Materials:
foam rubber cut to dimensions of chair seat
yardage of upholstery fabric to cover foam rubber - usually 1 yard
batting or other type of fleece to pad the foam
piping for edge of box cushion
spray glue
staple gun and staples - 3/8 inch is suggested
Steps:
- After removing old upholstery down to the seat board, draw a tracing of the board onto paper. This will be the pattern for the top of the cushion after adding seam allowances. Take a measurement of the seam line, and add 4 inches to 6 inches for overlap. This will be the length of the strip sewn around the top to form the box. The measurement will also tell how much piping is needed.
- Make another tracing of the board, and add 1 inch all around to fill out the finished cushion. This is the pattern for the foam rubber. Have a thickness of foam rubber cut to these dimensions.
- Cut the top out of the upholstery fabric, and draft the side strip onto the fabric before cutting - it should be at least 6 inches wide. Cut this out, too.
- Using a zipper foot or cording foot, stitch the piping onto the seam line of the top piece, joining at the center back.
- Find the center of the strip - align it with the center front of the top piece. Pin around in place. Where it overlaps center back, fold one end of the strip to align with center back, and pin the other end on top of it. This ensures that no raw edges will show. Sew.
- Spray glue onto the board and center the bottom side of the foam on it. Spray glue the top side of the foam, and apply the batting or fleece to it, trimming off corner excess to reduce bulk. Pull the fleece down over the board and tack to the underside with a few staples.
- Position the upholstery onto the cushion, aligning the center front and back and sides. Staple at 12 o'clock position, 6 o'clock position, 3 o'clock position, and 9 o'clock position. Work the cover around evenly in this manner. Keep tension even all around for best results.
Guests Kenneth King
Sewing Expert, Kenneth D. King Designs
1156 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-861-1860
Fax: 415-861-1454
Email:
kennethdking@earthlink.net
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