Instructions for Making a Chair Slipcover

Use chair slipcovers to give new life and style to older furniture.

An older wooden chair that is still structurally sound may benefit from a complete makeover. Recover this type of chair with a charming new piece of fabric and get a whole new look. Chair slipcovers can bring new style and design to chairs of all types, sizes and shapes. They can also be much more economical to create than spending money on a whole new piece of furniture. Creating a slipcover for an armless wooden chair is a simple and rewarding project.

Things You'll Need

• Decorator fabric
• Matching thread
• Cloth or plastic measuring tape
• Iron and ironing board
• Sewing scissors
• Straight pins
• Tailor's chalk
• Sewing machine
• Notepad and pencil

Instructions

1. Iron the material that you have chosen for your chair slipcover to ensure that it is wrinkle-free. Measure each section of the chair at the widest points. The cover will be cut as a series of rectangles. Keep in mind that that the inside back and the outside back will be cut as one piece.

2. Measure the width and length of the chair and add 2 inches for seam allowances. Measure the width of the outside back and be sure to measure to the front edge of the post on each side of the chair. To obtain the length of the backrest, measure the distance from the seat, up and around the curve of the back of the chair and down to the floor. Record all measurements.

3. Measure the length of the seat and then from the top of the seat down to the floor. (Record these measurements twice.) Then measure the length of the distance from where the back and the seat meet to the front of the seat and down to the floor. Take note of these measurements and be sure to include the desired seam allowance.

4. Cut rectangles out of the material that you have chosen for the chair slipcover. Lay each piece, wrong side up, over the chair as you cut. Use straight pins to pin all the pieces together. Draw seam lines with tailor's chalk on the wrong side of the fabric as you pin.

5. Carefully remove the assembled slipcover. Trim all the seam allowances to 5/8 inch. Stitch along the marked chalk lines starting with the largest pieces, and sew the chair slipcover together. Remove the straight pins as you go. Finish the raw edges and press the seams open using an iron.

6. Place the slipcover back on the chair to check for a smooth fit. Turn up a 2 inch double hem on the bottom edge and pin it in place. Remove the slipcover, press the hem and stitch.

References

• "Slipcover Style"; Allison Wormleighton; 2003
• "Window Treatments and Slipcovers for Dummies"; Mark Montano and Carly Sommerstein; 2006