Simple Seat Cover Tutorial with Ruffle

Several months ago, I purchased six of these side chairs from Facebook Marketplace. If you missed that post and want to see some of my other great finds as well as read why I like to shop marketplace, you can do so here.

I recovered four of them in linen and put them for sale in my antique booth and kept two for our house. I hated to break them up, but at the same time seldom does anyone buy six matching chairs, plus the size was perfect to flank the entry hall table. Can one have too many chairs???

Right before the Coronavirus hit, I ordered two yards of this fabric. I wasn't really sure where I would use it, but when I received the sample, I loved it and felt certain I could use it somewhere. I'm a bit of a fabric junky, anyone else??

The original plan was to recover the seats in a solid linen with a ruffle, however the plan left me uninspired. This project had been on my to do list for a very long time. What was the problem?? The more I studied the check fabric and the chair, I realized a print would add fluff to the chairs and the pop of color would work well in the entryway. I draped the fabric over the chair seat and I knew it was the perfect fit.

With an electric drill, I removed the seat from the frame. I then removed the checked fabric with these upholstery tools. You can read more about the upholstery tools I use and where to buy them here. This is not a sponsored post.

I decided to leave the original leather cover in tact as it is in good condition and not bulky.

I centered the seat on the design and cut a square 2 inches larger on all four sides.

I went ahead and cut another square as I have a second chair to recover. I have learned when working on a pair of anything, it's best to do all the cutting for both at the same time.

For the ruffle, I cut two 6" wide strips, the length of the fabric.

With right sides together, I sewed the two strips together to make one long piece.

I pressed the seam open.

On the wrong side of the fabric, I turned under the fabric edge and pressed. I also took the opportunity to iron the seat covers while the iron was hot.

With the stitch length on 4.5, I sewed the hem.

Sorry for the off color.....my sewing room is not the best for photography. To make the ruffle, I gather by hand along the raw edge and stitched across on a 3.

The picture for this step did not turn out, but with the pneumatic staple gun, I attached the ruffle around the frame. I measured as I went to make sure it hung evenly with a 3" drop. The back is one piece, and the sides and front are one piece.

I also made small slits in the fabric where the screws connect the seat to the frame.

With the staple gun, I covered the seat. In the back corners, I cut a small slit so that the fabric can fold into the V. If you have not ever recovered a seat, it's a lot like wrapping a present, the corners are key!!

I reattached the seat to the chair with the electric drill. You might wonder why I didn't add cording, and I know it's hard to see, but the cushion front sits out from the frame so I didn't think it would look right.

The Back.....

And home in the entryway.......at least for now. The size and style of this chair make it the perfect piece to move into other rooms for additional seating. The color way in the fabric can easily work with every room in our house. One down and one to go!!

Do you have an ongoing project list like I do?? What motivates you to tackle that list?? If you have suggestions for staying motivated during these odd times, please share with me!!!