How to Re-Cover Outdoor Furniture

Purchase outdoor furniture. You'll need about a yard of material for each single seat cushion and figure a yard per seat for multiple seat cushions. For instance, if you have a love seat and and two chairs with just bottom cushions, you'll need four yards of material.

Double the material with the wrong side of the fabric facing out, and lay each cushion down on top of it. Trace around the cushion using a pencil.

Measure the thickness of the cushion.

Measure out from the lines on the fabric the thickness of the cushion, adding an extra 1/2 inch, and then cut out the cushion. For instance, if you have a cushion that is an inch thick, move away from the lines you traced 1 1/2 inches on each side.

Lay each cushion down on a flat surface with a piece of the cut out material on each side with the right sides (the side of the material you want to be seen) facing the cushion. Use stick pins to pin the edges of the material together as close to the cushion edge as you can get. Only pin three sides of the material, leaving the edge of the cushion that will sit against the chair open so you can take the cushion out.

Remove the cushion from the fabric and sew the cover's three sides with a sewing machine.

Trim excess material away from the now sewn seams and turn the cushion cover inside out so the seams are now on the inside. Insert the cushion into the cover. If necessary use a stick pin to pull the corners of the cover out to make them sharp.

Sew the back of the cover closed using a hand sewing needle and thread. Make small stitches and be sure to catch all the layers of material with each stitch. When you are done, tie a knot in the thread and make sure it is secure.

Repeat Steps 2 through 8 for each cushion.