How to Cord Chairs

Remove the existing cover on the chair cushion using a small pry bar, pliers and a screwdriver. Rip the seams on the cover with a seam ripper. Iron the seams flat. Set any existing welting to the side for later.

Launder and iron new upholstery fabric. Pin the old cover to the new fabric. Cut the new fabric covers. Typically, you will have a top cover and side panels that are seamed at each corner.

Sew the side panels together at the corner seams. Place the pieces right side up and sew together using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Some pieces may have cuts to work around arms or legs. Follow the original sewing pattern.

Cut fabric strips on a 45-degree angle (the fabric bias) that are 2-inches wide plus the diameter of the cording. To cut these strips place a yard of fabric on the cutting mat. Use a straightedge and cut on the diagonal, such as from the top-right corner to the bottom-left corner. Use a cutting wheel to keep the cut straight.

Join strips together to form longer strips. Example: Place one strip face up on the worktable. Place the second strip face down and perpendicular to the first so that the two strips form an L shape. Sew from the bottom left corner across the diagonal to the top right corner. Trim the seam to 1/4 inch and iron the seams flat.

Create a single-welt strip by folding the fabric strip in half lengthwise. Insert the cording at the inside fold so that the rough edges are even. Sew as tight to the cord as possible.

Place the cushion cover face up on the worktable. Starting in the middle of the back side, pin the welting with the cord toward the center of the cover. Pin perpendicular to the cord. The sewing of the welting should align with the 1/2-inch seam allowance. When you are 2 inches from the end, cut the cording so that it will overlap the beginning by 1/2 inch. Slide the fabric away from the end of the cord and cut the cord off so that the cord end will touch the beginning point. Rip the seam on the fabric end 1/2 inch. Fold the end of the fabric over 1/4 inch and slide it over the beginning so that when you sew the beginning and ending are covered. Pin the ends.

Place the side fabric face down over the welting. Align the corner seams with the corners on the top cover. Pin the side fabric to the welting and cover. Sew your seam with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Clip your corners and ease your curves. Turn the cover right side out.

Pull the cover over the cushion and turn the chair upside down. Staple the cover to the underside of the chair every 1 to 2 inches. Fit the fabric around the legs or arms by turning the edges under, pulling to the underside and stapling. If the fabric stops along the side of the chair frame, staple along that line within 1/4 inch of the wood. Trim off the excess fabric.

Repeat Step 4 to make double welting, except add the diameter of two cords plus 2 inches for your strips. Place two cords inside the folded strip and bring one fabric raw edge over the other centered on the cords. Sew tight between the cords so that the fabric on the back side has one raw exposed edge. Trim this edge to 1/8 inch. Hot glue this double welting over the exposed staples that are next to the exposed wood of the chair.