Part 20 - Covering the arms

Part 20- Covering the Arms

With the structure of the arms complete, you can move onto covering them with fabric.

1. Attach the foam to both of the arms, either reattaching the existing pieces if you are reusing them or cutting fresh to the same size. If your chair had hessian on, you can now replace the hessian too.

1. Next, cut a layer of polyester to fit on the inner side of your arm, from the bottom of the frame to where the foam begins.

1. Apply a layer of spray glue to the webbing, being extra careful to not get any glue on the parts of the chair you have already upholstered.

1. Trim the polyester so it sits within the foam and doesn't overlap it, as this will create extra bulk.

1. Leave the outer side of your arm without polyester, as you'll need to be able to access the inside of the frame to pull your arm cover through.

1. Take your arm cover and place it over the arm. Take your time to pull it into position so that any seams sit neatly and the entire cover is straight.

1. Begin to push the inside arm section under and through the frame so you can catch it on the other side through the webbing, and pull tight. If you won't have enough fabric to be able to hold onto and pull, you can sew in a fly to give you extra.

1. The front section of the arm may require the most attention, and you'll likely need to make a few cuts to be able to manipulate the fabric around the shape.

1. You want to keep the fascia section of the arm straight and in one piece, so pull this down firmly into position and observe how this affects the joining fabric so you can begin to think about where you might need to unpick, make some folds or cuts.

1. Once you're happy with the position of the arm cover, and before you've stapled anything, you can tackle the front section.

1. Start by gradually unpicking the seam that joins the fascia and the inside arm until you reach the point where you want to fold the fabric under. Stop a little short, pull the fascia down so that it's smooth and straight, then secure with a temporary staple.

1. Unpick the seam a little further until it's level with the front top corner of your seat platform. You want the bottom edge of the inside arm to tuck entirely through and under the frame, so you may need to make some V cuts in order to do this.

1. A staple remover can be used to force the fabric through the frame and can also help to neaten up the fold.

1. Now the middle and front section of the bottom edge of the inside arm fabric should be through the frame, and you'll be able to pull it tight from the other side. When you're happy with the tension, secure the front section with permanent staples.

1. The back section of the bottom edge of the inside arm should still be loose. You'll need to make some V cuts to work the fabric around the frame of the arm. Once you're able to pull it straight and tight, secure this back section of the bottom edge with permanent staples.

1. The next task is to pull the back edge of the inside arm cover through to the back of the frame. You'll need to make some V cuts to accommodate the top and bottom of the arm. Use your staple remover to force the fabric through if necessary.

1. Once you're happy with the tension, secure the back edge of the inside arm to the back of the frame with permanent staples.

1. To finish off the rest of the arm, pull the outside arm cover diagonally down to the back bottom corner, ensuring everything is straight and secure with a staple.

1. Work along the bottom edge, pulling to create a little tension and securing the fabric all the way along underneath the frame; leave a little fabric loose at the bottom front corner.

1. Next, you can secure the back edge of the outside arm by pulling this round to the back of the frame and stapling it in place. You may have to create a small pleat to navigate the fabric around a corner; make sure the pleat faces down to stop dust gathering in it.

1. The final thing to secure is the front bottom front corner of the arm. Begin by making diagonal cuts into the remaining loose fabric at the bottom front edge of the outside arm so that the fabric can be pulled neatly down over the corner to be secured underneath – you will likely also need to trim some excess fabric.

1. Remove the temporary staple at the bottom of your fascia. Tuck the seam allowance that you've already unpicked around the foam beneath and pull the fascia down as tight as you can. Secure with permanent staples underneath the frame. Trim away any excess.

1. Repeat the exact same process to cover the remaining arm.