Office Chair Slipcover Completed

I just love it. DH is calling it the Throne. But it wasn't easy getting to this point. Come on along for the ride.....

  This is what I woke up to yesterday morning. I had been using my great Sunset slipcover book but very quickly I figured out not much in there applied to making a slipcover for an office chair with these arms. Yes, I could have taken the arms off easily and reuphonstered the back and seat but that's not what I wanted. I wanted the slipcover "look" and I wanted to be able to remove it for cleaning. I was now totally in the dark. I just went bit by bit and figured it out as I went along. I decided to make the back section and the seat section separately and then worry about putting them together after. I was almost at wadder stage but you all know that if nothing else I am persistent.

I added the skirt to the sides and made it long enough to go all the way to center back. But it is only stitched to the seat up to the green dot you see. From there it is connectd with velcro around the back and ties in a sash. I used up every border of the bedspread to get out all the scalloped edges for the box pleated skirt. From the green dot and right to the center back nothing is connecting the skirt to the slipcover other than velcro. This posed a major issue. This fabric is VERY thick and the box pleats gave me three layers of the matelasse as well as the two layers of cotton covering the welting. How on earth would I ever get that to turn in neatly? It definitely did not want to cooperate. This was bulk nearly a half inch thick. I know my old Kenmore is a workhorse but lets not tempt fate here. Then the light went on.

I used the old "blue jean trick".  This is where you pound the blue jeans with hammer until the bulky seams are flat and stitchable. I did the same here, I first put down a clean cloth on the concrete basement floor. Then I laid down the skirt/piping, covered it with another clean cloth and started hammering down the welting and box pleats along the top of the skirt. It worked wonderfully. The welt stayed turned in and was easy to sew through. In the pic with the green dot you can see how it was then topstitched with a zigzag next to the welting for a bit more insurance. It was now nice and crisp and time to put on the velcro.

This slipcover consists of two separate pieces, both of which tuck into the join of the back and seat very tightly. So each piece needed securing. The top of the cover connects under the arm and you can see the velcro application here along the binding. The seat cover is very securely tucked into the join and rests on top of the seat with long pleated extensions that meet in the back and tie with a black satin ribbon.

With this construction I now had a slipcover I could remove and throw into the wash.

Here's a few details more:

Credit for this glorious monogram goes to my cyber sewing friend , Jerry "Niener". She suggested it and offered to help with the design and stitch it out. It makes the chair in my opinion and I am really thankful for good friends like Jerry. You are special, Jerry.

Here is a shot of the boxing around the tops of the chair. It doesn't follow the chair's boxing as that had a weird shape. I just used a four inch strip.

In case you missed it the fabric used is a 100% cotton matelasse bedspread, queen size, and I used nearly every bit. Didn't tell you I cut the back twice because my original idea wouldn't work.  At the suggestion of another cyber sewing friend, Sivje, of Goosegirl Sews, I underlined the fabric. This will help keep it from stretching out and prevent the dark original chair showing through.

The  welting is a simple quilting cotton from Joanns, heavier than regular gingham.



I am not sure when I will do this again. It actually only took three full days of sewing, a lot of it spent on the floor with a pin in my mouth as I tried to figure it all out. I do know that this is one of those projects that really has me beaming and proud, I guess because I persisted and figured it all out on my own. Special thanks to Jerry and Sivje for their valuable contributions.

The decorating project is nearly done. I need to do a wee bit more organizing and hang some shelving tomorrow. DD also has some shelves for me as well. This  project has really got me excited about starting on the great room. That will happen as soon as the studio is finished. In the meantime, its time for some garment sewing. Its been a while.....Bunny

Next in the Queue - A Slipcovered Office/Sewing Chair

I am embarrassed to say I finally found my white matelasse bedspread right here under my nose. It was one of four layers of blankets on the guest bedroom bed. (It gets a little cold here.) I went to change the linens and saw it there. How did I miss this?  It quickly became a non blanket and future slipcover for my sewing/office chair. Don't tell DH I am cutting it up although by now he has pretty much seen me cut up just about anything that doesn't move.

Once again Pinterest provides the inspiration. Thank you, Pinterest! This chair is from "Cozy Cottage Slipcovers" and I think just darling. I want a longer skirt, however, as I use this chaired jacked up quite high. That's because my machines are at counter height and by raising the chair and having a box under my counter to rest my feet I am able to comfortably sew for hours.  I am not sure if I will do the bow on the back or a couple of rows of big buttons down the pleat. This design looks quite simple but here is my chair:

Check out the arm setup. It actually  would be quite easy to remove the arm and do a more upholstered type of cover but I want the ability to take it off easily and just throw it in the wash. I know it will get covered in threads and the occasional spilled cup of coffee. I like the heavy texture and the fact that it is very washable. I like the looser "slip covered" look but hope it doesn't look like a messed up bedspread after I have sat in for a few hours. I can see I will need to pull out my faithful Sunset "Slipcovers and Bedspreads" book. You saw me use it for Audrey's cushions.

Which brings up another dilemma - what about the welting? Do I want a contrast or do I want it all white OR do I want to do something like a ruffle instead, or a tiny pleated trim? Hmmmm....And do I want to use velccro to pull it all together or would some ties look cute? This is a great opportunity for some dressmaker details.  You can see this hasn't all quite gelled yet but the fact that I have the fabric now means its a go.

I have a large job for a client this week, one involving many uniforms, so this project will be hit and miss for a few days. I also have yet to put together my wall unit. Today I counted out and matched all the pieces up to the schematic. We are good to go. This thing is incredibly heavy and the idea of it hanging on the wall really scares me, I mean really heavy. The sides and top are substantial in a nice sort of way. While this makes them look great, it also makes them need some engineering to keep them all from falling on the floor. I sure hope my eyes weren't bigger than my stomach here and that my wished for unit works out.

Thanks everyone for all the congratulatory comments on the Threads recognition. Makes a girl feel good and is always appreciated. Congratulations to Cenetta, too, beautiful dress!   Now off to the uniforms....Bunny