Chairs catch up to the table

If you have been following my posts, then you know I spent quite a while on the banquette area in our kitchen.  Having found an old church pew and then finding the perfect table for the space and then redoing them how I wanted the area should have been complete...right?

But like any renovation or restoration or makeover project once you change something and get it just how you like it everything else doesn't look so great.  So when the table and pew were finally done and absolutely perfect....it seemed the chairs were the ugly things in the room.  They hadn't looked so bad until I redid the area, but afterwards they looked tired and in need of change.  And who am I to deny a change?  One of the best and most inexpensive ways to make a big change is by using fabric.

So...I looked in my stash of fabric finds....these are the yards I see at the fabric store that are on clearance and I love too much to pass up....and I found one that I have been waiting to use.

 It is a gorgeous pattern (I think) and the brown design is actually a raised velvet finish so it has great texture.

Because this area will be well used and around food I knew I wanted to slipcover the Parson's Chairs.  This would make it very easy to toss into the wash if food or grubby fingers got the fabric dirty.  If you have kids, you need to get to know slipcovers!!
Before you start to make the slip covers I always pre-shrink the fabric.  This way when you do have to put the slipcovers in the washer and dryer they won't shrink so much that they don't fit.  I washed the yardage on hot and put it in the drier until the fabric was completely dry.

Next step is to lay the fabric on the piece of furniture you are going to slip cover.  In my haste to finish these chairs I didn't take any photos but I will describe how I made the covers.

Step 1:  lay the fabric on the chair with the good side down and rough side out.  These chairs were easy since I could start at one end and run the fabric up and down to the other end of the chair to cover it.

Step 2:  Figure out where your seams will be and cut away excess fabric.  You basically pin the fabric around the chair where the seam/join will be and cut away the rest.  Leave about 1" to play with.

Step 3:  Pin the fabric together with lots of pins to "make" the seam.  This pin line is where you will be sewing later on.

Step 4;  take fabric off chair and then sew on a machine along the line where the pins are.  When you get to a corner, you have to round it off to finish it.

Step 5:  Hem up the bottom of the slipcover...I left it longer than the existing fabric line in case it did shrink a bit in washing and so the old fabric wouldn't show underneath.

Step 6:  Turn right side out and slip over chair!

I also found a way to slip cover this chair without any sewing...you can see it on the link below
http://loveyourroom.blogspot.ca/2011/01/my-morning-slip-cover-chair-project.html

I prefer the machine sewed on because of the durability of it and the fact you can wash it easily...just slip it off and into the wash it goes.

Here's how they look finished.

Very subtle and elegant with the table and pew.  I am also going to do another pair of slipcovers in a brighter more vibrant fabric for spring/summer.  Another benefit of slipcovers is that you can change the look of the chair often according to season, taste and trend.
This is my inspiration for the fabric for the spring/summer look...

I will keep you posted on what I find at the fabric store.  Which I must share is Designer Fabrics on Queen West in Toronto.  If you haven't been it is a must visit place.  www.designerfabrics.ca

Happy First Day of Spring!!! Don't these orangey fabrics just have you craving sun and fun?