Meeting all of these requirements proved to be harder than I had anticipated. Fabric can be so expensive, especially when working on a large project!! After looking at about 4 different fabric stores and going back to a couple of them, I ended up ordering my fabric from JoAnn's fabrics online store and used a 40% off coupon!! Even with the shipping, the fabric cost way less this way, plus the store didn't have enough of what I needed in stock. My mom and I started to use a pattern that we got from the fabric store that seemed pretty basic. The pattern instructed us to seam together the lengths of fabric that we calculated would be needed for our chair. Next, the pattern called to make ties that would attach to this giant rectangle that would somehow give this "slipcover" the proper shape...we got about 1/4 way through and decided that this pattern was not exactly what we had in mind so decided to make a change in plan (or CIP as my dad likes to say).
We decided to go back to square one. Square one = public library. Public library = best friend. The public library was a HUGE help in this project!! We got 7 books and 2 VHS tapes from the library and saved a whole bunch of money! We started out by watching the videos, one was more helpful than the other. The first video we watched was pretty much just showing different slip covers and how to use them to decorate, but it was well worth the time watching it for all of the shoulder pads and big hair do's of the early 90s. The second video was very helpful and showed step by step instructions.
Here is what the chair looks like to start with! The chair is really comfortable but the fabric just didn't go with the rest of my decor, thus the slip cover project begins.
The lady on the video suggested that we start with the cushion so that we could get a feel for how to cut out, sew, and put everything together, plus, this way we could say we finished something. We decided to put a zipper in the back so that it could taken off and washed.
To make the cover we had to measure all of the different pieces and then measure and cut out the fabric into pieces. After all of the pieces were cut out to size we pinned them onto the chair to make sure they would all fit together. We started out by sewing the front of the back to the back of the back, then sewing the deck to the front of the deck. Next, we sewed both of those things together, and then sewed on the two arms. One thing that we did not think of and had to do a little fixing was making sure the nap all went to same way. It was definitely a lot easier using fabric that did not have a pattern, especially since my sewing skills were a little rusty (but I have definitely become a lot more comfortable with the sewing machine after doing this project!). Once all of the pieces were sewn together we had to try it on the chair, find what needed to be fixed and then take it off and make the appropriate adjustments. After we were happy with the cover we had to add the skirt. We decided that a soft ruffle would look the best. To make the soft ruffle, you have to cut out the fabric and then near the top sew two parallel lines using the sewing machine on a setting with a wide and long stitch size, enabling the fabric to be bunched up slightly. Next, you have to change the sewing machine setting back to the regular stitch size and go back over the lines that you made before so the ruffles stay in place. After the various pieces were ruffled we sewed them together and then sewed the skirt onto the cover.
Here is the finished project!! It took about 30 hours for my mom and I to complete the project but it was a lot cheaper and more fun than getting it professionally covered!
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