Make a Slipcover for an antique chair

Do you have a chair that just doesn’t seem to fit the style of your home? A slipcover can give it a more modern look.

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This chair had an added challenge because so much of it is wood. With most slipcovers I can pin the fabric to the chair to hold it in place while I try to trace the lines of the chair. That was challenging but the added challenge was that there was no form (wood or upholstered) under the arm rests. And the cushion actually fit in under the arms. This meant that the fabric from the front side of the slipcover had to be made wide enough to touch the fabric on the back of the slipcover.

Rather than try to make the front and back pieces of the slipcover meet it was easier to make a 2″ strip of fabric run up the arms and around the top of the chair. This connected to front and back pieces.

When cushions have an odd shape it is best to make a template, then this can be used to match both sides of the cushion, and to ensure proper fit.

Another thing to think about when making a slipcover is the length of the skirt. If the chair has nice wooden legs you can leave the skirt short enough to show off the legs. Also think about the proportions of the chair. This chair is short so the chair looks better with a shorter skirt.

Piping is also a consideration when making slipcovers. For this cover I used piping on the cushion but for the rest of the cover the seams have a top stitch, giving it a finished look.

If you would like to know more about slipcovers be sure to download my free intro to slipcovers. 

free intro to slipcovers guide

And check out some of the other slipcover posts

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