Update the look of a dining room chair by creating a full-skirted cover. With minimal sewing skills and pretty fabric, you can make over a dining room chair in an afternoon.
Instructions
Create the pattern
1. Measure the following: width and length of seat, width and length of chair back, height of chair seat to bottom of legs, width around chair legs.
2. Create the chair seat pattern by drawing a square on paper, adding 2 inches to width and length as in Step 2.
3. Create the chair seat pattern by drawing a square on paper, adding 2 inches to width and length as in Step 2.
4. Create the skirt pattern by starting with the measurement of the width around chair legs. Double that measurement and add 2 inches. Now, divide that measurement in half and write it down. Make a rectangle: height of chair seat to bottom of legs + 2-inches x measurement you wrote down a moment ago.
Cutting the Fabric
5. Place the chair back pattern on fabric folded right sides together; cut two. Pin.
6. Place chair seat pattern onto fabric; cut one.
7. Place chair skirt pattern on fold of fabric. Cut one. When unfolded, rectangle will be the height of chair from seat to bottom of legs + 2 inches x double the width of chair around legs +2 inches.
Construct Dining Chair Cover - Chair back
8. Sew the two chair back squares together on three sides, right sides of fabric together, using a 1-inch seam allowance. Leave one width side open --you'll sew that side to the chair seat fabric.
9. Lay chair back on a flat surface.
10. Place the chair seat square edge-to-edge, square to square, right sides together, on the chair back. Pin using a 1-inch seam allowance through only one of the chair back pieces.
11. Sew a straight line across the pinned fabric. This is the chair back and the top of the seat piece.
Constructing Dining Chair Cover - Chair skirt
12. Choose one of the long sides to be "the bottom of the chair skirt". Hem this edge.
13. Sew the two short ends together, creating a loop--one side hemmed, one raw.
14. Gather the raw side, (the top of the chair skirt) to the measurements of the width of the chair around the legs. Zig-zag stitch to reinforce.
Joining the Skirt to the Chair Back
15. Pin the chair skirt, gathered edge, right sides of fabric touching, around the chair seat square, and around the unsewn square of the chair back. When you look inside the cover all fabric should be right sides and you should see where the chair will slip into the chair back "bag" once you turn it inside out.
16. Sew the gathered edge to the seat and back square. Turn inside out.
17.Slip the "bag" chair back over back of chair and pull into place, fluffing the full skirt around the chair.
Tags: chair seat, chair back, right sides, around chair, chair back, chair skirt, Place chair