Reupholstering a Barrel Back Chair

Remove the cushion and open the seams on the chair. Pull out staples, tacks, strips or other fasteners to remove the fabric. Try to keep the fabric pieces intact. Label each piece and its location as you remove it from the chair.

Iron the pieces flat. Place the old pieces over the new fabric. Pin and cut the new pieces to match the size of the old pieces. Cut muslin fabric the size of the seat base plus 6 inches extra on each side and on the back side. Follow your seat base fabric pattern for the exact size. Attach decorator fabric along the front edge following the pattern seam. Insert the fabric over the seat base. Tuck the ends of the fabric through the chair frame on each side and the back.

Turn the chair upside down and staple the front hem to the front underside of the chair. Stand the chair up and pull on the ends of the fabric so that the muslin is smooth. Staple the muslin to the chair frame on the outside bottom of the chair. Staple the side face material along the side edges of the front of each arm.

Sew the barrel seat back pieces together by placing the fabric face sides together. Sew double or flat fell seams. A double seam is when you stitch twice over a seam. With a flat fell seam, stitch your first seam. Cut one seam side 1/4 inch wide. Iron the seam toward the 1/4 inch wide side on the wrong side of the fabric. Fold the 1/2 inch wide seam over the 1/4 inch wide seam and sew tight to the fold. Sew a third seam tight to the original seam. This produces a very strong seam.

Trim the corner seam allowances to reduce bulk. Turn the cover right side out. Fit the cover over the back and arms of the chair. Pull the cover snug and staple the bottom inside of the cover to the chair framework as deep to the inside as possible. Fold the front facing arm edges to the underside over the decor fabric already stapled to the chair. Pull the back fabric snug to the underside. Turn the chair upside down and staple.

Unzip the cushion cover. Remove the cushion. Rip the seams on the cushion cover, labeling each piece. Iron, pin and cut your new pieces. Sew your zipper into the back side panel first. Sew your two zipper panel pieces together with a basted seam. Place the pieces face down on the table. Center the zipper face down over the basted seam. Pin the zipper. Sew the zipper to the pieces using the zipper foot on your sewing machine. Cross the zipper three times with seams at the top and bottom. Turn the pieces over and open the basted seam over the zipper.

Sew the side pieces together to form a circle. Place the top cover face up on the table. Align your side cover face side down with the corners matching and pin the covers together. Sew the seam around the circumference of the cover. Open the zipper. Place the bottom cover face up on the table. Pin the side cover, corners aligned, to the bottom cover. Sew the seam. Trim the corners for bulk. Turn the cover right side out and insert the cushion and zip.