A Little Decorating... My Chair Makeover

Before

 

After

These chairs were the first thing my husband and I bought as newlyweds.  They were $50 at Pier One and we opened the credit card to get 15% off.  Almost nine years and two kids later they were not fairing well.  They kept giving my daughter splinters.  Seriously, daily splinters.  It was bizarre.  So I decided to cover them.

I first Googled, "how to upholster a straw-seated chair" and all other variations I could think of.  I found lots of tutorials but nothing that was just right for my needs.  Next, I, of course, consulted Somer, my crafting hero.  She suggested the following method...
Remove the splintery old seat.

Trace the seat on to a foam pad with a Sharpie

Hot glue the foam pad to the chair seat, just to hold it in place while you upholster.

Cover foam pad and chair seat with quilting batting.  Use a heavy-duty staple gun with 1/2 inch staples to secure into bottom of chair seat.

Cover with chosen upholstry fabric.  I found this cute patten at Joann Fabric, by Better Homes and Gardens.  Tips: Start on one side, secure with one or two staples, do the same to the opposite side.  Once all sides are secure start on the corners.  Make sure you give yourself about 2-3 inches of extra fabric.

Trim extra fabric.

Apply Scotch Guard!  Allow to dry.  Replace seat chair.  Sit back and admire your work!

{Read all posts by Aly}