Upholstering Dining Chairs Part 1 – Cutting the Fabric

When I was down in the US last weekend, I finally found fabric to finish the dining chairs. It is a cotton with a subtle almost linen look in a navy blue.

With the cat’s help, I started cutting it.

I estimated I needed 13 yards with standard upholstery width, but the fabric was only 42” wide, so I had to recalculate on the spot. I ended up buying 17 yards and there was just enough fabric. I had to make a design change to the back though as I couldn't cut the entire section out of 1 piece of fabric. There will be a seam at each side. Hopefully I don’t make any mistakes cause there is hardly any extra fabric.

I didn't have enough fabric for the entire seat so I used a grey I already had. This will not be seen as a cushion will sit on top. With the grey as a square in the centre, I sewed a strip of navy to frame it out on 3 sides. Each piece is tapered at the corner and this will be stapled to the seat of the chair.

And now we know: buy way more fabric than you need. I really thought I had more than enough, but turns out I could have used another couple of yards as a safety net.