DIY chair cover: pattern, material selection, sewing tips

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

Chair covers are needed in two cases. Firstly, if the furniture is expensive and you want to keep it safe and sound for as long as possible, and secondly, if the furniture is old, the seats are worn out and you want to put it in order so that the chairs look decent and you don’t have to buy new ones. How to sew a chair cover with your own hands? In fact, everything is simple. Of course, it all depends on the skills of the master and his capabilities. However, even a beginner seamstress can sew even a simple style. The main thing in the work is to make the right measurements and accurately cut the fabric.

Sewing options are different, because covers are solid and separate, short and long, with folds and frills, with a variety of fasteners and decorative elements. There are everyday ones, for example, kitchen covers, and there are festive ones, designed to decorate the wedding hall.

The article will talk about how to sew a chair cover with your own hands, what you need for this, what fabric is better to use for sewing this product,so that it retains its appearance for a long time. Consider the proposed samples and their manufacture step by step. A novice master should be able to take measurements correctly, because then you will not have to redraw or sew the product in place again.

How to take measurements?

A chair cover pattern consists of several parts. First you need to take measurements of the back of the chair. At the front, the distance from the highest point to the seat and the width between the edges are measured. At the back, the length is measured from the top to the estimated length of the cape. If it is long (as in the photo in the article below), then the length to the floor is measured. If the chair cover is sewn in one piece with your own hands, then you also need to take into account the width of the back of the chair. It can be cut separately or added to the width of the back on one side and the other.

The seat is measured on all four sides, as more often the chair does not have the shape of a square. If the seat is removed, then you can take it out and trace around the contours, using it as a template. If the seat has a rounded or unusual shape, then the opposite can be done. You need to take a sheet of drawing paper or newspaper, put it on the table and put an upside down chair on the paper. Then outline the contours of the unusual seat.

The last measurements are for the hanging part of the fabric. Here you need to think about what length and shape of the product you choose. If the chair cover is sewn with your own hands in a classic style, then you need to measure the distance from the seat to the floor from all sides. If shorter covers are intended, then a flexible meter is neededmeasure how many centimeters they will hang from the seat.

You also need to think about decorating the product, how the covers will be put on, how to fasten, etc. If a frill is planned around the bottom of the chair, then you need to add fabric to the folds.

We draw a pattern

The diagram below shows an approximate appearance of a pattern for a chair cover. This is a cut-out version. Let's take a closer look at all the parameters of this drawing, indicated by the letters of the alphabet:

• a) chair back width;
• b) backrest height measured from the front of the furniture;
• c) the height of the back, which is measured from behind;
• d) chair seat width;
• e) seat length;
• e) the length of the short frill around the seat (the borders are indicated by a dotted line);
• h) the length of the long frill to the floor.

If the back of the chair is closed with a cloth to the floor, then the length from the seat to the floor is added to the top point of the pattern. If the back of the cover will be without fasteners or ties, but put on by pulling on, then you need to add the width of the back of the chair to the pattern. Add her measurements on only one detail on the left and right.

However, separate covers are often sewn: separately for the back and for the seat. Then you will need to complete two drawings, dividing this pattern into parts.

Do-it-yourself covers for round chairs are sewn according to the following pattern: the details of the back remain the same, but the lower part of the chair is done differently. The seat is a circle circled around the contours of the seat, and the lower frill is representeda rectangle whose length is equal to the circumference of the seat, and the width is equal to the length of the frill (can be short or reach the floor).

Choose fabric

The fabric for the cover should be dense, preferably natural and not wrinkled much. It is preferable to choose linen, cotton, satin, gabardine, jacquard, bamboo. However, some prefer flock. It stretches well and washes easily. You can also use satin, silk, but they are harder to work with.

How to sew a chair cover

When the drawing is completed, and all dimensions are taken into account in accordance with the style of the covers, you need to transfer them to the fabric. To do this, use a long wooden meter and chalk. When cutting, be sure to leave 1.5 cm on each side for seams.

Before you finally sew the cover on the chair, you need to fasten the parts with pins and try on the product on the chair. Suddenly he has irregularities? But the cover should tightly fit the product. The fabric is adjusted in place. After trying on, you can stitch all the seams with stitches, iron and try on the chair again. Only after all these manipulations, you can start stitching the parts already on the sewing machine.

Custom cases

The shape of the chairs is very different, so the patterns can also differ significantly from each other. There are curved backs with a rounded top bar. The legs may stand straight, but often curve back. All these nuances must be taken into account when drawing and cutting fabric. In addition, you can independently plan a non-standard pattern, which will haveuneven bottom edges, such as in the photo below.

The pattern for such a cover is made up of three parts. The first is a rectangle, the dimensions of which include measurements from the front edge of the seat to the end of the cover, plus the length of the seat, the height of the backrest in front and the height of the cover at the back of the chair. The second detail is a thin strip that has the width and height of the back of the chair. The last pattern is drawn for the sides of the cover. It can be an even rectangle or in the shape of a trapezoid, that is, as in this photo. After measuring and drawing up a pattern, do not forget to leave a couple of cm for the seams on all edges.

Chair covers for the kitchen

You can create a cozy atmosphere in the kitchen with your own hands. This is the place where the hostess spends most of her time, where you can gather with friends for an evening tea party. All family members meet at the kitchen table after a working day. Of course, you want it to be comfortable. Beautiful chair covers combined with curtains and a tablecloth will help to achieve harmony in the interior.

Consider the pattern in the photo above. Such covers have a separate structure. The seat is a simple square of denim with a short frill on three sides. It is even easier to make the back, as it is represented by a simple circle with a frill around the perimeter, which is folded in half on the back and tied on the back of the chair with ties. The frill is made with small folds, more like light tucks. Thanks to the light and warm tones of the material, the kitchenit turns out pleasant, has a good energy of warmth and home comfort. In such a room you want to be more often.

Seat Decoration

If you have new chairs in your kitchen with beautiful wooden backs, then there is no point in hiding them under the fabric. You can only sew chair seat covers with your own hands using a single pattern. In shape, it resembles a cross, the central part of which corresponds to the dimensions of the seat, and the remaining parts are the sides of the cover. The details are sewn together at the front, and cutouts remain at the back, which are fastened with a beautiful strap with a button or two.

The bottom edge can be decorated with a edging or a small frill, gathered in folds (as in the photo above). When sewing such a cover, the upholstery of the chair will last for a long time, and the beauty of the furniture will not be hidden from the eyes of others.

Teen cover

You can sew a chair cover in a teenager's room from old jeans. Usually a strong fabric does not withstand only in the area of \u200b\u200bit friction between the legs. Holes may appear there and jeans can no longer be worn. However, the legs are in excellent condition and you can sew a chair cover from jeans from the fabric. With your own hands, the fabric is cut along the seam and laid out on the table. If the width of the matter is not enough, then you can sew both stripes of the legs together.

If there is a shortage of fabric, you can always combine it with another, preferably also natural and dense fabric.

Conclusion

The article describes in detail how to sew a chair cover, howa pattern is made, it is told how the details of the pattern can be sewn together. As you already understood, there can be a huge number of styles. It all depends on the choice and shape of the furniture. Also, tailoring depends on the overall interior of the room, because the covers should be in harmony with other pieces of furniture, curtains or wallpaper. Before sewing, it is necessary to calculate all the little things so as not to be disappointed after the work. Good luck!