Yarn Break – Camper Remodel (Sewing, sewing, crochet, oh my!)

Pop Up Glamper

Every now and then I post something other than knitting and crochet; this is one of those posts. 🙂  I had to set down my knitting needles and crochet hooks ( though you can see my crochet granny square potholder hanging there – see the pattern here) for a bit when we finally purchased a used pop-up trailer camper. It was time to get back to sewing like a crazy person, making all new cushion covers, curtains, valance and some pillows. Maybe I’ll post a “how to make a pillow tutorial” shortly, I am quite the expert now!

I was basically stalking all of the reasonably priced pop ups on Craigslist for the month of June, and after being beat to the punch on two of them, we finally scored this little one (note to anyone looking for a pop up at the beginning of summer: they are hard to get!).  It’s a Starcraft year 2001, so not super old, but the interior was not my style on top of being REALLY dirty.  There was no way I felt like cuddling up on any of those cushions, so EVERYTHING had to be cleaned and/or made new.  See, here is how it was….

Camper before remodel
The décor wasn’t terrible, but there was a lot of surface dirt, and I wanted a kitschy little camper so on to the redo!

 

I grew up camping in a circa 1982 pop-up, and have memories of mismatched fabrics, plaid coleman sleeping bags, curtains that my brother and I would hide behind, and afghans for campfires. I wanted to keep the feel that I remember, so chose to use up a bunch of various fabric which I already had, and buy some that would go with the look. At first, my budget for the remodel was to stay under $150.00.  I think it probably ended up being more like $280.  We splurged on a couple of things, which were the back splash, comforters and extra mattress foam. Shockingly, the hubby was on board with splurging-he was totally into this camper remodel!

 

Popup Camper Remodel
I washed and kept the curtains, but added a blue strip of detail along the top. I also sewed some of the curtains entirely with the new dark blue fabric. I made the valance with a red gingham fabric. I simply cut the old valance off leaving an inch of the original, and sewed the new fabric to the original and velcro.
POP up interior remodel
There’s my little granny square crochet hot pad! I put up LED light strings along one side of the camper which is my FAVORITE part of this whole thing. They are battery run and are not only cute, but very useful at night when we want light without using our camper’s battery.

Here are a few of the fun details we did:

 

Pop up camper beds
This was on our first camping trip to The Great Sand Dunes National Park.

 

Pop up camper interior
The “Camp” sign was painted by me, the backsplash was done by the hubs (it was so easy), the garland is made from scrap fabric from the cushions and curtains that I made.

Here’s what we did to this tent trailer in two weeks:

  • Cleaned, scrubbed, washed, fe-breezed like ca-ray-zay

  • Sewed new cushion covers (I did them envelope style and used Velcro to close one side)

  • Sewed new curtains

  • Sewed new valance

  • Bought new bedding and pillows

  • Sewed new pillows (used left over scrap Pendleton fabric that I already had for some of those)

  • Installed backsplash ( faux tin panel which we got at Lowes – that was a pricey little panel )

  • Painted handles and faucets stainless steel (they were gold)

  • Painted “Camp” sign (bought a little sign from the dollar store, flipped it and painted on the back – so easy), put up LED fairy lights (love these!)

  • Bought new rug

  • Admired, drank wine, took camping and enjoyed!

Pop up glamper exterior
This was our little spot a couple of weekends ago at 11 Mile Canyon here in Colorado. Such fun. 🙂

We have already had some great times in our camper this summer.

  Pop up before Popup Camper Remodel After

You know what, it was a lot of fun to redo this pop up. It’s just a camper after all, so it wasn’t stressful in the least! I just kept telling myself when I’d get all uppity that something wasn’t turning out perfect, “This ain’t the Taj-Mahal, it’s a CAMPER”.  It’s not the Ritz. It’s not even the Holiday Inn.  It’s a kitschy little camper that will get dirtied up, and filled with memories.  I wish I could redo another one! But maybe next year…I’m kind of tired of sewing cushions.

Camper redo

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the pics of the remodel. If you’ve ever wanted to do something similar, I say DO IT. 🙂  Do you have any great camping memories?

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11 Comments

    1. Thanks so much Colleen. It’s all set up on the driveway right now and I don’t want to put it back down. It’s like a little playhouse. 🙂 Have a great day, and thanks for the kind words!

  1. Jessica, you got me so excited all over again just looking at the photos. You are so creative and it was nice hearing about the memories of our good times many years ago as a family. There was just something very special about those times together in the pop up with you and Justin! Impossible to come home without smiles and the smell of campfire! So happy you now have a Play House of your own to enjoy for many years. Great Job Jessica!

  2. I LOVE what you did!!! You got the exact look you wanted! I love the ideas as the LED lights. Cool idea. Looks wonderful and inviting! I am happy for you and your family! Xo

    1. Thank you so much Esther! Yes, the LED lights have been great. I’m so happy you like it! Thank you for your sweet words.

  3. Being a full time Rver for ten years, I love what you have done to your little pop-up trailer! Comfy and practical! You go girl!!!
    I do enjoy your site.
    SuZ

    1. And my granddaughter that I’m closest to, and her significant other… Are Jessica and Justin!!

      1. That is too funny! My brother “Justin” just flew in yesterday from New York City. We will be remembering old times and going to the mountains with the pop up with my hubby and daughter for the weekend. It should be an adventure for sure. I think that’s hilarious that you have a “Jessica and Justin” in your life too. Great names, I must say – ha ha! 🙂 Thanks for sharing Suz.

    2. Oh, I think that is such an wonderful way to live life! I bet you have gotten to see amazing things and meet some great people through Rv’ing. After getting this pop up, I can see how people can get addicted. 🙂 Thanks for the kind words about the camper and my site. It made my morning! The camper is comfortable indeed – we are taking it to the mountains with my brother today. 🙂

  4. Hi. I see this post is nearly 3 years old now. We are going to view a StarCraft Venture 2000 tomorrow. Your Pinterest pic was the closest I found to the one we will see. I love what you did to yours! Do you still have it? Did you do anything to the wood paneling on the kitchen to make it lighter. The pics of the one we will see has dark wood. I imagine it is just a contact sort of covering over particle board? I will certainly use your good ideas If we get it!!

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