nursery chair slip cover

well i have eight weeks left until this baby gets here.  i am finally done sewing for the nursery.  just put the sewing machine away this morning and finally have my formal dining table back just in time for thanksgiving!  wohoo!

i was given this rocking chair by a sweet dear friend of mine.  thank you sweet christy!

the color was not a bad color but did not go with the vintage cowboy theme that i am doing. so, my first attempt at sewing a slip cover began.

first of all if you plan on washing this baby at all i highly suggest you run it through the wash before you start sewing.  i washed mine on hot and dryed it on hot, that way it won't shrink after you get it all done. you start out by measuring your chair and cutting your fabric section by section.  i added an inch to each measurement for hems. i bought cheap $4 a yard fabric so if my first attempt did not turn out i wouldn't be sick to my stomach. 

i sewed the hems as i went so i wouldn't be dealing with 5000 pins or trying to stuff too much material through my machine.  every once in a while i turned it right side up to make sure it was fitting the chair appropriately.  i would suggest this so you don't have to go back and rip out several seams if there is a mistake somewhere.

the back of this slip cover was a little trickier than i anticipated and since i had such a snug and tailored fit on the front of my chair i knew i would need to leave the back loose to take on and off so i could wash it  (you know for those times that spit up gets everywhere.)  so i added ties to the back sides and just tied it up.

the finished result is this beautiful chair that now goes with the reds, blues and whites of my vintage cowboy nursery.  i thought the white chair needed a little pop, so i sewed up a quick pillow, i have to say i won't mind having the back support behind me either.

  i added a little applique star to the fabric.  i found a website with all kinds of free applique patterns.  i printed out the star, cut it our of my left over white fabric and stitched it on with the sewing machine really quick with a zig zag stitch.  just the right touch and happily i can say my whole nursery should grow with my little man for at least a couple of years until trains and cars are cooler than cowboys.  more to come on the nursery later we are still piecing it together.  i can't wait to share some of the other projects with you that have helped pull this whole vintage cowboy nursery together!