For our little homework station project, I wanted to find a really inexpensive option for the girls’ desk chair. I bought the vintage wood desk at a store called Another Man’s Junk here in Phoenix and I love it’s simple lines, but I wanted the chair to feel a little more fun and youthful. I poked around online trying to find a cheap upholstered office chair to recover in a pretty fabric when I stumbled on these $20 chairs at IKEA. I thought they would be a good candidate for a decoupage project (this one has really stuck in my brain!).This post comes to you from beautiful Jersey, where I’m visiting my parents at the moment. My chair and I are actually on different continents right now, but I finished making this cover and took the photos before I left on my travels… You may remember that the only way I was able to fix my badly-ripped office chair seat was with ugly frankenstitches: I fixed the rip, but it’s certainly not pretty… I decided to crochet a quick seat cover to hide the unsightliness.
I picked a stitch pattern from a Japanese stitch pattern book and looked through my stash for some suitable yarn. I decided on Loops & Threads Impeccable – it feels hard and tough compared with the soft acrylics I usually use, so I’m hoping that means it’ll be hard-wearing too. I picked black to match the chair, with a dark red accent to match my fireplace, and started crocheting… This stitch pattern was really fun to crochet! (These really aren’t my colours, but working from stash means making compromises, and at least it matches the chair. Anyway, I won’t really see the finished cover much as I’ll be sitting on it almost all the time, so it doesn’t matter too much what it looks like – I just don’t want to see the ugly ‘scar’ from the giant rip any more!) My one skein of black Impeccable just covered the seat top, with no yardage left over to crochet the side edges to keep it in place. I thought I’d use up some dark grey Impeccable for those, but at the first fitting I realised that wasn’t going to work:
So I sacrificed some of my precious Vanna’s Choice so I could redo the sides in black, and I ended up with this: A custom-curved side at the front helps the top piece fit over the curved front of the cushion and stay in place. I crocheted extra tabs at the back to tuck into the very tight space between the back and seat cushions (left: untucked tab; right: wedged into place). The tabs hold it all very firmly in place without visible ties. And the end result is a nicely fitted cover: It fits like a glove! This was a satisfyingly fast project to complete, and it’s really nice to be able to use my crochet powers for good (I mean, to solve a problem by making something I actually need). The finished seat cover is a big improvement over the frankenstitches, and now I’m saved from buying an expensive new chair – mission accomplished! Cloud Control: Waterproof Chair Cover This stylish waterproof chair cover will keep your entryway from turning into a mud puddle.
Great tips & projects delivered to your inbox. Making an oilcloth slipcover is a project best suited for those with sewing experience. These instructions apply to a very basic square chair, which is ideal. If your chair has any curves or flairs you will need to make adjustments accordingly.If you're inclined to show a little (chair) leg, adjust the lengths of shapes 1, 3, and 5 accordingly.Download and print our pattern guide. A few yards of oilcloth Colored pencils or markers You will need to take the following measurements in order to make a pattern for the slipcover. They are lettered for easy reference in later steps.A. Total height of chair, from floor to top of seat back.B. Total chair width, from side to side. This is easiest to measure from behind. Ideally, you want a chair with consistent width from top to bottom.C. Total chair depth, from front of seat to back of chair.D. Seat-back height, from top of seat to top of seat back.E. Seat-back depth, from back of seat to back of chair.
F. Seat depth, from front of seat to seat back (don't confuse this measurement with C, which includes the seat-back depth, E)G.Seat height, from floor to top of seat. In step 3, you will draw and cut out a six-piece pattern based on the following calculations. They are numbered for easy reference in later steps. The letters refer to the measurements above.1. Back piece: A x B2. Seat-back: D x B3. Seat and front (one piece): F + G x B4. Side panels (you will make two pieces with the same dimensions): G x C5. Back strip: D + D + B x E Draw the five shapes above on a piece of muslin (don't forget to draw shape 4 twice). Number each piece and draw an arrow within the shape indicating which end is up. Add a one-inch seam allowance on all sides of each shape and cut out. Sew your muslin pieces together in the following order, using a large basting stitch that will be easy to remove later.Line up the bottom of 2 with the top of 3 and sew together. Fold this combined piece in half the short way to find the chair's center and pin the spot.
Fold 5 in half to find the center and pin the spot. Line up the pins and stitch together 5 to 2 starting at that center point and working out in either direction. You will have to square the corners as you come to them. Fold 1 in half to find the center and pin the spot. Line that pin up with the pin at the center of 5 and stitch together 5 and 1, starting at the center point and working your way out. Line up the bottom of 2 with the top of 3 and sew together. Before attaching the side panels, lay your muslin over the chair with seams facing out. Check the fit on the back and seat. Make adjustments by pinning spots that need to be tighter and drawing new seam lines on spots that need to be looser. Re-sew problem areas and check fit again. When you are satisfied with back and seat fit, attach the side panels. Check the fit again by laying the completed muslin model over the chair, seams out. Mark and make adjustments until fit is satisfactory. Trace all final seam lines with a different color pencil or marker than you used before.