Painted Chair $1 (no sewing)

I have to admit, 
I can sew slipcovers, and I have in the past, but it is a time consuming job (for me).

That said, I did wanted to change up this rocking chair.

It went 

before I turned it into this.

this was before the final coat

***Before you stop reading, let me assure you this is not as crazy as it seems***

My inspiration came from my blogging friend Revi when she posted about her sofa on here. A $1.50 makeover.

Really? Yes, she is awesome.

So I got inspired to finally get a move on this chair makeover.

I got my $1 quart of paint (from the Restore), and white latex primer, and yes...I did paint the chair.
I am going to show you how to make the painted chair feel and look like it's not really painted.

I diluted the primer paint 3 parts paint to 1 part water, shake it, mix it and paint your fabric.

(don't worry about the fabric peeking through)

Next day I did it again.

Next day, after all was dry, I lightly sanded it with a sanding block. 

By sanding I mean lightly sand in a quick circular motion all over the painted fabric.
It took me less than a minute.

I cannot tell you how much softer the painted fabric is to the touch.

after 2 coats of regular latex primer

Then I diluted the final coat of paint "whiskers",

same ratio 3:1, and painted the fabric for the last time.

I didn't need to give it a second coat, as the primer paint had covered the original fabric pretty well.

After the paint dried, I lightly sanded the entire thing again.

This painting process was not hard at all, and not as time (and brain) consuming as the fitted slipcover would have been, but you need to wait in between coats and allow the fabric to dry. At least that's what I did.

The sanding really does the trick for the softness. I will have a feel as if you are sitting on a vinyl/leather chair, so the fabric will be "stiffer" but not "rough". 
(not that the fabric on this particular chair was that soft to start with).
That's the best way I can describe it.

Different fabric will absorb paint in a slightly different way. You might need to water down the paint a little more, or give it an extra coat if the fabric pattern is bleeding through.
My chair had a textured surface, and that's what I had to work with.

Another perk is that when the paint is dry, it seals the fabric, making it easy to wipe.
Best of all, the paint was really inexpensive ($1) and makes a great impact.

That paint used is the same paint I used in this other project right here.

I love my new chair.

Here how to make the pillow patchwork out of dropcloth remnants.

Stay Frugal, 

Daniela
update: some of you might be concern about the paint cracking or staining your clothes when sitting on it.
This is just my educated guess:

I don't think the paint would crack, because I painted on fabric, and fabric absorbs the paint. Maybe on a vinyl chair (fake leather) it would crack. Also as far as rubbing off on clothes, I doubt it. When you get paint on clothes (fabric), it will somewhat wash off if you do it right away, but let the splatters sit a few hours, and the paint will not come off, even when you wash it over and over. So this finish should be pretty durable.

Linking to
A Stroll Thru Life
Savvy Southern Style
Stone Gable
The Frugal Girls
twelveOeight
Between Naps on the Porch
The Style Sisters