How to Make Chair Covers – The Things You’ll Need

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Luke Martin
Luke Martinhttps://myfancyhouse.com/
I am Luke Martin, a writer who loves homes. My words are about creating comfy and nice living spaces. Let's explore ideas for decorating and making homes cozy together. Join me on this journey to make your house a special place to be.

If your dining room chairs are starting to look a bit tatty and outdated or they no longer match the style of your home, then why not think about improving them with some simple home-made chair covers? Custom made chair covers, whether bought or homemade, aren’t an option for everyone as they are often difficult to make or expensive to buy. But thankfully, you can make your own chair covers for very little money and you only need the most basic of sewing skills for this project. Keep reading below to find out how to make simple slipcovers for your chairs:

The Things You’ll Need

There are a few different items you’ll need in order to start making your own slipcovers. These items include:

  • A measuring tape
  • An iron
  • Some pins
  • A pair of scissors
  • 4 pieces of ribbon or cord
  • A sewing machine
  • Fabric and coordinating thread

When it comes to fabric and thread, there are lots of amazing upholstery fabrics to choose from. This upholstery fabric finder will help you to find the perfect fabric for you, allowing you to choose from an extensive range of textures and materials, including furniture fabrics, upholstery fabrics and curtain fabrics.

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Top Tips Before You Get Started

Here are some of our best tips to help you along the way:

  • Use pieces of leftover fabric to make the ties. Not only does this look great, but it can also save money.
  • Choose the right type of fabric – some fabrics are harder wearing than others.
  • Prepare your fabric in advance – Make sure that you wash your fabric before you start. This will stop it from shrinking and help to prevent the colours from running in the future.

How to Make Slip Covers

If you want to make some slip covers for your dining room chairs, then follow these steps:

  1. First, you need to measure your chair. Start by measuring from the front of your chair, over the seat, over the back and down to the floor on the other side. You should add 2 inches to the measurement you get as this will give you a small margin of error should things go wrong.
  2. Next, find the widest part of your chair (this is usually the seat or the space between the two front legs of the chair). Measure this space and add 2 inches to the total. This will give you the total width of the fabric you require.
  3. Now you need to mark these measurements on your fabric. Make sure that the pattern is the right way up when doing this. It’s always a good idea to double check you’ve measured things correctly.
  4. Next, cut this piece of fabric out according to your measurements.
  5. You will now need to fold all four edges of the fabric under ¼ of an inch. Press this fold with an iron to keep it in place.
  6. Place the fabric over the chair (pattern side down) and pin the fabric together where the seat meets the back.
  7. You now need to turn the edges of your fabric up another ¾ inch or so and pin them in place. It’s a good idea to press this fold with an iron again.
  8. Next, you need to sew along all four folded sides of the fabric, making sure you remove the pins as you sew.
  9. Place the cover back onto the chair (pattern side up) and smooth out your fabric so that it fits nicely.
  10. Now pin a piece of ribbon or cord to the back and front of the fabric where the chair seat meets the back on each side of the chair.
  11. Pin the ties to the wrong side of the fabric and sew in place.
  12. Now simply tie the ribbon on the sides and the ties at the back to make the slip cover fit your chair perfectly.
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Making your own slip covers for your chairs is a brilliant idea. Not only can it save you a lot of money, but it’s also extremely easy to do. Simply follow our tips above and your chairs will look amazing in no time.

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