How to Sew Rocking Chair Pads
Rocking chairs provide a soothing sensation that children and adults can enjoy for hours. Many of them, especially wooden ones, have seats that quickly become uncomfortable. The simplest solution is to make a cushion for your favorite rocking chair. Sew one that matches your chair's finish or your room's décor. You will get more pleasure from your rocker when you use a pad to relieve the chair's pressure on your bottom. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Foam
- Thread
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Tape measure
- Marking pen or sewing chalk
- Pins
- Serrated or utility knife
- Sew-on Velcro strips
Instructions
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Design and Construct
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1
Measure the length and width of the chair seat. If you want to make a pad that fits snugly, trace an outline of the chair's seat on newspaper or brown craft paper. Add one inch to your measurements for a one-inch foam insert.
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2
Purchase enough fabric to cover your foam and a piece of foam that fits or is larger than your initial (without seam allowance) chair measurements. Remember to pick up your sewing notions and matching thread.
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3
Fold your fabric in half and cut the cover, using your adjusted measurements or the paper pattern that you made. If you are using a pattern, pin it to the fabric and mark lines around it for the allowance needed for your seams before cutting your fabric.
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4
Pin the two pieces of the chair pad together with the right sides facing each other.
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5
Sew a seam with a half-inch allowance. Start at the top left or right side of the cover and continue around the front. End the seam at the top of the opposite side. Leave the back of the cover open. Remove the pins and turn the cover so the right side faces out.
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6
Mark the finished shape of the cover on the foam cushion and cut it with a utility knife. You can use the cover as your marking guide.
Assemble Pad
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7
Insert the foam into your cushion and check the fit.
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8
Cut the Velcro strip half an inch shorter than the length of your cushion cover back.
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9
Mark the correct position for a slightly snug fit for the foam, then sew one piece of the Velcro strip set on each flap of the back of the cushion.
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10
Hem the edges of the back of the chair cover.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You may need to remove the cushion to hem the back section on the sewing machine.
Many upholstery fabrics are not washable; check before you select the fabric for your cover. Choose a durable, stain resistant fabric for the longest wear.
