When Mood’s home dec expert Danyce was offered a used armchair, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. With the holidays fast approaching, she didn’t have the time to fully reupholster or slipcover such a large piece. Friends and family were coming over and she needed extra seating in good condition. Ever the resourceful one, she cooked up this foolproof, fake-it-’til-you-make-it DIY project that’ll give you a brand new armchair in a blink.
The original chair.
Tools:
Staple gun
Scissors
Chalk or another fabric marking tool
Pins (optional)
Hot glue gun (optional)
Fabric quantity: Consult an upholsterer’s guide or measure all angles of your piece.
Fabric type: Go for non-stretchy, mid- to heavyweight wovens. Beginners, shy away from patterns that require matching or fabric with an obvious nap.
Estimated time: 4-6 hours
Draping the fabric over an arm.
1. Measure, measure, measure. Drape your fabric over the chair to determine pattern placement and cut lines. Drape front to back and inside to outside. You’re going to be pulling and fastening everything to the back and bottom.
2.Once satisfied with placement, cut away any excess fabric. Tuck, shift, and pull, pull, pull before you fasten. If you think you’ve pulled the fabric as tight as it can possibly go, pull it one more time, just in case. Once everything is taut, staple away!
Excess fabric gathered in the corner, reader to be pleated and snipped.
3. Let the chair be your guide. Follow its lines to make pleats or corners. Once everything looks good, iron or hot glue your folds in place.
4. If your fabric is too bulky at the corners, use chalk to mark a cut line then shear away the excess.
5. When all folds and sides are secure and you’re satisfied with the look of your chair, staple fabric to the back and bottom of the chair. Reattach legs, if you have any. If you’re as obsessive as we are, you can cut away the excess fabric from the fastenings and make any last-minute adjustments.
The finished product.
There you have it. An afternoon armchair that’ll be ready for company in a snap. If there’s a spill, you can unstaple any component of the covering and toss it in the wash. If you get a bit tired of your fabric choice and long for a switch, the whole pieces are large enough to transform into throw pillows or use for smaller upholstery projects. We’d call this a win.
Ready to get started?
We’ve got this cotton woven in nine colorways that’ll be sure suit to your decor, we quite like the stone color.
If you prefer a bit of texture in your life, this basketwoven upholstery poly is just gorgeous.
Interested in a challenge? Try this woven cotton in a country-chic plaid.
If you find yourself stuck on a step, please contact us at info2@moodfabrics.com. We’re happy to help!
1 comment
How cool! What a great idea!