before and after chair with a little tutorial

With little effort and basic skills you can have a brand new, customized chair in no time. Reader, Briana, asked me if I'd give a tutorial on how I created my new padded chair. I'm not an expert (this was my first time), but here are the steps I took. Luckily, I obsessively document, so I have a few pictures to tell the story.


1. Remove seat and back pads. You will need a screwdriver. Repair any tears. Duct tape works...since it won't show.


2. Make a pattern of your cushion's shape by laying it on newspaper and add several generous inches all around.
3. Choose your fabric; heavy-weight decorator fabric is recommended. I don't always follow the rules and used linen...it seems fine, but we'll see how it holds up.
{ The following are the "detour" steps if you want to create your own fabric. Cut a piece of freezer paper the same size as your cushion and sketch your design directly on to it. Adjust details and placement by laying it over the cushion.

Cut out your stencil...check out my tips here.



Center your cushion onto fabric and create a masking tape frame. This will help you with placement of your design. Now continue with basic freezer paper fabric printing.}


4. When you cut out your fabric make sure that any graphic print is centered where you'd like it.
Place your cushion upside down on the backside of the fabric. Check once more for design placement.
5. Start stapling. Use a heavy duty staple gun and place two staples on each of the four sides to begin. Now follow around, pulling fabric taut as you go. Tuck in corners neatly and evenly.



6. Bolt cushions to chair frame.


7. Enjoy your new chair and feel proud of your furniture rescue! I'd love to hear your stories about furniture make-overs.