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The whole design idea is right there in the source's own pride in it: no curved chair-back legs to cut, which is normally the hardest and most failure-prone part of a chair build, and it still passed a real stress test. The strength instead comes from careful, doubled-up joinery at the back — pocket holes plus a screw from the back plus glue, all at the same joint — because that corner is doing the work a curved leg usually would.
The slipcover is genuine sewing, not a staple-only wrap, and the corner technique is worth understanding before cutting fabric: stitch to a mark 1/4" from the end, leave the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot, rotate the piece 90°, and continue — that's what turns a fabric corner instead of puckering it. Fit and adjust seams as you go rather than committing to a final stitch on the first pass; the source does this at nearly every step.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Pine, 2x2, 8 ft | 2 each |
| Pine, 2x3, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x3, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x2, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Plywood scrap, 1/4"Or no-sag springs or jute webbing for the seat base. | 1 each |
| Chair foam cushion, 15-1/2" x 17-1/2" x 2" | 1 each |
| Foam batting, 1/2" thick | 1 yard |
| Burlap | 1 yard |
| Decorator-weight fabric | 1 yard |
| Staples, 5/8" | 1 box |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" and 2-1/2" | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 2 oz |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Chair back sides, tallPine 2x2One end cut at 15°, measurement to long point. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 18 1/8" |
| Chair back sides, shortPine 2x2One end cut at 15°, measurement to long point. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 15 3/8" |
| Chair back cross piecePine 1x2One end cut at 15°, measurement to long point. | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 16 3/16" |
| Front apronPine 1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 14 1/2" |
| Back supportPine 2x2 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 14 1/2" |
| Back base supportPine 2x2 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 13" |
| Front legsPine 2x2 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 16" |
| Front and back apronsPine 1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 14 1/2" |
| Base side railsPine 2x3One end cut at 15° off square, measurement to short point. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 13 1/2" |
| Base back railPine 2x2Both ends cut at 15°, parallel to each other. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 16 9/16" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 boards
Use glue and 2" screws to screw the cross piece to the insides of the tall back-side pieces. Also join with pocket hole screws and a screw from the back — this joint needs to be strong, since the back legs here are straight, not curved.
Screw the front apron and chair back cross piece on. Pocket hole screws work, or 2" screws on the front apron and 3" screws on the top — these joints will be reinforced later, so they don't need to be fully structural on their own.
Attach the back base support, which secures the back. Pocket holes work, or 3" screws and glue.
Build the base as shown. Double up 1x3s if you don't have 2x3 stock on hand. If using pocket holes from the insides, drill as if for 3/4" stock and use 1-1/4" pocket hole screws so the front legs don't split. Corner bracing (2x2s cut with both ends at 45°, perpendicular to each other) adds extra strength — don't skip the glue.
Cover the entire base frame with burlap, stapled to the underside, and trim the excess. Spray-glue the foam pieces over the burlap to the seat, then wrap foam over the back — the sides of the back stay bare. Trim the foam for a clean surface to sew the slipcover over.
Cut all fabric pieces per your sewing pattern (1/4" seams), noting fabric direction if it has one. Fold the seat pieces in half lengthwise and press a center seam. Pin the front-apron piece to the seat piece, right sides together, matching the pressed lines. Mark 1/4" from each end on the pinned edge. Sew from the center outward to each mark, then — leaving the needle in the fabric and lifting the foot — rotate the smaller piece 90° to match the seat's edge and continue stitching to turn the corner.
Pin the back pieces together, noting fabric direction, and stitch along the pinned edges. Pin the top piece to the back piece, centered, and stitch, stopping 1/4" from the ends on the side seams, then rotate to stitch the top to the sides. Fit the cover on the chair back, pin the seat-back panel to the sides and top, and stitch from the top downward, turning corners the same way. Adjust seams as needed for a snug but not tight fit.
Pin the seat-back part to the seat-base part and stitch along the base seam only, leaving the side seams open. Fit the assembled cover onto the chair with the side seams open, then staple the cover to the base. Hand-stitch the open side seams closed.
Stain or paint the wood base before or after fitting the cover.
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1 board
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →