Beginners Guide To Easy DIY Chair Covers

Do you need to make chair covers but don’t know where to start? Maybe you have never made chair covers before?

Or are you curious and want to know more? No matter the reason that brought you here, we have the answer for you!

Learning how to make DIY chair covers can be tricky, especially if you have never made them before.

You head online for some help but are met with page after page of confusing and contradicting answers. How are you supposed to know who to trust and create your chair covers now?

Well, you can turn to us for help! Keep reading for our beginners guide to easy DIY chair covers.

You can follow our simple steps to create chair covers with ease and become a DIY pro today!

What Are Chair Covers?

Before we dive into our article, let’s have a brief recap for those that need it. Chair covers are covers that are draped over or fitted to your chairs.

These might be added to basic chairs to give them an elegant feel for a wedding or function.

Or more commonly, chair covers are added when upholstering or upcycling a chair. You can breathe new life into a chair with chair covers, covering them in a print or pattern of your choosing.

For example, a faded blue chair could be transformed into a bright and light chair with a large floral pattern all over it!

Chair covers can be purchased and added to the chair, usually, they are pulled over and fastened to secure.

Or you can choose to make your own. Making your chair covers allow you to customize them as you wish.

You can choose a design that you like, customize it to the shape of your unique chair, or simply brush up on your DIY skills!

DIY chair covers can often be a cheaper alternative, allowing you to save money and get crafting.

Now that we have established what chair covers are, let’s check out how you can make them now!

How To Make Easy DIY Chair Covers 

Making chair covers is easier than you might have thought. To walk you through the process, we have a simple step-by-step guide for you to check out.

By the end of it, you will have made the perfect chair covers for your chair!

What You Need 

To make your chair covers, you will need the following materials:

• Fabric scissors
• Fabric (ideally good quality upholstery fabric)
• Thread
• A sewing machine
• Straight pins

You don’t have to have a sewing machine, but it does speed the process up. It would take ages to sew the chair cover by hand, so we do recommend using one where possible.

All of these items are easy to access and pretty affordable, allowing you to cover your chair on a budget.

Step 1 – Measure The Chairs 

To start, measure the chairs you are covering to tell you how much fabric you need. If your fabric has a large pattern, you will need to match the lines up where possible.

This means you might need to buy extra fabric to ensure the pattern lines up correctly across the chair.

Measure down the back of the chair up and around all sides. You will also want to measure any cushions, armrests, and legs of the chair if you are covering these.

Step 2 – Pick Your Fabric 

 

Once you have measured your chair, it’s time to pick your fabric. You can use any fabric that you want, but we recommend a heavy-duty upholstery fabric.

This will help to retain the shape of your chair. It is often more durable too, so you don’t need to worry about any wear and tear ruining your cover!

When you have picked your fabric, you will need to grab a spool of thread that matches.

Again, opt for a heavy-duty u[holestry thread in a color that matches your fabric.

Step 3 – Make Your Pattern 

It is time to make your pattern! This can seem intimidating but don’t worry. All you need to do is transfer your measurements to the fabric.

Mark your measurements on the back side of the fabric using chalk or pencil. Doing this means you won’t see any marks on the fabric.

Make sure you line up any lines and designs on your fabric where the seams meet.

After all, you don’t want your pattern not to line up! This might mean you need extra fabric to do this.

You will also want to leave a few inches along the bottom of the chair so you can hem the piece.

Step 4 – Cut The Fabric 

Once you have measured your pieces, it’s time to cut the fabric! Allow an inch around every edge to ensure you have space to hem them!

Step 5 – Fit And Pin

It’s time to put the cover on the chair! Lay your fabric upside down on your chair. Taking straight pins, pin the fabric pieces together around the edge of the chair.

Keep your pins as close to the chair as possible. This helps to create a nice and tight fit.

You should aim to use a pin every couple of inches, so be sure to have lots of pins at the ready.

You might find that you need to tuck the fabric too as you follow the contours of your chair, don’t worry if you need to.

Step 6 – Sew 

Once the pattern has covered your chair, it’s time to stitch it together! Follow the lines of your pins, pulling them out as you go.

Do this for the whole of your pattern, leaving the bottom edge.

Step 7 – Fit And Tweak 

Now fit the cover on the right side up to your chair. If you find that any areas are too loose or too tight, you can restitch these now.

Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you might think!

Step 8 – Hem And Trim 

You are almost there! Once the cover fits, hem the bottom of the skirt. To do this, fold the fabric over twice towards the inside and stitch along the bottom.

Doing so gives you a clean edge without much fuss.

If you want, you can add a piece of trim along the bottom to complete the look!

Step 9 – Put The Cover On

To finish, put the cover on, tuck in the extra fabric along the bottom of the seat, and straighten.

You are done. You now have a covered chair that looks brand new! Enjoy!

Final Thoughts 

And there you have it, nine simple steps that will allow you to create a chair cover.

This method is one of the easiest we have found and works well for covering fabric chairs.

Be sure your measurements are correct and your pattern lines up and you are on to a winner!

Don’t forget, there are plenty of tutorials you can make use of if you need any extra guidance to create the chair cover of your dreams.

Take your time, check the placement of your pins, and you can make a chair cover with ease.