Chair Pads

Today I picked up four of these chairs from a garage sale:

We needed new chairs. Bad. When we arrived in Australia four years ago we bought the cheapest dining chair Ikea sold, which for the record was about $12 each. They lasted pretty well for a $12 chair but a few months ago the last one broke. We've been sitting on a mixture of broken chairs and a stool while we discussed what kind of chairs we wanted to purchase next. What we really want are Emeco chairs but since we're on a budget and are saving for a house it felt like a frivolous purchase. So then we debated buying second hand retro chairs, like Parker ones if we were lucky. But we already have a Chiswell dining table and a Parker sideboard in that room and we didn't want to be too retro. Finally the decision was made yesterday when I spotted four of these replica Eames chairs on a garage sale website. They were $90 for four, which is a great deal. They won't be our forever chairs, but they were the right price and they'll do until we can afford the Emeco ones we really love.

The only problem with them is that they need a chair pad. They're quite comfy on their own if you don't have a bony behind like I do. For me, I need the cushion. This afternoon I whipped up four chair pads out of some fabric I had. Here's how to make some yourself:

This is my fabric. Amazing, 1950s - 60s thick cotton that was once used as a cover for sunroom furniture. I bought a huge piece for $5 from an op shop two years ago.

I found a pot lid about the size I needed and used that as a template to cut out the circles for the chair pads. I added about 1.5cm all around for a seam allowance. I have four chairs so I cut out 8 circles for the front and back pieces.

Next I cut four pieces of cotton tape to use as a tie. I didn't want ties showing at the back of the chairs so I sewed them underneath. The wire design of the chair means I could tie it from the bottom instead of the back.

With right sides together I sewed around the edge, leaving a gap for the stuffing.

I then turned them out the right way and folded the circles in half and then in half again. I marked the point with a pen (this will be the centre of the circle). I then stitched a piece of cotton tape in the centre spot making sure to go over the stitching at least twice. I did this before stuffing because I wanted the chair pads to have some depth and an almost tufted look.

Next step was to stuff each one with hobby fill stuffing. I then pinned the open edge and sewed it stuff. 

Super easy and took only about 15 mins once they were cut out. Total cost was $10 for the hobby fill and the cotton tape. They were so easy to do I might even make more. Could I become a woman who changes her chair cushions to match the season? I easily could.