How to Upholster a Vanity Seat

A vanity once was a standard piece of furniture for a bedroom, and they were available, with chairs, at almost any furniture store. Today, these elegant items are harder to find, leaving crafty homeowners to build or create their own. If you have built your own vanity seat, or are lucky enough to have discovered a true vintage prize at a flea market or bazaar, upholstering might be your next step. Start with a bare wooden seat, removed from the chair and free of any old fabric or batting.

Fabric
Fabric pen
Measuring tape
Scissors
Sheet batting
Staple gun and upholstery staples

Instructions

- 1
  Lay out your fabric, facedown. Place the vanity seat in the center of the fabric. Trace around it with a fabric pen. Measure three inches from each side and mark this measurement; you will need an allowance for the batting.
- 2
  Cut out the fabric using the outer marks as your guideline. Roll out the sheet of batting and move the seat to the center of it. Draw around the seat again. Add an inch on all sides and cut out the batting along that line.
- 3
  Layer your items in the following order: fabric facedown, batting, chair seat facedown. Center the batting on the fabric, and center the seat atop the batting. Fold over the front edge of the fabric, along with the batting, and secure it to the underside of the seat with an upholstery staple in the center.
- 4
  Pull the fabric and batting from the back edge -- opposite the one you just stapled -- firmly toward you until the fabric is taut on the right side of the seat. Fold over this edge and staple it in the center of the seat, as before. Turn the seat over so the right side is facing you.
- 5
  Hold the seat lightly by placing your fingertips on the surface. Pull the fabric of one unsecured side until the surface appears smooth. Fold the fabric and batting over this edge and staple it, approximately in the center, to the backside of the seat. Repeat this process for the final edge.
- 6
  Turn the seat over again and begin stapling along the entire front edge, from the center out, smoothing any puckers as you go. Stop 1 1/2 inches from both corners. Repeat this process for the other three sides.
- 7
  Fold under the fabric at one corner, covering the corner of the seat; cut away the excess fabric. Tug the side piece of fabric slightly sideways underneath the front piece of fabric. Hold these down and secure with a staple. Pull the bottom of the front piece over the side piece and staple it to flatten the bump. Repeat this process the seat's other three corners.
- 8
  Snip away any excess fabric around the edges underneath the seat. Cover the bottom of the seat with more fabric, if you wish. Attach the seat to your chair.

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