Replace the fabric of a directors chair

Learn how to replace the fabric on a director's chair. There are just two rectangular pieces of fabric with channels for the plastic tubing to hold in the fabric.

Director’s chairs are simple with only a little bit of fabric for the back of the seat and the seat itself.

There are channels on the left and right sides that a plastic tube runs through to hold the fabric in place. This makes it very simple to replace the fabric of a director’s chair.

Below is an image of the chair after the original seat and back were removed.

As you can see the fabric tore near the edge where the seam of the channel had been. This is a common place to tear because when someone sits in the chair it applies pressure to these seams as they are the only thing holding the chair together.

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If you plan to replace the fabric of a director’s chair make sure to choose something that is heavy duty and durable.

You could use duck cloth or denim or some other type of upholstery weight fabric. The challenge is making sure that the fabric you choose is not too bulky or else it will not fit in the narrow channels of the chair.

For this chair the client brought me this super fun zebra print made by waverly that is available on amazon by the yard.

The client asked if I could make the fabric a double thickness, both for added stability and so that the zebras show on both sides. I had to test the thickness to see if I could still fit it through the channels of the chair with two layers of fabric and it worked.

For measuring and cutting lay out the fabric on a sewing table. Then use a quilter’s ruler, tailor’s chalk and fabric shears.

The outer edges I sewed with a topstitched rolled edge. The sides that need a channel for the plastic tubes I left a 1 1/2″ seam allowance when I cut the fabric. Fold on the chalk line, tuck 1/2″ of the raw edge under. Then sew 1″ from the edge of the fabric (on the fold). At the corners you may have to trim out some excess fabric from the seam before sewing to reduce bulk so that it will slide through the channel.