Paisley Chair Covers Sewing Project with Free Pattern

I’ve made these chair covers for my childminder. She wanted something to protect her dining chairs from the inevitable mess small children create whilst they’re eating. I patchworked some fabric from my stash and used waterproof fabric for the backing.

Fabric Choices

All of the fabric I have used is from my inherited stash. Aside from all being woven fabrics of a similar weight and texture I have no idea what any of them are or where they came from.

Stash busting for the win with this project!!

Sewing Pattern

I totally made up the pattern as I went along.

I just made sure that the panels measured significantly more than my own dining chair seats. Loads of overhang protects the sides of the seat as well as the top and helps the covers to stay in place. The finished size is 20″ x 25″.

Paisley Chair Covers Sewing Project with Free Pattern

The paisley blocks measure 9″ x 7″ so they were cut to 9.5″ x 7.5″ to allow for a 1/4″ seam allowance. The inner strips are 1″ wide and the edging strips are 3″ wide.

The patchwork panel is sandwiched with cotton batting and backing with a waterproof cotton fabric. So that when the kid’s spill their drinks the liquid doesn’t soak right through to the seat underneath.

I’ve made these a few times for my own chairs and I have a terrible habit of making the ties too short or only including one tie on each side of each chair panel. This time I actually got it right and made really long ties and put in two for each of the back corners.

I do hope my sewing project has inspired you to have a go at sewing your own dining chair protectors.

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Pin It Now, Sew It Later

Pin this project to your Pinterest Board so you can find the details when you need some sewing inspiration.

The Great British Sewing Bee is back for 2026!

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A Little Bit About Me . . .

Hi there! Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie.

I’m a busy mum to two small humans, two guinea pigs and a bouncing bundle of border collie puppy. We live in not so sunny Lancashire in the north of England.

I’m a very frugal crafter so I sew with a lot of free patterns, repurposed fabrics and thrifty hacks. I’m always on the look out for deals and ways to cut the cost of sewing.

I’ll show you all the best ways to craft on a tight budget so you can still create a life you love.

I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.