Looking for ways to save your old chairs? Well, come and learn how to weave a chair seat with nylon rope.
Upcycle your tired furniture and give them a new life! You just have to follow several instructions and voila, your old chairs will have that new and fresh look!
Making use of our old furniture pieces does not just save us some money but will also enhance our creativity. This little project is something that you will surely enjoy.
What You Will Need
Since you are about to make a rope chair seat, of course, you have to stock up a lot of nylon rope. On average, it takes at least two lengths which are 60 meters long each.
Aside from a bunch of rope, you have to prepare the following:
- A flat weaving shuttle with various lengths
- Wooden spacers (1 and ½” wide) with the same length as the chair
- Crochet hook or a weaving needle
Process Of Weaving A Chair Seat Using Nylon Rope
Weaving a rope seat can somehow be challenging. The process of pulling, knotting, and looping will not be as easy as when you weave using thread or yarn. However, this step-by-step process will guide you all the way.
Part #1. Weaving the first side
Step #1. To kickstart the weaving of the first section, tie up a clove hitch to one of the poles of the chair. It doesn’t matter where you do it, just make sure that you slide up the knot to a corner.
Step #2. Next up, lay a wooden spacer perpendicular to the knot you made across the seat. This will maintain a wiggle room for an easier weave on the opposite side.
Step #3. Now, begin the weaving. Wrap the nylon rope around the chair starting from a pole to another, passing the wood spacer. This is the loop of your rope seat.
It is important not to pull the loop too tightly. The tension should be enough to maintain the shape and to be slightly lifted with your fingers.
Now, create four more loops so there are five in total. Just continue wrapping the ropes from one pole to another while making sure each is parallel to the other.
Step #4. To finish the section up, repeat the process of wrapping until the entire chair width is covered. You can do five or more loops in each section depending on the size of your chair.
Upon reaching the end, cut the rope and leave a 5-6cm tail. Then, tuck the loose strands in with a crochet hook.
Part #2. Working on the opposite side
Step #1. To start weaving on the opposite side you have to place the wood spacers first. Grab a wood spacer and insert it under the second section of five loops, then to the third, and so on until you reach the other end.
Afterward, put the rope chair in an inverted position and insert another wood spacer. This time, do it under the other sections of five loops.
Step #2. Now, let’s start weaving on the opposite side. Just like what you did from the start, tie a clove hitch knot on a pole perpendicular to the very first pole you worked on.
Again, slide in the second length of nylon rope under the lifted loops. Wrap it around the entire chair width to make a loop. It is important to follow the same pattern, so make sure that you do five loops per section until the entire seat is covered.
Step #3. For the last step, just repeat the same technique. Move across the seat and create the desired checkerboard pattern on the entire seat.
Working on the last few loops using the shuttle may be a little challenging so it is the perfect time to grab the crochet hook. Tuck the final strands in, cut loose and excess strands out, and carefully pull out the wood spacers — be really cautious as they might get stuck in the weave.
To know if you have successfully woven a rope seat, check and see if it is sturdy enough to sit on.
How To Clean Rope Chair Seat
The thing with rope chair seats is you can’t wash them. Nevertheless, you can still clean them using just soap flakes and hot water.
Just pour in boiling water into a bowl of soap flakes and whisk until all flakes are dissolved. Allow it to cool down a bit and use a cloth to gently wipe the rope seat. Use an ample amount of mixture, making sure the seat doesn’t get too wet.
Conclusion
Old and broken chair seats don’t mean waste. You can always save them by making a new chair seat purely out of rope. It is always good to practice creativity alongside practicality.
Well done! You have done a great job learning how to weave a chair seat with nylon rope. Go and save your or someone else’s treasured chairs!