OUTDOOR CHAIR CUSHION COVER TUTORIAL

My favorite part of our new apartment is probably our red balcony! It's so nice to have a place at home where to go out and have some fresh air! Plus the weather couldn't be nicer these days! We have great plans for the balcony, we want to plant lots of flowers, herbs and buy/make nice outdoor lights! But as we just moved and there have been lots of things to buy and get ready first, I think we will have to wait until next summer because I guess that in less than we think, this balcony will be covered by snow! So, I don't think it would be worth to plant anything now...

Meanwhile, we wanted to enjoy a little bit of it and we recently bought a table, a couple of chairs and a grill! We have done some burgers already! :)

Last week I found a very pretty red striped fabric on sale that was just perfect for making a couple of outdoor chair cushion covers! I finished them on Friday and we've been enjoying our balcony even more this past weekend! They were super easy to make and I thought I would share a quick tutorial today! The process is practically the same you would follow to make an envelope cushion cover, the only difference is that I added four fabric strips that turned it into a chair cushion cover! 

Are your chairs in need of some chair cushion covers? If so, you are in the right place!

What do we need?





We need fabric, normal cushions, scissors, measure tape, straight pins, iron, sewing machine and thread. I used the cheapest cushions from IKEA, they were 14"x 14", a little bit smaller than my chair seats, but they looked fine at the end! They are just normal cushions which aren't meant to be chair cushions, but I wanted to try! 

Let's get started!



1. First, we need to know the dimensions of our cushions, in my case they were 14" x 14", a pretty small size! Then, we need to cut a piece of fabric that measures (the cushion width plus 1/2") x (the cushion height x 2 plus 8"). My piece measured 36" x 14 1/2". You also need to cut four fabric strips of 15" x 1 1/2" each (even if your cushion is bigger than mine, this size would work well. But you can always cut them larger if needed). 

2. Stitch a hem on each of the shortest sides (top & bottom). To stitch a hem, fold 1/2" to the wrong side of the fabric and press with an iron. Then, fold 1/2" again, press and stitch it.


Fold in half lengthwise your fabric strips with right sides of the fabric together. Stitch a 1/4" seam along the longest edge and also along one of the shorter edges. With the help of a screwdriver, turn the strips right side out and press them with an iron.

3. Lay out your fabric piece with right side of the fabric facing up. As shown in the illustration above, place two strips on each side of the fabric, leaving 6" of fabric above them (the raw edge of the strips must be left outside). Pin the strips in place.

4. Fold down, over the strips, the 6" of fabric left at the top. Pin in place.

5. Now, fold in half (wrong side of the fabric facing up) and pin in place. Stitch a 1/4" seam along the lateral edges as shown in the illustration above. Back stitch at the beginning and at the end.








6. Remove all the pins and turn the right side of the fabric out. Fill your cushion cover and place it on your chair. Use the fabric strips to tie the cushion to the chair. Enjoy!

If you just want to make envelope cushion covers, you can still use this method, just skip all the steps related to the fabric strips!

I can see the balcony from the kitchen windows and now I smile every time I see it! :) It's so awesome how we can improve the vibe of a place just by adding something so simple! I love it!

Have a great week!

Ingrid


33 comments:

  1. Ohh I love your blog so very much!! The pictures and illustrations are just outstanding and pleasant to look at, you do such a nice work Ingrid! :-)

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  2. that looks like the cutest little space and your how to is so cute! never seen that before. i could just pinch its cheeks, if that were possible.
    b

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  3. They are so pretty and what a nice tutorial! :)

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  4. Nice tutorial. That striped fabric looks so much like a striped sheet I bought at Ikea years ago that I had to go back and look for your source of fabric. :D

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  5. I have to make these for my outdoor patio chairs!! TFS!! I'm stopping by from Quilt Story's linky party.

    Here is what I shared this week: http://craftybrooklynarmywife.blogspot.com/2014/07/another-button-down-shirt-for-e.html

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  6. This is such a fabulous tutorial! Love those stripes! You did such a good job! We would love it if you would join in on our Awesome Things Tuesday Link Party!
    http://www.kraftingkreations.com/2014/07/awesome-things-tuesday-link-party_29.html

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  7. These turned out so cute! I definitely need to try this, even though I'm not that skilled in using a sewing machine:) Hope you're having a great day!

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  8. love these! You illustrated instructions are perfection!! Featuring today in the Create Link Inspire features on Nap-Time Creations... spreading the word on social media.. thanks for linking! Emily

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  9. fabulous, and love the styling in the top photo! I've just featured your project and hope to see some more great tutorials, now that the party is back on, which hopefully for me means gettting into all those sewing projects I'm dreaming of! Hope to see you there!

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  10. Oh my! Those cushions are just adorable! I love the red stripped print and it looks so easy to do too. I'm thinking our outdoor chairs need some new cushions, so I'm definitely trying that out. Thank you so much for sharing everything! Happy sewing!

    Ian Hawkins @ Wickerworks

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  11. Hi. I just stumbled upon this tutorial and have made my first ever chaie cushion cover. Thank you so much for taking the time to put it up. Great instructions/photos. I really appreciate it. Only three more to go...

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  12. Outdoor chair cushion covers are essential to protect your cushions from the elements, especially during the summer months. The Cover Company offers high-quality covers that will keep your outdoor furniture looking great all season long. Check out their selection today and enjoy a worry-free summer!

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  13. This tutorial is so helpful! I've been wanting to update my outdoor chair cover, and your step-by-step instructions make it seem so easy. The fabric you've chosen is lovely, and the finished outdoor covers look professionally made. Thank you for sharing this detailed guide; I can't wait to try it out for myself!

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