Salon Settee Cushion Update

Four-year-old fabric

Just a follow-up on a project. I used the Sunbrella 8304-0000 linen to make salon cushions in February of 2013. Now, more than 4 years later, the fabric still looks as good as it did the first day.

We had a long debate about the white fabric. We do all the work on the boat, so we're frequently filthy with grease, oil, sanding dust, or any of the other hundreds of ways boats get you dirty. We were nervous about having white cushions, but we really needed the light color to brighten up the cave feeling of the boat. After a few months of living with it, I decided to make slip covers for the bottom cushions so I wouldn't have to wash them so much. I used Velux blankets and made two sets that I can trade out when I do laundry. I ordered two different colors to match the striped pillows I made, just to have some variety in the interior.

Brand new in 2013

The fabric is nothing short of a miracle. I can wash it in the washer on low temp, and dry it in the dryer. It doesn't shrink at all, but the webbing I used on the back to sew the mounting snaps on does shrink so I use lower temps. We have successfully removed every single stain from the fabric, most just using a little dish soap on a microfiber cloth. Our toddler granddaughter recently wrote on it with gel art pen, and even that came out with just a touch of hydrogen peroxide and a microfiber cloth. Ketchup, blood, dirt, grass, all came out with ease. Since I tufted the backs with buttons, it's harder to remove the covers to wash. I simply use soap suds on a brush and surface clean the cushion. Then I set them out in the sun and they dry quickly.

If you need to reupholster your salon cushions, I can't say enough good about this fabric. If you're going to buy it, please give the business to the folks at Sailrite.com. You won't regret the customer service you get there which is just another bonus on the fabric.

Upholstery Fabric Update

I get a lot of questions about sewing and fabric since I do canvas work on the side for cruisers. A recurring comment is the "Oh!" when people see our white settee upholstery, especially when they see my mechanic husband sitting on it or pictures of my grandkid toddlers on the boat.

We thought long and hard about choosing white for our cushions. We wanted to lighten up the interior, especially at night, but we are active people and we get dirty fixing things on the boat and we had intentions of having grandkids with jelly fingers visit us. In the end, the desire to lighten up the interior won out.

I purchased a white linen from Sailrite. Before you say it, yes you can get fabric cheaper from other places online. I choose to continue to deal with Sailrite because it's a family owned company that delivers on its promise for excellent customer service. Customer service rules in my book and I am always willing to pay a bit more for something if I can find good customer service.

After sewing the cushions, we treated the fabric with Scotchguard. We also do keep some stretchy lightweight blankets on the bottom cushions if we're working on something to protect them from our dirty clothes and feet. The only stains on the cushions so far are a couple drips of wood stain that got away from a project. We have had spills on the fabric before, but they remained on top of the thread until we were able to blot it up with a towel.

Cleaning the covers has been a delight. I simply throw them in any commercial washer with normal laundry detergent and, if they're very dirty, I add a detergent booster.

Here is the picture of the port side settee right after we did the cushions:

And here is a picture of the same settee after two years of use. The two small stains from the wood stain are visible in the lower left.

While it does definitely require more attention to keeping them clean, it has been without any question, a good decision to go with the white cushions in this fabric. I would say, though, that if you chose a cheaper fabric your results might not be as good.