Part 10 - Sewing the cover

Part 10- Sewing the Cover

This stage will vary a little depending on the construction of your chair, but the techniques will be the same.

1. You want to sew your new fabric pieces together in the same way the old fabric was sewn. The markings you made earlier should help guide you, and you can refer to the pictures you took earlier when stripping the chair.

1. I'm going to begin constructing my cover by sewing the front of the seat platform to the cotton or liner cloth that's going to cover the top and be hidden underneath the seat cushion.

1. Lay the fabrics face together and line up any markings you made to ensure they're in the right place. Sew using a straight stitch with a seam allowance of 0.5 inch.

1. Going forward and backward over your stitch at the beginning and end of every line of stitching is always good, as it prevents your seam from unravelling – and it's especially important in upholstery.

1. Constructing the arms is a good step to tackle next. Your process may be slightly different to the one I'm demonstrating, but always remember to first lay the pieces face together, line up any markings and sew using a straight stitch with an 0.5 inch seam allowance.

1. For my chair I need to attach the arm cover to the fascia. Begin by using the markings to line up the top of the fascia in the middle of your arm cover and the raw sides together. Sew using a straight stitch.

1. Once you reach the top corner, make sure your needle is down, then lift up the presser foot so you can turn your fascia 90 degrees, keeping the arm cover fabric beneath flat. Line up the top of the fascia piece with the arm cover, then release the presser foot back down and sew along the top of the fascia. When you get to the other corner, repeat to pivot the fascia again and sew down the remaining side to create a 3D arm shape.

1. Follow the same process to create the other arm.

1. The last thing to sew is the inside back, which is perhaps one of the most important pieces.

1. Fold the inside back fabric in half and mark the centrepoint at the top with tailor's chalk. Do the same with your border piece.

1. Lay the pieces face to face, finding the two centrepoints and lining them up. It can be helpful to pin this in place.

1. If you are adding piping to your chair, you will need to sew the piping on first to the inside back, and then your border over the top of the inside back and piping, in a similar process to the box cushions project.

1. Guide the first half of your border piece all along the corresponding edge of the inside back piece to find the starting point from which to sew them together, using a straight stitch.

1. When you reach a corner, you'll use the same technique you used with the arm cover and fascia piece. Sew up to the corner point, ensure your needle is down, lift up the presser foot and pivot your border piece so that it lines up with the new line, release the presser foot down and continue sewing.

1. For curves, take it slowly. Gently coax the fabric so the edges remain lined up as you're sewing and follow the curve round.

1. Once you get to the centrepoint, check that your markings still match up. If they're a little off but you have enough border fabric at either end, you'll probably be fine. If they're way off, it might mean a section of your fabric has bunched up so you may have to go back to unpick, realign and sew again.

1. Continue in the same way down the other side to complete.

1. Finish sewing together any other pieces you need to construct your cover.