How to Cover Old Lawn-Chair Cushions

With a Pattern

• 1

  Remove your old cushions and cut open each cover along the seams. Separate the rest of the old cushion cover parts by cutting them along the seam lines. Mark each piece with a letter or number using a permanent marker and write down which pieces are to be sewn together for the new cushion cover.

• 2

  Spread out the brown craft paper or newspaper and place the old cover on the paper. Trace its outline onto the paper with a permanent marker.

• 3

  Cut the paper along your outline and label each pattern piece with instructions of which parts to sew together (these instructions come from the old cushion cover parts and the notes you wrote in Step 1).

Without a Pattern

• 4

  Spread out the new fabric (the outdoor canvas). Fold the fabric in half with the right sides facing each other, making the folded piece of fabric about 5 inches wider than the width of the old cushion. Place the old cushion on top of the fabric.

• 5

  Mark the outline of the cushion's parts onto the fabric about 1 inch beyond the seam line with a permanent marker or straight pins.

• 6

  Cut each piece of fabric along the lines you've made and set aside.

Sew the Cushions

• 7

  Match the cover pieces using the pattern from the old cushion cover parts, with the right sides of the fabric facing each other.

• 8

  Pin the seams together along each edge, but leave one side open to turn the cover inside out to insert the foam.

• 9

  Sew three of the four sides together of each lawn-chair cushion with the sewing machine. Snip the fabric off at the corners between the tip of the fabric's corner and the seam. This will make the corners of the cushions nice and flat.

• 10

  Turn the lawn-cushion covers inside out and press along the seams with an iron.

Finishing the Lawn-Chair Cushions

• 11

  Insert the foam--either reuse the foam from the old lawn-chair cushions or purchase new pieces of foam of the same density and thickness. Use an electric carving knife to cut new pieces of foam down to fit the new cushion covers.

• 12

  Fold in the edges of the fabric along the open side; match the fabric edges up to close the opening and then sew it closed with the sewing machine or by hand.

• 13

  Trim off any thread strands hanging off of your lawn chair cushions with scissors.