| | | | | | | | | Copyright by Sunset Books Inc. 1997 Simply Slip CoversUsed by permission of Sunset Books Inc. This book is now out of print. Skirted Button Back CoverOn the right outside back fabric piece (A), press 3" to the wrong side on the center back edge. On the right side of the piece, mark the center back line parallel to and 2" from the fold. On the left outside back (B), draw the center back seamline. Overlap the pieces, aligning the center back lines, and pin.* Pin-fit the outside back, inside back (C), and seat (D) on the chair, centering the marked, pinned center back, shaping the top edge, and folding tucks at the upper corners of the inside back. Mark the shape of the seat, and shape the intersection of the seat and inside back appropriately atOn the back, mark the placement of the buttons and loops as shown in the photograph, or as desired. Remove the pinned pieces from the chair, true up the seamlines, disassemble the pieces, and mark the seam allowances.
Trim the excess fabric. Baste the tucks in the upper corners of the insideMake six self-filled tubular button loops (E). Details on page 41 bias over a very thin cord and stitch 1/4" from the fold; do not trim the seam allowance from the bias and, after you turn the tubing right side out, remove the cord. Cut the tubing to the appropriate length to encircle your buttons, plus seam allowance. With right sides together and cut edges aligned, place four loops on the left outside back at the positions marked in the previous step; With the right sides together, pin and sew the facing (F) to the center back edge of the left outside back. Turn the facing to the wrongTo complete the right outside back edge, top stitch along the fold. Matching the centers as before, overlap the leftbaste across the top. Make the welting (G) and, right sides together and cut edges aligned, sew it to the right side of the outside back around the side andWith right sides together, sew the seat to the inside back.
outside back to the inside back. Turn right side out and press.Sew welting to the lower edge of the cover, finishing the ends so they butt at the center back. To do this, remove about 1" of stitching at each end of the bias and open it out, cut the cord at the center back line, trim the end of the cord, then refold the bias and stitch the welting the pieces of the band (H) together to make one length. Position the two remaining button loops on it, centering them between the top and bottom seamlines and spacing them as you did the other pairs of loops; Finish one end of the band facing (I). With the right sides together and cut edges aligned, place it over the end of the band with the loops,Turn the facing to the wrong side, press and topstitch along theFinish the other end of the band with a self-facing as on the rightWith the right sides together, sew the band to the welted bottom edge of the cover.Sew welting to the bottom edge of the band;
finish the ends at theOn the lower edge of the band, mark the center front, the center of each side, and each corner. Sew the pieces of the skirt (J) together to make one length. In the skirt, form 1 1/2 "-deep inverted pleats to align with the center front, center of each side and each corner. Also make a knife pleat to align with the right center back edge, extending the return to the edge of the underlap. Fold each end of the skirt to the wrong side to make a facing. Baste the pleats and facings in place.With the right sides together and cut edges aligned, pin the skirt to the bottom edge of band, aligning pleats with marks, and sew.Sew the buttons to the right back piece to correspond to the buttonFront and back view ofUpholster Magazine Online by Ken Bowles, Rostov Upholstery Supplies. Liking us on Facebook helps pay for the free 75 pages of information you get on our site!Making your own slipcovers is a great way to save money and give your old furniture a new lease of life.
Making a fitted chair or sofa slipcover can be time-consuming and requires a certain degree of sewing experience. However, there are lots of ideas for simple slipcovers that are quick and easy to make yourself. You won't get a tailored fit using these techniques, but it is an inexpensive and rewarding way to transform a worn or outdated item of furniture, or for you to put your own mark on that old seat you found in the thrift store. To get you started, here are instructions on how to make dining chair slipcovers. The basic principle can be adapted for upholstered seats with straight backs, such as you would find in a bedroom. These simple dining chair covers follow a basic pattern that uses only three pieces of fabric for each slipcover. They are designed to fit fairly closely over your chairs but don't require any zippers or ties. You'll need to begin by carefully measuring all the dimensions of one of your chairs. When measuring the seat, remember to include the skirt length at the front and sides.
Measure the seat all the way to the back of the back legs, and allow slight ease at the depth of each side. With the inner back, take care to include the depth of the sides and slight ease, as you did with the seat. When measuring the top, include the depth of the upper back in this measurement. When measuring the outer back section, allow extra length for the lower edge to be matched to the seat piece when it's pinned together. Presuming you have a set of matching chairs, you can save time by cutting out a sample slipcover from inexpensive muslin fabric and using this as your pattern. Once you've got all the measurements, cut out the three sections from muslin, remembering to cut them slightly oversized. This will serve as your pattern. Cut each piece out roughly to size, leaving generous margins around the edges. Pin them together on the chair and machine baste it together. It's best to choose a fabric that is easy to work with, such as cotton or linen. These natural fiber fabrics are comfortable to sit on as they "breathe".
They are also very durable and are suitable for being washed in the machine - which is particularly handy for dining chair slipcovers that are more prone to food and drink spills than those in other rooms. A slight downside to using these natural fabrics is their tendency to get creased, but this is easily resolved by ironing them before you put them on your chairs. Position the inner back section on the chair. Pin darts at the upper front corners, making sure you leave plenty of seam allowance around the back. Then, pin the outer back to the inner back, and pin the seat piece to the inner and outer back, with darts at the front corners. Machine baste, sewing the corner darts first before doing the seams. Check the cover fits your chair and mark the hem, matching points and seamlines on the muslin. Tidy it up by trimming the seam and hem allowances. Then unpick your stitches and press each section of muslin to use as your patterns for the slipcovers themselves. Variations: Once you've constructed your slipcovers, you could easily sew on a long skirt if you prefer a more formal look or you simply want to hide your battered chair legs.