The way to Measure for Reupholstering Wingback Chairs
A wingback chair is really a decor chameleon. Its classic lines allow it to fit into most decor styles, and a new cover brings new life and style into an old chair. Whether you’re doing it yourself or having a professional upholsterer perform the work, understanding how to calculate the yardage guarantees you get the correct amount of fabric for the project.
Measure and record each section of the chair and indicate the amount of pieces in the chair. Use the existing lines of stitching as the rule for the outline of each piece. Measure each piece during its widest and longest point and record the measurements. Explain the pieces by their names: rear, inside rear, outside wing, interior wing, outside arm, interior arm front, cushion top, cushion bottom, cushion box strip, underside front — the front of the chair below the cushion — and deck. The deck is the area under the cushion. Measurements have to be consistent, with width from left to right and length from top to bottom.
Add 4 inches to each measurement and rewrite the list. For instance, for an external wing measured at 12 by 18, record the new measurement as 16 by 22.
Cut a piece of 1/4-inch graph paper, using a scale of one square to equal 4 ins, to the new measurements of each piece. Label the piece with its title and measurements. Make sure that you have two pieces for the sections that repeat on the chair, like: 2 outside arm pieces.
Create a pattern of the upholstery fabric piece. Use the scale of one square to 4 ins and assume that the material is 54 inches wide, the normal upholstery material width. Begin with a pattern equivalent to 7 yards of material. As an instance, create a graph representation of the fabric 13 1/2 squares wide and 63 squares long. Join more pieces of graph paper as required.
Place the section pattern pieces on the graph paper, taking care to place the width of their pieces along the length of the “fabric .” This ensures the correct orientation of each piece on the true fabric. Snug the pieces close together, keep in mind that there is a 4-inch allowance built into the piece.
Count the amount of spaces along the long edge of the fabric pattern of “utilized” fabric and multiply the amount by four. Divide the result by 36 for the amount of yards of upholstery material necessary to reupholster a wingback chair. As an instance, if 58 squares are utilized, 58 times four equals 232, divided by 36 equals 6.4 lawns. Round this up to 6.5. The chair wants a minimum of 6.5 yards of fabric. Insert 20 percent for pattern matching.