Reupholster a Chair with Colorful Denim

Reupholster a chair and give it a bright and fun new ‘seat.’ This is really easy to do, and we’re going to show you how . . . with a pair of denim pants!

Skills Required: Intermediate. You’ll need to be able to use a sewing machine and operate a staple gun. It’s more simple than you think, because as long as you have enough fabric to cover the seat, it’s pretty forgiving. But it helps to have experience with the tools I mention.

I am a sucker for secondhand chairs. Especially when it’s got some character, with room to add my own (many times colorful!) touch.

I found this beauty at the thrift store last week for $7. And although it started off with a dated mauve cushion, I couldn’t resist the wicker back.

I wanted to keep things “green” with the cushion, so I grabbed a pair of colorful pants to give it a new “seat,” so to speak. If you are looking to reupholster a chair, this is a great idea!

Reupholster a Chair

Materials

• Chair with removable cushion
• Colorful pants
• Screwdriver
• Box cutter
• Staple gun
• Sewing machine & scissors (not shown)

Note: this tutorial shows you how to cover the seat, but you may want to paint the frame as well. If you are planning on painting the chair frame, go ahead and do it while the seat is removed.

Steps 1 & 2: Flip the chair over and remove the cushion, saving screws for later. Use the box cutter to cut the old fabric from the bottom of cushion.

Steps 3-5: Cut the pant legs leaving enough excess to fold over cushion. Cut the inseam of each pant leg, remove the unneeded front of the pants, fold the top of the leg over and use fabric leftovers to fill in the triangle below, sewing all the edges down.

Lay your cushion on the fabric panel you’ve just created and fold the pants over the edge and staple in place.

Step 6: Place the cushion back on the chair frame and screw together!

You have a fun and quirky, eco-friendly addition for your home! Now that you know how to reupholster a chair in denim . . . what else will you cover with jeans?

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Looking for more creative reuse ideas? Check out our recycled denim ideas and our upcycled clothing ideas! I’d also love for you to visit the following projects:

• Simple DIY Chair Cushion with Ties (in an Hour)
• DIY Christmas Stocking from Pajamas Pants
• IKEA Nolmyra Chair Hack with Photo Frames