Slipcover Craziness #5

It has been a while since I last posted about this topic.

This week we are going to finish up the back of the chair

and add our cording.

After positioning the back panel on my chair

I realized there was too much excess fabric at the base of the chair

So off I went to grab my seam ripper

It is for this reason that I will work on a section and then walk away from it

It is amazing how when you return to a project after a short break

how you notice all the imperfections

So I refit the back

Don't you love all my threads from where I seam ripped!

The problem was the chair is much narrower at the base

This means to keep my pattern match I am forced to go off grain

Since i am working with a large all over pattern that is not a stripe or a plaid

I felt it was okay to do this and most people would not notice it

The major reason I wanted the back to have a snug fit and perfect pattern match

at the side seems from top to bottom is the back of this piece

is the first thing you see when you walk in the house!

By keeping the back snug it won't look so country or like your grandmothers slipcovers

Keeping the pattern match from top to bottom ensures

that the piece will have that custom designer look I am going for

After I adjusted the side seams

I pulled and pinned the sides to the front edge of the chair.

I was now ready to cut back the excess fabric on the side panels

When cutting be sure to cut at least an 1" away

from where you will join to the arm and center front panels

This allows you some wiggle room if you need to adjust the piece later on

It is time to add the cording

Pin the cording so it lines up with the edge of your piece

Remember you will be sandwiching it between panels

 The cording acts like a transition from the back to the front

It also helps to draw the eye around the piece

Try to create a smooth line with the cording as you go

This will pay off big time when we tackle the front.

Well, that's all for this week!

I