Monday 18 July 2011

Help! A little advice please....

Blogland I need your help.....please!










I am totally stumped on something that I really should know how to do, but I don't!!
The IKEA chair in the above picture is about 8 years old and the beige cover has seen far better days. It really needs a new one and has been on my 'to do' list for months.


It looks fine without it's padded cover - but it's not half as comfy.



So, I'll make one I said confidently, taking the cover off.
So I studied it, and looked at it, scratched my head and thought about it and realised......I have no idea where to start!
I want it pretty much the same style, so that it just slips on and off and I even brought this bargain, really thick upholstery/curtain ticking fabric from an ebay shop (£15 inc p&p for 3 metres!) to make the cover out of.



And now I am stuck.  I don't want to chop into the ticking and then do it all wrong.  
So... do I take the old cover apart and try and make a pattern from it?
Do I make a cover that goes over the old cover or do I start from scratch (eek!). It's the idea of all the layers of wadding, front and back fabrics that confuses me and the order to sew it all in (and I make quilts so this should be simple right?!).

I will be eternally grateful for ANY help offered!! Thank you. 




5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooo dearie dilemma! Personally I would take apart the old cover and copy it - you could either make a paper pattern from it to follow or just cover the old cover as it were. Are you just using the old wadding etc or are you putting new in? (I wouldn't bother unless it needs it or you're wanting to make it thicker, surely you could use the old??) Kirsty

Debbie said...

leave it until September, then come to my classes at Folkestone. I can help you then - a bit difficult over the airwaves!
Several girls from Whitstable have come to classes over the years - it's not too far away.
Failing that idea, I pretty much agree with Kirsty and Gillian - use the old cover as a pattern.
Good Luck - be nice to see you next term though!!

Simply H said...

Thank you ladies - If I was a tad closer to Folkestone I would love to come along to your classes Debs...and thank you Kirsty for your suggestions too. We have lots of visitors in the next week so 'project chair' is on hold for a couple of weeks and then I will take your advice and make a pattern from the exisiting cover ...gulp! xx

Pomona said...

At the top of the post I thought to myself - that would look really nice in stripy ticking! Could you draw round the old cover for a pattern, then just make a single layer new one, to put back on the chair over the top of the old one. That way you would save fiddling about with wadding and lining, and it would remove easily for washing.

Pomona x

Simply H said...

Thanks Pomona - still haven't tackled it but planning on starting it very soon!!x