I knew it would happen. It always does. You start working on one project and all of a sudden it leads to another project…and another project…and another project. Until you find yourself pulling out leftover drop cloth remnants and making chair skirts for your dining room immediately after having your entire house turned upside down while new flooring was being installed.
I mean, it makes perfect sense, right? Forget putting the house back together. Let’s make some chair skirts!
I’m all about the essentials. 😉
Now, I have never made chair skirts or slipcovers or anything of the kind. But after spending a huge chunk of change having new carpet and hardwoods installed there was no way I was going to be buying them ready-made. I had quite a bit of drop cloth left over from a previous project and the best part about using it is that it already has seams. Gotta love anything that lets me skip a step!
HOW TO MAKE DROP CLOTH CHAIR SKIRTS:
1) Measure the seat of the chair and cut fabric accordingly being sure to include a one inch allowance on each side.
2) Determine how much of a “drop” you want for your skirt. Measure the length of the sides and front of your seat and then cut strips of drop cloth using the “drop” as your width.
3) Hem the ends of the side pieces.
4) Attach the side and front pieces (similar to making a pillow where the right-sides match up) to the “seat” piece being sure to have the hems facing towards the middle.
5) Stitch each side onto the seat. This is how the skirt for the arm chairs looks. If you are doing chairs with no arms there will be only 3 straight side pieces. If you are making them for arm chairs you will have to allow for the skirts to slip between the arms by making the 2 side pieces “split” as seen here.
6) Once completed, secure the skirt to the chair by lifting up the cushion from the frame and tucking the back fabric underneath, then reattach the cushion.
7) Repeat process depending on how many chairs you have.
Here is how the arm chair skirts will look once completed.
Chairs BEFORE:
Chairs AFTER:
This dining room set was our very first BIG purchase as a married couple. I’ve often thought about selling it and getting something more “in”. You know, weathered wood. A farmhouse table and a chippy hutch.
But, frankly, I like this set and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
I love the rich, dark wood and feel sentimental every time I look at it.
Besides, it’s getting chippy all on it’s own!
Every single chip and scratch represents all of the family gatherings and romantic dinners for two this table has seen over the last 15 years.
There have been rowdy celebrations and quiet heart-to-hearts. There have been spills and tears and even a few forts made out of sheets using the table and chairs.
No, I don’t think this dining room set is going anywhere anytime soon!
Thanks so much for joining me at the Fence today and please don’t hesitate to ask me questions about this tutorial. I tend to do my sewing projects in a “wing and a prayer” manner so I make no guarantees! 😉
Check out these other beautiful dining rooms:
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I’ve been meaning to do that to my chairs for ages and your’s look so great you have inspired me to get at it!
Very pretty, Vanessa! Who says we don’t have our priorities straight? : ) I bought some dropcloth at Lowe’s that looks softer than the big regular ones and I’m hoping when I wash them they will be even softer. They are also going to be made into chair skirts. I had made white ones last year out of white tablecloths I found at Salvation Army and I’m thinking I’d like some in the oatmeal-like color of the drop cloths, too. I’m going to need a whole day to work on them, so I’m waiting for a rainy, nothing-going-on day to play around with them.
So cute! Drop cloths can be used for soooo many DIY projects these days. I love this one!
Guess what? I have ADD Decorating Syndrome too! I am to constantly stop and remind myself to complete one project before jumping to another. The new chair skirts look great!
*I have to constantly stop and remind myself* (Must proof better!)
I love these! I wish I knew how to sew!! LOL!!~~Angela
Thanks Angela! You know, I think that these would actually be fairly easy to make as a “no-sew” version using stitch witchery. You’d have to be careful when washing them but you could follow the same steps and use the fusible webbing/stitch witchery instead. Maybe?? Wouldn’t hurt to try! 🙂
Great idea!! Thank you!! I’ll let you know when and how they turn out!! Have a great day–you made mine!!~~Ang
I adore these and think they look beautiful. Your dining room table is so pretty. I wish I could sew so badly. I want to make these in the worst way but I can’t even sew a button on my clothes when needed. How sad is that!!
Cynthia
Thanks Cynthia! I left a comment below for Angela regarding maybe trying to make no-sew versions! 🙂
Sweet! I love drop cloths..and these look fantastic! Pinning now:)
Great looking slips, nothing better than a drop cloth:)
Seriously! Drop cloth on dining chairs? Makes PERFECT sense!!
I really like the drop cloths, Vanessa. Makes the dining set more casual (or take them off for a formal look)! Mom
I love your “wing and a prayer” projects, Vanessa! Your new drop cloth covers are genius … they look awesome on your pretty chairs! And, you know I can relate to the domino effect syndrome!
Absolutely gorgeous! Such a great project!
I totally need to do this! I keep reupholstering my chairs because the boys are murder on them!
How much better is this?
I too love our “set” now that I’ve skirted the chairs 🙂 It was such a big deal when we bought it – we felt so married and so adult-like. LOL. Love your skirts!!
Vanessa, you are reading my mind on so many levels!!! I am doing the whole one-project-leads-to-another… and we are having a wedding reception in our backyard next weekend so why not start a few more projects!!!! I know exactly what you are talking about!!!
And THANK YOU for your dropcloth chair cover instructions. I just decided to cover a family room chair. Your great DYI came in perfect time!!!
Your dining room table and chairs are gorgeous, I love them too!
I’m new to your site!! Great site ladies!! I love these chair skirts! Going to make a cup of tea and spend some time tonight reading through your great posts here!
Great tutorial Vanessa! And I love your dining room set. It’s timeless!
Ha! I just cut into my first canvas drop cloth today for a post later today {well… we’ll see how it goes in the AM – lol} And these chair covers turned out GREAT!! I love them – I need to re-cover my dining chairs and they are very similar, so this is a fantastic tutorial! Thanks! xoxo
The look lovely… gotta love drop cloth!
These are so darn cute! I need them for my chairs for sure!
Beautiful! I’m currently on the hunt for new chairs for my dining room. I actually want new/old ones to compliment my set. I’ll remember this when it comes to changing out the cushions.
Great tutorial! They came out so pretty.
Thank you Vanessa for reminding me why I should not want an “updated” dining room table. Ours is thirty-eight years old, was purchased as a house warming gift from my mother-in-law. We’ve shared thirty-two family Thanksgiving dinners at this table, sadly the past eight without our mothers. This table has its scratches here and there, but unlike any other dining room table, it shares three, second grade spelling words, printed thirty years ago by our daughter who decided to do her homework at THIS table without first placing the table pad. I do love the look of your chair skirts. Our dining room chairs are all wood without any cushions. I have occasionally switched chairs from other rooms to seat guests at the ends of our table. I enjoy reading your blog.
Love this idea, Vanessa! I just may steal it for my own dining room chairs. I’ve put off taking them apart and recovering them – this seems so much easier and would a 1000% better. Thanks for the inspiration.
Love using dropcloths for sewing projects! Those chair skirts look amazing!
Thank you for the awesome tutorial!! I want to make these only ruffled {I think- as in may be stretching my lack of sewing skills}. I love the look and this was exactly what I needed to see!! Thank you for sharing.
These are adorable!!! Love the look, thank you for the tutorial, might just have to give it a try 🙂 Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!
XO
kristin
Oh I just love these! What a transformation and just for a few dollars! Thanks for sharing! xo
I love these chair skirts SO much Vanessa!! and I’m so tickled and honored to see my dining room featured too! You are SO sweet!!! I can totally relate to you needing to cover the chairs even before putting everything back together after all the work you had done – I do the same thing ALL THE TIME!!! 🙂
Great idea! One of my favorite fabrics 🙂
Debbie
Gorgeous! I need to recover our dining room chairs too – I love your idea!
Easy and inexpensive . . . my kind of project. They look great.
Love those covers !…and really love the way you do not have to use ties…Beautiful job!!…and the best dining room tables are the ones that have “memory marks”….I have a friend that never placed a table cloth on her table…she said that she wanted to remember all of the times of coloring, homework, etc … Now, her grandchildren are making their marks…it is a table etched with love.
Good way of explaining, and nice piece of writing to
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