Are you annoyed with all the stains on your chair or the fact that its color doesn’t match your place? Well, read through to know how to make a chair cover of your dreams in just 8 steps!
Aside from protecting our precious chairs from all the dirt and stains, a good chair cover makes them chic and sophisticated. It is always good to have something that fits your chair perfectly and matches your home, so let’s go and let our creative minds and hands do the magic.
What You Need To Prepare
In making a chair cover, you just need a few pieces of stuff and the right amount of creativity.
- First, of course, you should grab the best type of fabric with your preferred design or pattern. Prepare enough so you won’t have to run to the shop when you run out of material.
- Next, you should have a sewing machine ready. You can always hand sew, but isn’t that a lot of work?
- A pair of sharp fabric scissors is a great weapon! Grab something not rusty and edged enough to cut your materials.
- To hold your fabric in place, prepare lots of straight pins — you know you can never have too much.
- Lastly, pick up some good colors of thread from a shop. Don’t forget that the colors should match the fabric unless you want your chair cover to look so messed up.
Making The Chair Cover
With all the essentials ready, we can now start making our chair cover.
Step #1. Measure your chairs. You can do this prior to buying fabric, so you’ll know how much material you will need to buy. However, if you have the budget, you can stock up a lot and just use the remaining for your throw pillows.
Measure your chair from the bottom of the back to the top and around to the front. Also, take measurements of the sides.
Step #2. Grab some fabric. You can use heavy-duty upholstery to stand tearing, especially if you have kids and pets at home, then pick up some thick thread.
Prepare your fabric and study the design. You need to figure out how you’re going to sew it to make use of the motif.
Step #3. Create a pattern. Don’t be pressured because this does not require engineering work. It is simply figuring out how you’re going to put your measurements onto the fabric.
Once you’ve worked out how to do it, mark the back of your fabric with the dimensions using a fabric pencil or chalk. Don’t forget to have them aligned with the design. Also, remember to leave a few inches at the bottom to sew the whole fabric later.
Step #4. Rip the fabric. With a nice pair of fabric scissors, cut the pieces following the dimensions you drew. Leave an inch around the edges for allowance (the ones that end up inside when you sew)
Step #5. Fit your pattern and pin. Position your fabric on the chair and pin as close as possible so you will get that nice tight fit. Use as many straight pins as you want.
Step #6. Sew the pieces together. Using your sewing machine, stitch the pieces together following the line you made with the pins. Leave the bottom edge aside first — we will deal with it later.
Step #7. Try on the cover and make adjustments. Fit the pieces that you sew on your chair. If you notice parts that are too loose or too tight, you have to restitch them.
Yes, it is annoying, but it will never be a waste. You wouldn’t want to have it ripped off quickly because it is too tight or slipped off for being too loose.
Step #8. Lastly, hem. When the fit is good, you can now hem the bottom edge, which was set aside previously. Fold it twice on the inside, then stitch.
This finishing touch will give your chair cover a clean edge. Now put your cover on, smoothen it out, and you’re done!
What material is suited for a chair cover?
When making a cover for your chair, it is essential to take a good look at the material you are going to use. Sure, silk looks elegant, but you know it’s too smooth for a cover.
Leather is also good — and pricey — but hard to sew. No one can stop you from what you want, but we figured you might need some help on this.
Commonly, cotton fabric is used for chair covers as it resists fading and is durable. However, it may not be the perfect choice, especially if you have young children and pets at home.
Anyway, there are a lot of types of fabric you can choose from. It is your cover to use, so you decide.
Conclusion
You don’t have to worry anymore when it comes to your pieces of furniture that need updating. Now that you have learned how to make a chair cover, it is certain that you can do wonders! It turns out having an elegant-looking chair doesn’t have to be expensive.