They can be expensive, but you can make your own with a few materials and a sewing machine.

Step 1: Materials

The great thing about these DIY dining room chair covers is that you really don’t need much to make them!

• Enough fabric to cover the chair on all sides and surfaces…usually 2-3 yards. Try a stain-resistant or plastic-backed material to protect your chairs.
• Thread and a sewing machine or ribbon to “lace” the edges together for a more casual crafty look.
• Scissors and a measuring tape.

Step 2: Measuring

 You’ll need to measure the chair in a few places to know what size and shape to cut the fabric.

First, measure from the floor in the front of the chair over to the back. Keep the tape against the surface of the chair, across the seat, and up and over the back. Then measure the width, adding TWO inches to each side and ONE inch to the length. Mark this measurement.

Then measure the chair on the sides from front to back and from the seat to the floor. Add TWO inches to the front-to-back measurement and an inch and a half to the seat-to-floor measurement.

Step 3: Cutting

Lay your fabric out and cut three pieces.

You’ll need one long rectangle according to the first measurement and two pieces according to the side measurements.

Step 4: Hemming

With the fabric facing down, fold half an inch of each edge inward and pin it. Sew the hems in place. You can also use fabric glue to hold them if you don’t want to sew it.

Step 5: Fitting the Back

Take the long rectangle and lay it on the chair where it will go…but lay it with the outside facing in. You should be looking at the backside of the fabric.

Pinch the edges along the back of the chair together and pin it. Allow a half inch of “looseness,” and mark where it meets with the seat of the chair.

Pull it off and sew the sides of the back-cover.

Note: For ribbon-laced dining room chair covers, make holes every inch along the edges that do NOT meet the floor. Place the big rectangle on the chair and tie a small piece of ribbon through each hole (through front and back on the chairback, and through the long rectangle AND a side-piece on the sides. Tie each ribbon in a bow. Your result should be a small ribbon-bow every inch or so along all the chair edges.

Step 6: Attaching the Side Panels

Put the cover back on the chair back, still inside out.

By now you should have the chair covered in a wide strip all but the sides. The back should be attached on each side, like a big upside-down pocket.

Take a side square and place it on the chair side, pinning to the chair cover on three sides. Use pins or fabric glue to hold the edges together. Do the same on the other side.

Pull it off and sew the two sides in place.

That’s it! Flip it back right-side-out and you have a new dining room chair cover!

All you need is a few old t-shirts and some ribbon. You can either choose ribbons that match the shirts or contrasting colors that will really stand out. The shirts just need to be big enough to fit down over the back of the chair with a couple inches to spare on the sides.

Step One: Shopping!

Hit the thrift stores or eBay…or your dad’s closet…and gather up a handful of t-shirts with funky logos or hair-band rockers. Don’t worry about it if the t-shirts look old and worn. The best thing about these hippie-chic dining room chair covers is that they don’t have to be perfect.

If your chairs are visible from all angles, such as in a home with a breakfast nook or kitchen table instead of a closed-off dining room, you can make double-sided covers. Just get twice the number of t-shirts as the number of chairs you have. You can use the printed side of a shirt for both the front and backs of your dining room chair covers.

Step Two: Cutting.

Slip your t-shirts over the backs of your dining room chairs to measure how much you need to cut. Then cut up the sides of the shirt and across the top. What you’re going for is two large rectangles (from the front and back of the shirt) that are a couple of inches wider than the chair back.

For each cover, lay both pieces flat, one on top of the other, and make sure all the edges match. Make sure the printed side of the shirt faces out (if using two shirts, place the printed rectangles back-to-back, with the prints both facing out).

Cut or poke a hole along the sides and top at two inch intervals, about an inch from the edge.

Leave this laying and cut your ribbon into ten inch strips, enough to have one for each hole you cut in the shirts. These will lace your dining room chair covers together.

Step Three: Tying.

 Poke a ribbon through each hole you made, making sure to thread it through both the front and back pieces of fabric. Tie them into bows.

Now you should have a laced-together pillow-case that will just slip right over the back of each chair.

Another option you have to add a little something extra to your chair covers is to take some pony beads and string onto the ends of the ribbons. To do this, you don’t have to tie bows, just know the ribbons together to make a fringe.

The best thing about these chair covers is that they are so simple and cheap that you can change them anytime you want if you decide you need a new theme. Try a tie-dyed shirt or multi-colored ribbons and beads.

The same thing can be done with any fabric you like. These dining room chair covers are as versatile as you want them to be!

Weddings are the perfect place to take advantage of the idea of covering plain chairs with something prettier. Who has a couple hundred attractive chairs just lying around?

Didn’t think so.

What we do have on hand is usually a few stacks of metal folding chairs courtesy of every banquet hall you ever got an award in. They are almost all done in varying shades of gray, with some eggplant and (for some reason) dandelion yellow thrown in. They are functional, but not real attractive.

Lots of people just set aside the worst of these and make do with the mostly matching and least wobbly that’s left.

Why not avoid the eyesore altogether?

You can find some great covers that will hide those ugly chairs altogether!

Fitted-Style Covers
  Just like dining room chair covers, you can find drapes that are specially made to fit over the entire chair. The ones for weddings and special events are fancier and usually less fitted.

Most of them have a loose and flowing look, like you’ve draped the chair in satin (or some other elegant material) and tied it back with a pretty bow. They’re easy to use and can usually be decorated further with flowers.

Another great thing about wedding chair covers is that you can get them in a fabric that can be dyed any color just like the satin shoes you can dye to match bridesmaids dresses!

Drape-Style Covers
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on fitted or specially made chair covers, you can make them yourself.

The easiest way to do this is to cut big circles of material that cover the chair to the floor. Take a long rectangle of the same material and tie it around the back of the chair like a sash. Make a bog floppy bow in the back and you’re set!

You can tuck flowers, ribbon bows, and other decorations into the sash to create beautiful custom chairs.

DIY Fitted Covers
If you like to make things yourself and are good at sewing (and have some time on your hands) you can sew your own customized dining room style chair covers.

For one of these, you need to measure the chair from the floor, up and over the seat and top (running the tape along the chair seat and back, not straight from the front to the top) all the way to the floor in back. Then measure the width of the chair, adding two inches.

Then measure the sides from the seat to the floor and from front to back.

From the first measurements, make a long rectangle. From the side measurements, make two smaller squares.

Turn the fabric so that the pretty side is down, and piece the rectangles together. Sew the edges creating a chair-shaped box out of the fabric.

Flip it right-side out and slip it over the chair!

There you have it…some great chair covers, no dining-room needed!

Whether you use your dining table for dining or not, it is one area that tends to get neglected when it’s time to decorate the home. Many people just think that since it’s just a table, there isn’t much you can do to “dress it up” short of adding a centerpiece.

That’s just not true!

Have you ever considered adding some dining room chair covers?

They give you a way to completely transform the room without much cost or effort, and they can be changed at a whim in case you decide to repaint, add a rug or new tablecloth, or just feel like going pink for a while.

If you use one of the following simple and inexpensive ideas, dining room chair covers just might become your newest favorite decorating tool. There is a slip-cover idea here to fit almost anyone’s sense of style!

Creative, Casual and Artsy

These are the people who like things described as hippie or bohemian. Casual and comfortable takes precedence over beauty, and colorful seems to be the only standing theme.

Those people who like things in this genre usually flip over dining room chair covers made from old t-shirts. Some simply slip the shirts over the backs of their chairs and consider it done. Others use ribbon or pins to tie the arms and neck-openings back to make the front and top of the chair smooth.

Popular forms of this easy trend include vintage band and concert t-shirts, tie-dyed tops, and solid shirts chosen strictly for color (either all-the-same or a random mix).

Practical and Simplistic

Those who describe themselves as practical usually lean towards a simplistic décor with clean lines and stain-resistance. Frills and added whimsy are usually “too much,” and dining room chair covers would fall into a category of things that can serve a purpose.

For the best in practicality, chair covers can be made of washable, stain-resistant materials. There are even waterproof pads that can be placed in the chairs before the cover is in place.

You can make your own simple yet cute dining room chair covers with the fabric of your choice and some fabric glue.

Here are the steps:

1. Take a piece of string or a tape measure and measure the chair from the floor on the front, up and along the seat, up the back, and back down to the floor behind it.
2. Measure the width of the chair and cut your fabric in a long rectangle. Add an inch for “hemming.”
3. Measure the “square” on each side of the seat and cut the squares from remaining fabric.
4. Lay the rectangle in place along the chair, only UPSIDE DOWN so that the back of the fabric shows. Glue the edges along the sides of the chair back.
5. Glue the squares in place on the sides.
6. Once the glue is dry, pull the chair cover off, flip it right-side-out, and place it back on the chair.

There you have it…simple, inexpensive chair covers that cost no more than a couple yards of fabric. If you’re feeling adventurous and want more durable covers, you can sew the edges in lieu of the fabric glue.

Elegant and Fancy

One of the best things about chair covers is that they can be used to completely transform a plain chair into a fancy one for a special occasion. Weddings and festive parties are great places to use dining room chair covers to change the look of an entire room. They can add a lot of décor with very little work!

For a fancy occasion, try draping the chairs with a large piece of satin, and tying a big satin bow (maybe in a contrasting color) around the chair back.

You can also add flowers, ribbons, and other embellishments to your dining room chair covers to create more interest!

Maybe the chairs you have just don’t match the table or the rest of the décor in the room.

Maybe you actually have great dining room chairs and would just die if someone spilled a drop of grape juice on a cushion.

No matter what kind of furniture graces the eating area, dining room chair covers are a great way to dress up the room and protect (or hide) your chairs! They come in so many colors, patterns, and styles that there is really no reason not to take advantage of this awesome decorating prop.

Fancy-Schmancy Dining Room Chair Covers

In almost every decorating catalog, you can find awesome chair covers to match the décor and theme in your home. They are usually available in several sizes and shapes to fit the kinds of chairs you have.

The best thing about ordering dining room chair covers pre-made is that they are so simple to use. Most of them just slip right over the chair and you’re done!

Another great thing about dining room chair covers from most decorating retailers is that they are usually made of a stain-resistant fabric. Waterproof or water resistant backings are also available so you can protect your valuable wood furniture from even the worst of stains.

Special Event Chair Covers

Have you been to a wedding where everyone is seated in rows of pretty chairs draped all in white satin with bows and flowers on the backs?

The bride’s secret isn’t that she spent thousands of dollars on fancy “wedding chairs.” Her secret is that she spent a LOT less than that on some white satiny chair covers and hid the plain-old folding chairs underneath.

Wedding chair covers are usually made to fit over those typical metal folding chairs you see at every meeting place in the country. They are simply designed to drape over the whole chair, and most have a bow or pocket-like fold on the back for flowers or other decorations.

These aren’t truly dining room chair covers, but they work the same. You can also use them for a birthday party or other event!

Easy-Breezy Dining Room Chair Covers

 If you aren’t going for an elegant look, or you just want to try making some dining room chair covers yourself, there are plenty of ideas and patterns available for free online. Most of them only require a few inexpensive materials and some craft supplies.

If you like to sew, you can create some chair covers that come together like a soft box from a few fabric squares. These are easy enough even for beginners!

There are also some great tips for creating chair-back covers from old concert t-shirts for a hippie-chic look. Another casual and pretty dining room chair cover idea is super easy…just drape a bog piece of fabric over your chairs and tie it around the middle with a great-looking scarf!

Dining room chair covers are popular and fun, just run a quick search to find the ones you like best!