How to Tie Chair Sashes

Chair sashes are a beautiful way to cover ugly function chairs and enhance the beauty and presentation of events like weddings, dances, and formal receptions. You can rent chairs, covers and sashes from an event company, but it can be expensive. With a little creativity and hard work, you can turn your chair covers into something beautiful that others will admire.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Chair
• Fabric
• Sash

1. Once you've found a chair cover via rental or purchase, you are ready to tie a sash. You can purchase any sash material you'd like--the most popular are satin and organza. Whatever material you choose, make sure it has the desired width. Remember, the purchase of a sash is both aesthetic and functional--it looks beautiful and helps keep the chair cover in place. The most popular widths are between 6" and 8" wide and at least 9 feet long.

2. Take the length of sash and fold it in half. Press the middle of the sash into the middle of the inside chair (the part where the person's back will lean against) and bring each half around to the back on each side. You are essentially "wrapping" the chair with the sash material.

3. Tie a simple knot in the back to secure the sash material around the chair cover and to make it easier to work with. Stretch out the width of the sash around the chair. The knot will give a more dramatic look by creating a "fan" look on either side of it with the gathers of the material.

4. Choose your bow style. There are many types of bows out there ranging from easy to fancy.

5. 

   The easiest bow to tie is a basic bow. Tie a simple knot in Step 3 to secure the sash, then make 2 loops and tie those together--this is the same knot you use to tie your shoe. Pull the "loop" ends out to the desired length and blouse the material. Pull the material a little in the center knot to look smoother and fuller.

6. 

   Another option is a square knot (right over left and left over right) tied loosely or tightly, which can be simple and elegant.

7. 

   You can also choose to take both ends of the sash and bring them around the back to drape over your your simple knot from Step 3. This is known as the "flip."

Tips & Warnings

• There are many more complex and decorative types of bows you can tie. Just refer to any guide on how to tie bows. While most bow instructions are meant for ribbons, almost any type of bow can be modified to make a decorative chair sash. Just make sure you have enough length of material to complete the bow. With a little practice, you'll be a bow expert in no time.
• Whatever material you choose, make sure it is easy to work with and tie into a bow.