No-Sew Covers

• There are two ways to make chair covers: no-sew, for a draped effect, and fitted, which requires the cover to be sewn. The authors of "Window Treatments & Slipcovers for Dummies" say that for most projects, 3 yards of fabric that is 45 inches wide will cover a chair measuring 44 inches high by 20 inches wide by 22 inches deep. Most home decorator fabric is either 45 or 54 inches wide, so unless you have a very wide chair, the length measurement is the only measurement you will need, making sure you add 1/2 inch for any mistakes. If your chair is very wide, you will have to piece material together to cover it.
  
  Measure the length by starting at the back of the chair, going up and over the front, over the cushion and down to the floor. Measure the width by starting on the floor at one side, going up to the seat, across the seat, and down the other side.
  
  After buying the fabric, prewash it, if the fabric can be laundered, and then iron it. Drape the fabric over the chair, making sure the fabric is even on all sides. At the top of the back of the chair, take the two ends of the fabric and tie them in a knot. Safety pin the fabric where the back meets the seat, for a snug fit. You can add a bow or decorative trim along the back or leave as is, tucking the safety pin under the fold of the fabric.
  
  

Sewn Covers

• Create a fitted cover by first measuring the chair, including both sides of the chair back, the seat, and the side pieces of the seat, which includes the skirt. Add 1/2 inch seam allowance on all pieces. Cut the fabric according to the measurements. With right sides together, pin the fabric to the corresponding part of the chair at the seams. Sew both chair back pieces together and then sew the top of the seat to the front of the chair back. Put the cover back on the chair, wrong side out, and pin the seat sides and skirt in place. These pieces can either be sewn using gussets--diamond-shaped pieces of fabric that join both seams together--or you can overlap the seams at the corners. Sew the side pieces onto the cover, hemming the bottom edges. The chair cover will now be sewn together entirely, except for the side pieces and the chair back. Hem the edges on both fabric pieces and attach velcro to keep the side and back attached at the skirt.