Chair slipcover

These slipcovers were part of our Parisian-themed dinner party.

You will need
• paper
• white fabric
• matching thread
• ruler, set square and pencil

To make

1 The slipcover consists of three panels: a back panel, a seat and back-rest panel, and a skirt panel. Measure your chair and draft a paper pattern for each of these panels. Remember to add seam and hem allowances to your paper patterns.

2 The back panel is a rectangle that corresponds with the measurements of the chair. The seat and back-rest panel is drafted as follows: measure the seat area and draft the shape. Next, measure the front area of the back rest and draft the shape connecting it to the seat pattern you have just drawn. Now measure the thickness of the back rest and draft these sections along the edges of the back-rest section of the pattern. You will have a corner between the seat section and the side back-rest sections. When sewing the slipcover, you will cut into the seam allowance of these corners in order to sew the side section of the skirt panel to the seat and the bottom edge of the side back-rest section. Keep this in mind when drafting the skirt pattern; the side width of the skirt panel will be the seat measurement plus the width of the back rest. The skirt can be drafted in three separate sections (one front and two side panels) or all three patterns can be joined into one continuous skirt panel.

3 First sew the skirt to the seat and back-rest panel, then sew the back panel in place to complete the slipcover. If you are using a one-piece skirt pattern, you will have to mark where it will join the corners of the seat section. At these points it will also be necessary to cut the seam allowance to within 2mm of the stitching line, in order to sew the skirt around the corners of the seat section.

4 Hem the bottom edge.

Slipcover illustrations
You will need
• template
• black fabric paint
• thin artist’s paintbrush
• pencil

To make
1 Use the line-drawing templates as a guide and copy them in pencil onto your slipcover fabric. You can also use an overhead projector, if you have access to one, to project the illustrations onto the fabric and then trace the design.

2 When you are happy with your design you can start to paint. Use the thin paintbrush and black fabric paint to go over the lines.

3 Leave to dry completely and then follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions to heat set the paint.