The Laziest Slipcover Tutorial EVER!

See this ugly chair? It will change right before your eyes! Yes, I've finally slipcovered this chair & lived to tell about it. I will attempt to tell you how...hopefully, step by step. I am a lazy seamstress & this is a lazy slipcover tutorial. I guesstimate a lot! With that being said, I'm sure I will leave out a step. If you have Q's, please ask. Good Luck!First, I buy my 100% white cotton duck at Walmart. It's the cheapest (less than $5/yd) & I love white! It's better to slipcover in a solid color, so you don't have to match up patterns. If you do a pattern, just make sure to buy extra fabric for matching. I used about 6-7 yards of fabric...give or take. I didn't measure it before I started. I just bought the ream with 15 yards on it. Think of your slipcover as puzzle pieces. My chair was 6 pieces...plus the cushion covers...then sewn together. Oh...and don't hold it against me, but I don't iron! I will throw this in the washer/dryer after it's completed...that should get all the wrinkles out & help it better to form to the chair.

With fabric inside out, drape the fabric over the back so that it goes from the floor to the inner seat. Pin & cut leaving about a 1 - 1.5 inch seam. Tuck your fabric in just a bit to prevent cutting too short.

The next piece is from the back of the seat to the floor front of the chair. Tuck, pin & cut along the lines of the chair.

Tuck a bit & cut along the line of the furniture, making sure you leave enough for the seam.


Tuck a little under the cushion and make sure you leave enough fabric to hem around the bottom of the chair.

The next piece is draped on the side arm from the seat to the floor. Pin & Cut. Do this to the other side also.
Then your last 2 pieces will be the arm fronts. Pin to the fabric & cut around...leaving room for the seam.

It should look somewhat like this. Get a needle & thread & darn all around removing the pins as you go. This creates an outline for you to sew and prevents pins from sticking in you if you don't. I did not do it on this chair, but darned the slipcover on my sofa. It is an additional step, but I think worth it.

Like I said, I'm a lazy seamstress...just plop the cushion down on the fabric & cut around...leaving an inch or 2 for the seam. This is just one side. I used the cut out as a pattern to cut the other piece. This is the back cushion and I just sewed the 2 sides together leaving the bottom open. You could sew piping into your cushions & chair...it does give it a more finished look, BUT I DON'T. I just wanted this thing covered!
You can sew a zipper if you know how to do that (I don't!) So, I sew ties and tie the bottom together and just tuck & hide.

For the seat cushion, I plop it down on the fabric & did the above. And I also measured the width of the cushion...this measures 5 in., so I cut my fabric 7 in. wide to go around the cushion.

Measure the length around the cushion. And cut your fabric to those specs leaving about an inch seam. Just gives it a more tailored look. Put the 1st piece of fabric down on the floor, then the cushion, then the other piece of fabric on top of the cushion & pin the piece of fabric around your cushion attaching to the top & bottom pieces of fabric. (Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of this step) Again you can add a zipper to the back or ties. Velcro would probably work also. I sewed the cushion all around and cut a line in the back down the middle in order to get the cushion in. Just fold under & sew.

Here is the finished chair...well almost. I still need to hem and wash out the wrinkles. The more you wash it, the softer & it gets. We are a casual cottage family and this casual cottage slipcover works for us! Let me know if you try it.