Since we’ve moved, I’ve been in major DIY mode. I have this great old cane chair that I love, but it needed a fresh new look. I have changed the colors and theme of my bedroom and that’s where I keep the cane chair. It was covered in a fabric from about 10 years ago’s look and colors of my bedroom back then. I took a photo of my new quilt and off I went to the fabric store. I found a great complimentary upholstery fabric and bought 2 yards. I wasn’t sure how much fabric I would really need. I ended up not needing that much, but it’s more than ok that I got extra fabric. I plan to make a matching pillow, so more fabric turned out to be great!
To do this project, I needed some other tools. I used an iron, ironing board, screwdriver, staple gun, staples for the staple gun, sewing scissors, and a hammer. Once I gathered all of the tools, I got to work.
Tools and fabric:
First I cut the 2 yards of fabric down to 1 yard. Then I ironed the yard of fabric I was planning on using to recover the chair seat. I turned the fabric upside down on my living room carpet and then figured out which direction I wanted the shape on the fabric to be. Vertical or Horizontal. I chose Vertical, just for aesthetics. I think it looked better vertical. Then I carefully started wrapping the fabric around the seat, rolling the edges of the fabric under as I stapled. I started on the sides first, as the corners a bit more difficult to navigate, especially if you haven’t done much DIY re-upholstery projects.
When you get to the corners, you may have to cut some of the excess fabric off and then fold it creatively. You may need someone else to help you hold the fabric taught so you can staple it into place. I managed to cut, then fold it creatively, hold and staple by myself. This takes a little practice though. Give it a try and if it doesn’t work, you can always use some pliers to take the staples out and do it over again.
Once I had the seat of the cane chair, completely covered and stapled to my liking, I then set the seat on the chair to see how it looked. I originally was going to chalk paint the chair, but I really liked the antique look of the chair color against the cream and orange of the seat fabric. I decided to leave the chair the color it was instead of painting it. I will use the chalk paint and wax for another piece of furniture soon, I promise!
Here’s the final outcome. I love how it turned out! If you’ve done a DIY project that you are proud of, please comment below with any photos of your project. I’d love to see what other people’s DIY projects are and how they are doing them, with any tips/tricks you may like to share.
