How to make a dining chair slipcover: DIY tutorials

How to measure a chair for a slipcover? Are you thinking of throwing your old chairs away? Before buying new chairs, look through our DIY tutorial on sewing 2 kinds of chair covers in this post. If you have chairs that are outdated or getting worn, make your own chair covers instead of replacing them.

Chair covers are also irreplaceable if you have a pet and have to deal with its hair: just slip them off or shake them out. Besides, chair covers are easy to wash and can decorate your kitchen instantly once you choose the fabric matching in color to the furniture and the place itself.

Making chair covers is also an amazing trick to hide all imperfections in your dining room chairs and make them look like newly bought ones. So, how do you make a simple dining room chair cover?

How to make a dining chair slipcover? DIY chair cover #1: Making a dining chair slipcover

Needless to say, dining chairs are pricey! Moreover, it can be a real challenge to find affordable high-end chairs.

It often happens that we have had dining room chairs for a long time, as their frames are in good condition. At the same time, the seat cushions start to look watermarked and stained, and they’re unfortunately impossible to clean.

A great solution to this problem is to make dining chair slipcovers, giving your chairs new life instead of replacing them. So, how do you make a simple slipcover?

If you’re the owner of regular dining chairs with a back, then you can make an elegant set of your own. Just use the free pattern we provide below! With a skirt attached, your DIY dining chair slipcovers will look beautiful and cozy.

To be sure the pattern will work, compare the following chair measurements with yours. We would recommend you make a sample of the chair cover using similar fabric scraps or a plain cotton muslin to see if your future slipcover will fit over your chair. In this case, you can then choose the pattern that will suit your chair better.

How to make a dining chair slipcover? DIY chair covers materials

The first question you obviously face is, “How much fabric do I need to slipcover a dining chair?”

We used 100% cotton duck canvas, 10 oz, at 58-inch wide (1.5 yards for each chair cover). As for the color, you can choose anything you like presented in the fabric store. Moreover, you can make your dining room slipcovers out of the same fabric, sew chair covers of different colors, or even use patterned fabrics that are combined in color.

Supplies needed:

• measuring tape
• sewing machine
• matching thread color
• fabric scissors
• iron and ironing board
• printable chair cover pattern

step #1: Measuring the chair

To start, measure your chair and record all the measurements. For comparison, you can use our measurements as well as some other things to consider.

How to make a dining chair slipcover? Measurement 1

The height of the chair back from the seat to the top edge (our chair measured 23 inches)

How to make a dining chair slipcover? Measurement 2

The width of the chair back (our chair measured 16 inches)

How to make a dining chair slipcover? Measurement 3

The depth of the chair seat (our chair measured 19 inches)

How to make a dining chair slipcover? Measurement 4

The width of the chair seat and considering its shape. Is it the same width at the front and back? Or maybe it’s wider toward the front? Our chair’s seat appeared to be wider at the front (19 inches) than the back (16.5 inches).

How to make a dining chair slipcover? Things to consider

What length is your chair cover expected to be: floor length or short? Ours was 7-inch high.

You can adjust the chair cover pattern for any points of measure that are different from the above-mentioned ones. For instance, if the height of your chair back is only 20 inches, you can reduce the height of the pattern piece by 3 inches using a pencil and a ruler. Then cut and slash the pattern (as you would do when sewing from a dress pattern that is too long).

Step #2: Creating the patterns

Start by creating a cover for the chair back. Create a pattern for the seat matching the shape of the chair seat.

Next, create the pattern for the skirt of the chair cover – a long rectangular piece wrapping around the chair. It is sewn to the seat and back slipcover.

Using the printable chair cover pattern

Prior to sewing, wash and dry the fabric.

It’s also important to iron out all the creases before you start cutting and sewing.

Next, print off the slipcover pattern on 8.5×11 paper sheets without adjusting the scale.

Then align the edges of the papers forming full pattern pieces and tape them together.

Cut around each pattern for cutting on fabric. Our slipcover is made up of 3 pattern pieces (the chair back, seat, and skirt pieces).

Lay out the fabric piece on a flat surface. Place the pattern pieces on top of the fabric, aligning grain lines.

Pin the pattern to your piece of fabric (you can use paperweights instead).

Then cut along the solid lines with scissors.

At this step, we want to remind you again to make a sample using scrap fabric before working with the actual fabric.

Sewing the dining room chair slipcovers

With the right sides together, simply fold the back piece of the slipcover in half along the edge that will be at the top.

Align the sides and then sew the raw edges together with a 0.5-inch seam allowance from the top to the bottom.

Press the seam allowances open.

To make the depth for the chair back fit within, you should form a triangle shape at the top corners and then stitch across the width making a stitch line, about an inch long.

After that, turn the sewn piece inside out, place it over the chair back and see how it fits.

Continue if all looks good. In case it doesn’t look the way you want it to, adjust the slipcover pattern and remake it.

Attaching the seat

Now it’s time to combine the back and seat portion.

Sew the seat piece to the front side of the chair back piece with the right sides together using a 0.5-inch seam allowance (centering the seat piece to match the notches).

Place the slipcover over the chair to test the fit before sewing the skirt.

Continue with the sewing if the fit looks good. But if it doesn’t look satisfactory (it’s too big, too small, or shaped wrong), adjust the pattern accordingly and remake the sample.

To prepare the chair skirt for sewing, you should first finish the bottom and side edges.

Fold the bottom edge up by 0.5 inches, press in place with an iron, and then fold the hem another 0.5 inches and press that in place again.

Next, fold and press the short ends of the long rectangular skirt piece by 0.5 inches.

Fold again and press, then stitch the hem with a 0.5 inches seam allowance.

Also, stitch the bottom hem with a 0.5 inches hem allowance along the entire length of the skirt.

Align notches on the skirt piece and the seat piece with the right sides together. Pin pieces together if needed.

Attaching the skirt

Start sewing the pieces together at the center front with a 0.5 seam allowance and work your way to the center back.

Take extra care at all the corners to pivot.

Clip the skirt piece at all pivot points slightly to help the fabric form a 90-degree angle and to avoid puckers or pleats in the fabric at the corners.

Repeat for the other unstitched side, starting at the center front and ending at the center back. The back of the skirt will overlap.

Lastly, iron out all the wrinkles or creases and slip over the chairs to use.

Now you’ve got a stylish DIY chair cover! A set of such new chair covers can completely transform the look of your room.

If you’re thinking of making outdoor chair slipcovers, just use a water-resistant fabric.

DIY chair cover #2: Making a chair seat cover

How do you make a seat cover for a dining room chair? This perfect tutorial will teach you how to sew it using the pin-fitting method.

It’s a great idea to use this method when making simple slipcovers because you just pin the cover on inside out until it’s finished with all the sections. So, all of the pinning and sewing is done while the slipcover is inside out.

To start, cut the fabric pieces you need for the cover including the seat and edge of the seats (as well as the skirt, piping, and fabric to cover ribbons and piping in case you want to add such decorations).

Position a piece of fabric on the seat upside down (don’t forget to work inside out).

Then you should pinch the piping around the perimeter of the seat and sandwich it in the fabric that the sides of the seat are made of and pin it all together.

Especially when it comes to more complicated chair covers, it’s easy to get things turned around so that your piping ends up facing inside.

Remember that all raw edges should face the same way, so it’s a good idea to turn things over from time to time to make sure it looks good.

Once you stop because of the back of the seat, fold the end over and trim it so that an exposed raw edge can’t be seen.

Now, when the piping is hanging out, it needs to continue around the back and meet up with a new piece of fabric to close the space between the back pieces.

Pin it around the back, making sure it fits tightly against the frame.

Now, add a piece of fabric to cover the back of the seat in the same manner.

In a place where the piping edges meet, just cross them and let the ends disappear into the seam.

To tidy things up, trim the excess fabric.

Now it’s time for sewing: you should sew along the pin lines and then remove the pins.

Try the slipcover on the chair to make sure it fits well.

If you have a look at the back of the seat at this stage, you’ll notice that things don’t look tight right now. But don’t worry because the ties will pull the two flaps of fabric together.

Next, add the piping to the section where the edge of the chair seat meets the skirt.

As for the ends, wrap the piping around the back and pin it, and then sew the piping in place.

If you don’t want to work around the bulk of the ruffles, it’s a good idea to add the ribbons before the skirt.

Tuck the grosgrain ribbon cut to about 20 inches long into one of the hems made where the cover meets the chair back.

Fold the ribbon over and sew it into place on the underside of the fabric. If you’re using hemp fabric, you can just sew in zigzags as it’s very forgiving.

Repeat the same with the other ties.

To make sure they hold your slipcover on tight, place them towards the bottom edge.

If the fabric you’re dealing with doesn’t fray, just cut 3-inch strips to make the skirt.

Then roll the fabric under to hide the raw edge and scrunch it to make the ruffle.

Keep crunching and sewing is a very technical and fast method, though we’re not sure it works for perfectionists.

When sewing the skirt is finished, trim the threads, turn it right-side-out, and put it on the dining chair.

Can you believe you made that out of a piece of fabric with some well-positioned stitches? You’ll definitely feel proud looking at this DIY chair cover!

How to make a dining chair slipcover: Summary

We hope our tutorial will help you in your DIY project, and you’ll love your new chairs. Choose one of these DIY chair covers and unleash your inner creativity by adding details, like, for instance, a seat cushion. You can also decorate chairs to your taste. We believe you’ll make fantastic chair covers and completely change the look of your chairs.

Read also: 12 steps: how to refinish teak dining table