Hi all
I would like to recover the seats on my diningroom chairs. Does anyone have any links to sites to show how or explain how to do it. I am new to this decorating thing. Thanks in advance.
-- The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child.
Is the padding good? Seats screw into frame of chair? Pick out a fabric of similar weight as is on the chairs now. Unscrew the seats, pull out staples holding fabric in place. Use a piece of old fabric as a pattern and cut new ones. When stapling new fabric in place, start at mid-point of one side, then staple the mid-point of the opposite side. Pull fabric tightly enough to be to be tight but now show strain. Then staple midpoints of front and back. Go back to the sides and staple either side of first staple, continue in same sequence. You can trim across the corners, when near them, so you don't have a big wad piled into the corner underneath. Look at how the old fabric is fastened as you take it off. Not much to it. If you see that a staple pulls the fabric too tight and it shows on the seat, take out the staple and give it a little less pull. Not that much to it, and you can redo what doesn't look right.
If they are boxy type cushions, with corded seams, then you need to construct the covers by sewing a side panel to the seat surface, with covered cording on the seam. Supplies usually available at bigger fabric stores.
Nylon velvet, if you like velvet, is better than other combos. We bought dining room chairs with black cotton fab, and had a cat at the time. The only fabric of the color we wanted - sort of tomato red - was a really inexpensive upholstery fab with a little bit of woven design. Turned out great.
If you choose a pattern, be sure to cut it so that it runs the same direction, same placement on all of the chairs. If a woven design, be sure to mark the right side :o)
You've picked an easy one to start with. If all the chairs have the same size seat, turn the chair over, unscrew the seat from the chair, remove the staples holding the fabric and you have your pattern for the new fabric. Take it with you to the fabric store and ask them to point you in the right direction for appropriate weight fabric. You might think about buying enough to make matching window treatments. You'll need less fabric if the repeat is small and more if it's large. Some have repeats of 24" or more. You'll need a staple gun (an electric one is wonderful) to put the fabric back on the seat. Look into spray on fabric protectors. Good luck.
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