Waylaid By Fate

Hi Guys! You know how you plan your life and are fairly certain you know what you'll be doing for the week ahead? And then something totally unexpected moves you from one direction to another? Well, that pretty much sums up my week. I thought I'd be finishing Roz's kitchen and sharing it with you this week, but fate had other plans. I can't share the story just yet, and Roz's kitchen still has a few major tasks to finish up, so this week I'll only be able to share a tutorial.

One of the things that needed finishing touches for Roz's kitchen were her breakfast nook chairs. As a person who really appreciates a comfy tooshie, especially when sitting for long stretches visiting, making cushions for Roz's chairs was a must. And while I was at it, it seemed smart to do Goldie and Alice's chairs at the same time. And while I was doing that I might as well take photos and share the process. What follows is how I made cushions for them. They aren't what I'd call perfect, but they are really cute! All of them are Chrysnbon chairs, but there are two different models. Roz has the Cane Seat style and the girls have the Ladderback style. I adapted the process for both. I hope you'll find the process helpful for your own chair cushion projects someday! 

Chrysnbon Ladderback and Cane Seat Chair Cushions 

Supplies You'll Need:

Chrysnbon Chair Kits

Chipboard or heavy cardboard about 1/16" thick

Thermolam or similar quilt batting (2" x 8" for 4 chairs)

Cotton Quilting Fabric (1 fat quarter will be plenty for 4 chairs)

1.5mm Flat Back Pearls (16 for 4 chairs)

1/8" Satin Ribbon (1 yard will do for 4 chairs)

Glue Stick

Tacky Glue

Thread (I like to use strong upholstery thread because I am a terrible seamstress)

Cardstock

Sandpaper

Chair Pattern

Tools You'll Need:

Xacto knife

Scissors

Pilot Hole Punch or similar piercing tool

Ruler

Tweezers

Sewing Needle

Toothpicks

Pencil

Chrysnbon Cane Seat and Ladderback Chairs assembled and painted.

Let's Begin!

Create your pattern using the pattern template. Trace as many as you need onto your chipboard. Cut them out with your Xacto knife, going inside the traced line about 1/16" inch.

Check the fit on your chair and make any adjustments. You can sand the chipboard to make slight adjustments. Mark a "B" on the bottom of your chipboard patterns. This represents the bottom.

You want a little room around the edges.

Now trace the pattern onto cardstock. Cut out with your Xacto, again going about 1/16" inside your trace line. Make one for each chair. Check to make sure the cardstock fits inside the chipboard pattern leaving about 1/8" to 3/16" boarder. Mark a "T" on the top of your cardstock pattern. This represents the top of your pattern.

You should now have one chipboard and one cardstock pattern for each of your chairs. 

If you want your chair cushions tufted, you will need to find the center of your chipboard both horizontally and vertically. Draw the center lines using your ruler. Then measure 1/4" from each center line in each quadrant and put a mark for your hole. Using your pilot hole punch or other piercing tool, create a hole all the way through the chipboard.

Using the punched piece as the pattern, line up the next piece of chipboard so that all sides are flush with the first. Use the pilot hole punch to press through each hole marking the pattern on the under piece. Do this for all the chipboard cushions then finish piercing the holes all the way through.

Now lets cut out the batting. Lay your chair pads out on the batting and cut each piece so that there is at least 1/4" edge all the way around. Once the batting is cut, apply glue stick to the top side of each chipboard cushion piece (not the side marked "B"). Let set up for about 5 minutes.

Apply tacky glue all the way around the edge of the chipboard. Smooth and press the batting into the glue until it has set. You want to make sure every edge is sealed and smooth. Fast Grab Tacky Glue makes this process go much faster than regular Tacky Glue. Expect this process to take several minutes. Only start one cushion at a time for best results. Once you have all of the cushions finished, let them set aside to dry for at least 15 minutes.

Once the edges are dry and secure, trim away the excess batting. Then trim neatly and closely all around the edges.

Do a test fit again. This is encouraging!

Cane Seat Chairs

Ladderback Chairs

Now it's time to cut out the fabric! Cut out fabric for both the batting covered chipboard pieces and the cardstock pieces. At this stage, leave plenty of room around the edges.

This is your last chance to adjust the cardstock pieces, so check to make sure you like the fit again. You only want about 1/8" to 3/16" reveal.

Apply glue stick to the bottom of the cardstock (not the side that you marked "T"). Press onto the center of the wrong side of the fabric. Let set up for a few moments.

Now trim the fabric closely (about 3/16" to 1/4") around cardstock, keeping in mind how the fabric will fold and bend. It is best to avoid lumps, if possible. Notches work great wherever possible.

Glue the flaps using Tacky Glue. Press down and smooth as you work your way around. If your cardstock begins to curl, you can weigh it down while it dries. I recommend using a piece of waxed paper between the cardstock and any surface it may touch while drying.

Now it's time to upholster the batting pieces! Apply tacky glue to the bottom of one side of your chipboard being careful not to go all the way to the edges. Then center on the wrong side of your fabric. Fold up the fabric and smooth. Make sure not to cover the holes you made earlier - you'll need to see them later. Let the glue set for a few moments.

Repeat for the opposite side.

Snip fabric at corners but not past the edge.

Glue last two sides leaving corners loose.

Snip away excess fabric from the corners being sure not to cut into the sides of the cushion.

The goal for this next step is to get glue onto the fabric corners and onto the corners of the cushions. This is so that when the fabric is pressed to conform to the corner's shape, every bit of it catches to create a smooth surface. This can be best accomplished by applying the glue with a toothpick.

Now press the fabric flat and hold until it catches. Smooth around all contours with your finger. Press down and edges to make them as flat as possible.

For the Ladderback Chair cushion, because it has a curved recess to allow for the chair legs, use a toothpick to help you shape the glued fabric into the recess.

Finish all the corners and then trim away any excess fabric. 

And now it is time for tufting! Going through the back of the cushion, poke the sewing needle through the chipboard and into the fabric. Bring the needle back down through the fabric. Repeat these steps, but leave a loop the second time to tie the thread through. Move to the next hole and repeat until all four holes have been tufted.

Cut two four inch silk ribbons for each cushion. Fold them in half and then glue to the bottom back side of your fabric covered cardstock pieces. Hold in place until dry.

Glue the cardstock piece, centered, onto the cushion.

Flip over and add the flatback pearls. I like to use a toothpick to apply a dot of glue onto each tuft. Then I moisten the end of the toothpick with my tongue to pick up the top of the pearl. It sticks to the toothpick but only until you stick the bottom into the glue.

Finally it is time to tie the cushions onto the chairs. You can simply tie them if you are good with fiddly things, or you can sew your ribbon into a special bow. Here is a great video demonstration courtesy of My Mini Front Porch which can be adapted for smaller ribbon. As for my chairs, I am going to save them for Roz's kitchen's big reveal. Hope you get a chance to try this tutorial for your own special project!

Hope to be back soon with a big announcement!

xo xo,

Jodi