Home Decor Sewing & Design Guides

I'm going to show you how to give your dining chairs a fresh look by reupholstering the seat cushion. Many dining chairs have a cushion that can be easily detached, which makes reupholstering a simple project. When choosing a fabric for you chair, keep in mind that it doesn't necessarily have to be a heavy upholstery fabric like this. You can also use a medium weight drapery fabric, especially if the chair isn't going to be heavily used. And you can always reupholster it any time you want.

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Foam can easily be cut with a serrated knife or electric knife, like the kind for cutting turkey. If you want to cut foam professionally, it's worth investing in a foam cutter like the ACU 350 foam cutter which has two blades to produce a fine, reliable cut. Here are some tips for cutting foam.

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There are many ways to sew a zipper but this method is great for home décor projects like cushions or pillows with zippers. This technique creates flaps over the zipper to make it less visible. Our YKK upholstery zippers are available in many lengths and have durable brass teeth. See How to Make Box Cushions with a Zipper for the full tutorial on making box cushions.

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Giving your office chair a makeover is an easy way to bring personality to your work space. Of course there are many different styles of office chairs, but the chair I used here is pretty typical. The separate back and bottom cushions make it a simple project with no sewing required. I also chose to spray paint the plastic backings, but this is optional.

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