How to Make Your Own Wing Back Chair Slipcovers

Take care when using one-direction designs so that all motifs will face the same way on your finished slipcover.

Wing back chairs are an elegant addition to any room's décor, and they are often built so well that they outlast the style of fabric in which they're upholstered. Slipcovers can be purchased for these chairs, but there is no guarantee that they will fit the unique curves of your chair. You can use your creativity to make a slipcover to fit your wing back chair and match it to your home's décor. To make a slipcover, you will need measuring, fitting, and basic sewing skills.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Pencil
• Non-stretchy heavy-weight fabric
• Pins
• Marking pencil
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing Machine
• Hook and loop fastener
• Zipper for back of cushion (optional)

Instructions

Steps

1. Measure your chair, taking careful notes of the measurements for each piece of fabric making up the chair's upholstery. Begin with the width and depth of the seat and chair back, and continue on to the smaller measurements such as the arm wings. Take notes of these measurements, being sure to account for the back and sides of the chair. It may prove useful to draw a diagram of each piece of fabric on your chair in your notebook, noting the measurements for each piece.

2. Measure the seat cushion separately if it is a removable cushion, remembering to add both the top and bottom of it, as well as the side piece that wraps around the cushion, if it is a box cushion.

3. Determine how much fabric you will need for all pieces of the slipcover, based on your measurements. Add ½ inch to each side of every piece for seam allowances. Since most upholstery fabric is sold in 58- or 60-inch widths, you may want to draw a fabric layout diagram showing how you will cut out the pieces to maximize your fabric.

4. Purchase the slipcover fabric according to your diagram measurements. Purchase extra fabric if it contains natural fibers such as wool or cotton, since these fabrics can shrink up to 4 inches per yard once they are washed and dried. You will also need to purchase extra fabric to match patterns or stripes.

5. Prepare your fabric for cutting by washing and drying the uncut yardage in the same way you plan to wash your finished slipcover.

6. Cut out the fabric pieces, being sure to add the ½ inch seam allowance to all pieces. Center any large motifs and match stripes, if your fabric is patterned. Be sure your fabric motifs are all facing the same way, or that stripes point the same direction on all pieces.

7. Choose one seam to be the opening for removing your chair's slipcover. On wing back chairs, this opening is most often found on a back corner of the chair, since it is less likely to be noticed. This opening will be held closed with hook and loop fastener on your finished slipcover.

8. Pin the fabric pieces together and place them on your chair, leaving the open back corner seam unpinned until last. The slipcover should fit snugly enough that it doesn't slip or move around, but shouldn't be so tight that the seams are under strain.

9. Fit the fabric for the wings of the chair, making sure that the seam on the top of the wing is straight and near the back of the wing. Pin the wing so that the fabric lays flat against the chair.

10. Cut away any excess fabric along the seam allowances, leaving the ½ inch necessary for sewing the seam.

11. Begin sewing the pieces together, starting with the larger seat pieces first and working toward the back of the chair. Try your slipcover on the chair frequently to determine a good fit, particularly before and after sewing major seams and the seams around the chair wings. If the fit is not as desired, fix it now, before other pieces are sewn together. Remember to leave the slipcover-removal opening unsewn.

12. Hem the edges of the slipcover-removal opening, and stitch the hook and loop fastener to the opening so that it fastens together inconspicuously.

13. Slip the sewn cover onto your chair, and hem the lower edge either so that it stops at the floor or just below the lower edge of the seat. Be sure to pin it evenly, measuring up from the floor to the hem, so that the finished hem will look level. Stitch the hem in place.

14. Sew the seat cushion cover, if your chair has a removable cushion, by sewing the zipper into the rear piece of the side cushion piece. Sew the top to the side piece, unzip the zipper, and sew the bottom to the side piece. Turn right side out and place the cushion into the cover. Zip closed.

Tips & Warnings

• Heavier upholstery fabrics require the use of a heavy-duty needle in your sewing machine.

• If this is your first slipcover project, use a solid-color fabric. This will save you the trouble of matching stripes or patterns.

References

• SEW-lutions Guidelines: Sewing Machine Basics