilt collection from thrift stores, Etsy, and flea markets (some splurgy, some pennies) and had this fantasy of reupholstering all the benches, back cushions, and mushroom stools in this craft shed (Formerly called the art barn). It might be one of my favorite things I’ve ever done in my life. If you remember me for one thing, let this totally unnecessary (but already SO USED) fantasy room be it :)

I started by laying them all out – I wanted to triple-check that I was going to love this vibe (and that it would be worth the quilt sacrifice and the financial investment of the upholstery). Once laid out, I was giddy with excitement. Freaking out even. Elliot came in and squealed. Even Brian knew it. Of course, I realized that I needed much more than I had (especially if I wanted to do it on both top and bottom thus making them reversible). I then went on Etsy and bought more that were just quilt toppers (more affordable AND easier to upholster).

I had a real mix of patterns, styles, and colors (more than what is above). Some were just quilt toppers (that I hoarded to turn into curtains, I think?), others that were more 80s design (square with yarn knots, thick padding), some postage stamp (tiny squares), some Irish chains, some larger flowers and stars, etc. As I collect, I usually buy based on pattern and color, but honestly, I am such a quilt enthusiast that I would also buy any that were really affordable at thrift stores even if I didn’t love the color because I knew I could dye them. Since this was going to be for a kids’ craft space (and our flex space for work and shoots) I also wanted them to be relatively stain and dirt-friendly – so I put the ones with more negative space as the backs and for the seat we intentionally did one side in a less precious quilt so that it could be flipped to be more kid-friendly if needed.

As a reminder, the space was a dingy barn that we clad in pine (added insulation and some basic electrical) and I found these built-in benches from Wayfair (the almost perfect size!) to create a built-in banquet. The black and metal stuff on the wall will make sense a bit later :)

Not Exactly A DIY – I Hired Out!

There was no way I could do this myself and honestly, this is one of those opportunities I knew I could take to support local artist businesses as well as give them some awesome photos. I already knew who I would hire for this – Anne, from ADF Upholstery. She did our first quilted mushroom stool and has a dope booth at Urbanite. She’s a french woman who has such an artful eye and I frankly wanted that eye on my project :) Anne is a real textile artist, and I knew that she could help me execute this in a way that would be better than me doing it by myself (and yes, I pay full price – a privilege I am grateful to be able to do at this point in my life). Anne came over and we laid them all out, she took notes on where everything was to go, helped troubleshoot the size of the back cushions, and then left with everything. It was a real investment and I felt in really good hands with Anne (and highly recommend her specifically for more design-oriented upholstery jobs – i.e. not your run-of-the-mill ottomans, although I’m sure she’d be great at that, too:)).

A few weeks later she came by and installed them. We designed the back to sit on french cleats (and still allow access to the outlets which we planned specifically to be above the benches so we could use the sewing machine, glue guns, and 3D printer easily. This kind of back cushion is great design-wise, but if this were for a dining bench know that it kinda pushes you out a bit (i.e. not that ergonomic) and therefore you’d want a deeper bench. We knew this but for our purposes, we wanted this look (and again, we wanted easy access to the outlets, which we use all the time). I think a squared-off version of this might be ultimately more practical for comfort for a dining bench, but again, for crafting we LOVE it.

See Them In Action

I’m truly obsessed with how it came out. The ONLY thing I would have done differently is put a more visually heavy quilt on the back wall – something with more punch. I specifically chose that white and green one there because I wanted the green to balance out the green sectional that is on the opposite wall, but I think a punchier color would have pulled the eye back there more. Literally nobody that comes in understands why I have this slight regret and if I were a normal person I wouldn’t even call it out, but that’s not how I roll. Let me be clear, I love it so much that I don’t really care.

We really mixed them up. We put our more favorites up the front and the ones I liked the least along the back cushion (although I really did like them all so win-win).

I originally bought the flower quilt topper ($15 at a thrift store) to put on each top of the mushroom stools, but we ended up keeping it as a cushion cover instead.

How sweet are all of these stools? ADF makes these mushroom stools (you can choose to swivel them or not). She specializes in upholstering with quilts (most upholsterers would look at you like you were a bit nuts if you dropped off 15 quilts and asked them to do this). I love all four of those patterns so much for different reasons – the postage stamp has so much energy and so many patterns – all hand-stitched!! The denim one with the triangles is me if I were a quilt. The Irish chain is so classic – I can’t pass one up if/when I find them. And the larger square one is out of men’s shirts, feels very 80s, and was so soft – it reminded me most of the quilts I made when I was little, with the quilting at the edge of each square.

The back cushions are hung on a cleat and the black tape-looking things you saw above was velcro that Anne added I think so they would hang more flat and stay put.

I’m SO excited to show you the finished room (coming soon, next week I think). A huge thanks to Anne of ADF Upholstery for making my quilting dreams come true. It feels more like an art installation and this is exactly what I wanted for an inspiriting art/craft space for our family. Every time I walk in (which is very often – Elliot has claimed this room with her friends as their space) I feel so proud and giddy. The walls are so calm and then your eye just dances around the quilts, delighted by the mix of colors and patterns. I hope you like it :)

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

Fin
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ED
8 months ago

Beautiful! Hope this room brings you and your family joy for many years to come.

Emily
8 months ago

This is so fun! I love it. I’ve recently started quilting myself and I can only imagine the hours and hours that went into creating these pieces. Have you thought about painting the base cabinets? Maybe a fun punchy color like a good yellow? The wood grain is so busy and I think a nice solid base would really let the quilts and painted floors shine. Just a thought! But either way, such a warm, fun space.

Erin
8 months ago

Love the good energy this room has given you! And I love how it turned out, even someone who doesn’t otherwise love quilts. So creative and visually fun yet spare – it’s not overdone at all. Amazing, creative, and a total blast!

LouAnn
8 months ago

 The denim one with the triangles is me if I were a quilt.” LOL! I don’t know Emily but looking at the pattern, that seems spot on. What an incredible room for memory making with your kids. Love all of this.

Brenda
8 months ago

I love this space!! Anne did such a fantastic job!!! I can understand why Elliot has taken over the space. :)

Tarynkay
8 months ago

This is so beautiful! I am, however, imagining how quickly these would get wrecked in my house, especially in proximity of glue guns and paint. My grandma always had her hand embroidered tablecloth covered in thick clear plastic- did you consider any kind of protective measures for these gorgeous cushions and stools? Or maybe you scotch guarded? Or maybe you are just embracing the ephemeral nature of all material things, given the relentless heat death of the universe?

AK
8 months ago

Sheer fun! I remember how my mom and nana giggled while turning a small outbuilding into a playhouse for my sister and me. Can’t wait to see the final reveal! PS An ad for All is being verrrry pushy and in your face this morning.

8 months ago

I absolutely LOVE it! What a fun space!!

Emilie
8 months ago

This looks amazing. Do you have any concerns about keeping them clean?

Norah
8 months ago

Beautiful, I love this space so much!
The quilt with the green hexagons could have been made by my grandmother (was it!?!). It makes me tear up looking at it. What a beautiful and meaningful re-purposing.

Lauren
8 months ago

Wow, this could be one of my favorite EHD spaces. Bravo!

Erin
8 months ago

Utterly adorable! I love them with the pine walls and painted floor.

Kimberly
8 months ago

LOOOOOOVVVVEEE this. I grew up in the heart of the Amish country thus surrounded by hundreds of talented quilters. Stunning to see women’s artistry honored in this way. What a great way to give new life to quilts that have gained character as they have aged.

Elizabeth
8 months ago
Reply to  Kimberly

I grew up in Lancaster too!! (Manheim) where are you from?!

Kelly
8 months ago

Delightful!

Katie Kerr
8 months ago

This is everything. I really love all your work but it’s moments like these that keep me reading. This kind of creativity inspires me in a way that really expensive and out of reach for me design doesn’t. You really are brilliant.

Rebecca
8 months ago

This is really amazing and so creative. I love stories like this and these quilts can still be looked at and loved!

Mindy Yates
8 months ago

This space is truly amazing! So creative and must be such a joy to be in. Kudos to all the creative brains involved!

Katie
8 months ago

I love this so much! I started quilting about 5 years ago, during Covid, and I am always looking for inspiration on how to incorporate my craft into my home. This is such a happy space, with so much soul!

Bethany
8 months ago

What an awesome room! And no formula- total creativity. Love it. I would stain the base of the benches dark. Just a suggestion.

K
8 months ago

Oh my gosh I love this so much! I would not have ever thought to do this, and I’ve never seen anything quite like this, but even my usually-pattern-averse brain lights up when I see this! What a joyful, fun space you have created.

K
8 months ago

Since most quilters historically have been women, it’s amazing to think about all of the time and energy from so many women in years past that are represented in these quilts! I love the fact that you’ve filled this beautiful space with women’s creativity! It’s great to think about Elliot magnetically drawn to this space.

Sarah
8 months ago
Reply to  K

I’m thinking keep it the art barn. This really is art created by so many!

E
8 months ago

(and yes, I pay full price – a privilege I am grateful to be able to do at this point in my life)”

Hear, hear! Everyone should always pay full price to artisans/small shops. Leave the haggling and sponsored deals to the big box stores.

Gretchen
8 months ago

This looks incredible! Can’t wait for the full reveal.

Susan Marie
8 months ago

Pattern overload in the most fun way. Creativity will thrive here!

Lucy
8 months ago

Wow, love this so much!!

Cathy
8 months ago

This is a really fun room, but as someone who makes quilts – it’s hard for me to see them cut up. Hopefully you can use the leftover parts for other projects. There were thousands and thousands of hours put into your upholstery fabrics!
I have a quilt in almost every room of my house – hanging on walls, used as throws and even on beds – but I would never be able to cut one up. There was one time I did make a little quilt to use as the seat covering on a rocking chair. It wore out within a few years.

Nora
8 months ago

Perfect. I’m speechless.

Lex
8 months ago

Wow!! This room is so special! And how amazing to have to inspire your whole family! My favorite room I’ve seen of yours and I love all of them. Just wanted to say my mom (in her mid 50s), younger sister (in her mid 20s) and I (in my mid 30s) all love to see your work, share it with each other and are inspired by it. A testament to your joy and passion in what you do! Keep it up!

Lane
8 months ago

The quilt cushions are my favorite part of the craft room so far. All patterns work together so well.

Sarah
8 months ago

Love it. It’s just so tactile! I wanna touch the quilts! Sounds a bit weird but same with wood! Love the idea of it as an art installation. Bellisimma!

Annette
8 months ago

this is my favorite space at your farm, I love and appreciate all the work that went into these quilts and the great upholstery work, as well! The colors and patterns of the quilts will inspire the happy crafters and design afternoon workers, too.

lauren
8 months ago

refined, quirky, but yet elegant and artfully chic. Brava!!!! You seem to do your best work when you let your serotonin guide you. Woo-hoo!

Stacia
8 months ago

I am OBSESSED with this project! And now my mind is dancing with ideas for my hoarded quilts that are sadly just sitting in piles in my closet -but not for much longer! I am in Maine or I would use Anne (but am thankful to have a talented upholsterer here!).

Suzanne
8 months ago

This is some of your most fun, creative, and inspiring work, Emily! Love it

Tatyana’s
8 months ago

It looks amazing! I really live the modern light x the quilts.
Where is the light from?

Rory
8 months ago
Reply to  Tatyana’s

Looks like the Valerie Objects × Muller Van Severen
Hanging Lamp n°3?

Lia
8 months ago

Fun space – and those mushroom stools are incredible.
For any other Canadians who were looking for the bench but got diverted to the Wayfair.ca homepage:

jodie
8 months ago

Would you be willing to give an estimate of what the cushions and stools cost?
Looks fantastic!

Marilee
8 months ago

I’m new to commenting here – but as a fellow farm/livestock owner I LOVE the use of the quilts!
I also love the light over the table – is that a purchase of is it vintage? Would love to find something like that.
Thank you for the day brightener!

Rory
8 months ago
Reply to  Marilee

Looks like the Valerie Objects × Muller Van Severen
Hanging Lamp n°3?

Pamela T
8 months ago

Not only like it, but LOVE it! Charming, bit of quirk and a hearty nod of appreciation for the art of quilting.

A
8 months ago

You’re on a roll!! Obsessed with the way that the colors come together here and they remind me so much of your brother’s bedding? In the best way? Love love love

Addie
8 months ago

Beautiful and inspired! I’m looking forward to seeing the entire space.

Monica
8 months ago

OMG! Love this project and especially the stool with the pattern that alternates between blue triangles and blue pinstripe. I could look endless pictures of just that stool!

annie
8 months ago

i think i had one of those “old school cartoon eyes popping out of my head” moments at the first picture. this is such a fun and unique and joyful project, and i can’t wait to see the whole art barn finished!!

Ryn Durand
8 months ago

I’m literally drooling …. i love quilts so ? ?

priscilla
8 months ago

I don’t like it, I LOVE it! Be still my little quilted heart!

Melanie
8 months ago

Emily, I gasped! I wasn’t sure about the plan but oh you nailed it. It’s so pretty!

Jen C
7 months ago

The cushions are perfect! A wonderful idea to use the quilts and have them on display. Love the patterns and also the mushroom stools.

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