How to Recover Chair Pads

Double the look with chair pads

Whether or not the chair pad to be recovered is original to the chair, the average chair will enjoy a different look with this simple chair accessory. While this is particularly true of dining room chairs, any chair with a removable chair pad will have at least two looks. And if the chair pad is made as a reversible unit then the chair will have three different looks. In today's consumer driven market of cheap imports, many times new chair pads can be purchased only for the foam insert and then recovered with fabric purchased by the yard to coordinate with the overall décor.

Things You'll Need

• New or used chair pad
• One yard upholstery fabric
• One yard grosgrain ribbon
• Work table
• Small six inch ruler
• Tailors chalk
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Needle and thread
• Sewing machine
• Iron and ironing board

Instructions

1. Remove all items from the work table which are not needed. Lay the upholstery fabric out onto the work table. Fold the fabric in half with the right sides together. Strip the foam of the chair pad of any fabric, taking care not to damage the foam. Place the foam onto the fabric close to the selvage edge. Use the tailors chalk to draw a pattern of the foam while holding the foam in place with a free hand. Set the foam aside for later use.

2. Pin the fabric together along the chalk line. Draw a second chalk line one inch outside of the original chalk line. Use the scissors to cut along the exterior chalk line. Set aside any excess fabric for another project. Keeping the pins in place, use large machine stitching to baste the fabric together leaving an 18 inch opening.

3. Adjust the temperature setting on the iron to a moderate heat. Sew with a zigzag stitch close to the basting stitch. Use the scissors to trim close to the outer edge of the zigzag stitch. Use the tip of the warm iron to press along the basting line. Wait while the fabric cools, remove the pins and then turn the pad cover inside out.

4. Use the tip of the iron and press in the seam line of the machine stitching. Let the pad cover cool. Fold the foam insert in half with one hand and with the free hand open the pad cover. Place the foam inside the cover. Press the foam into all sides of the cover. Fold one inch of fabric into the interior of the chair pad cover and close the 18 inch opening with hand or machine stitching.

5. Cut the grosgrain ribbon in half. Use the tailors chalk to mark a spot nine inches to the right and left of the center back seam line. Attach one piece of the halved ribbon to each chalk mark using tight hand stitches. Place the chair pad in the seat of the chair and tie each length of ribbon to a corresponding rail of the chair's back.

Tips & Warnings

• For added protection of the fabric spray a very light coating of spray starch onto the finished chair pad cover.