How to Make Patio Furniture Chair Pads

Nighttime patio

Add a little luxury to your patio furniture by making chair pads that will increase your comfort level, impart a design element and hold up under the weather. Special foam and fabric for outdoor use dries quickly, which increases the lifespan of your chair pads. Decorative outdoor fabrics complement your patio décor as they resist mildew and stains.

With the right products and limited sewing skills, you can create custom patio furniture chair pads that you'll enjoy for years.

Things You'll Need

• Outdoor foam Paper or cardboard Fabric chalk Scissors Pins Iron Sewing machine Measuring tape Electric knife Outdoor fabric Velcro strips

Instructions

1. Find outdoor fabric and outdoor foam online or at your local fabric store. If your patio is covered, you should still purchase special outdoor materials, as the chair pads will still be prone to moisture and mildew.

2. Make a template of the seat of the patio chairs with paper or cardboard. Place the template on the back side of your outdoor fabric and measure out 2 inches along the perimeter of the template; mark the outline on your fabric with chalk. The extra 2 inches will allow for the seam and the edge of your foam.

3. Cut the fabric for the chair-pad cover along your chalk outline. You will need two pieces of fabric for each chair. Fold each piece of fabric back to back, ¾ inch all the way around, and iron in place. This will make it easier to sew, and also give you a better seam.

4. Place the fabric face-to-face and pin the two pieces together along the edges. Sew around three of the sides where you pressed the fabric, leaving the back of the chair pad cover open. Sew each pressed seam separately on the open side.

5. Add a self-adhesive Velcro strip to the remaining side, one strip on the edge of both sides of the chair pad. Turn your fabric completely inside out.

6. Place your chair-pad template on a piece of 2-inch outdoor foam and trace around it. Carefully cut the shape from the foam with an electric knife.

7. Cover the foam with the fabric and close the last side with Velcro. The fabric should fit snugly over the pad. Velcro along one edge offers a good seal and makes it easier to remove the foam for cleaning.

Tips & Warnings

• For 1-inch patio chair pads, increase the perimeter of your fabric by 1-1/2 inches to allow for the edge of your foam.

• The foam will cut easily with the electric knife, but hold it carefully as you cut.

Resources

• Outdoor Foam
• Outdoor Fabrics