How to make: A Happy Birthday Slipcover!

Happy Birthday Slip cover.......

I have wanted to make something like this for years…along with all the other great ideas in my head. I think I got the idea from a teacher I had in grade school. I believe it was 2^nd grade, the teacher pulled out a pillow case that had a lot of colors  ( It was the 80’s) and placed it on a chair when it was a child’s birthday, boy I was so excited I was always the first to have my birthday each year. It really stuck with me. The thing was, it wasn’t fancy at all, but it made each one of us feel special.

A few notes on this project. I always go forward sewing, and then back up to make my ends stronger. Some people can sew right over there pins, I cannot, so I remove them as I go. I checked the measurements on my chair several times, I checked after I sewed my slip cover sides on to see if it will fit just right. I made this to fit my chunky chairs and my bar stools, so it works for either. You could use a pillow case, I couldn’t find one I liked and I thought they were rather big. I drew the cup cake so you could even come up with something with your own style. The lettering is the font Karaoke superstar. I kind of cheated on this step, I own a vinyl cutter and cut out vinyl and stuck it on my material, then cut it out. This saved me the step of cutting out all the letters twice (once from paper, then second from material). You may want a simpler font for the lettering as well, or to say something else.

I bought my ribbon from Michaels, flannel from Jo anns and fat quarters glue and buttons from Walmart. Remember to always use coupons!

Shopping List:

These are what I used

Ribbon:

*Red ribbon 18” long

*Orange with white polka dots 18”

*Blue ribbon 5” (Don’t cut this until you fit to cupcake)

*Brown with pink polka dots 4” (Don’t cut this until you fit to cupcake)

Material:

* Tiny piece of green for leaf

*The red for the bottom 4” x 21” (fold over and iron to make 2”)

Side strips of slip cover 3” x 18” (My Slip cover is 18” x 18”, adding the sides give it a nice fit)

*Netting (tulle) to over lap red bottom 2.5” tall x 70” long (you bunch it up)

*Pastel yellow flannel (for the chair slip cover) 18” x 18” (half a yard) Also another idea is a pillow case.

*Material for the letters 3 or more colors of ¼ yard each. I only used a small amount; I bought fat quarters and used such a small portion, that I will be using leftovers for something else as well. I bought 4 different ones. If you bought ¼ a yard of several, you will have plenty. The mistake I made here was I used material that frays; I suggest you use printed flannel. If you’re not worried about the fraying then go for it!

*The pink for the frosting on the cupcake, were scraps I had. 4” x 4”

*Brown 4” x 4” flannel

*4 white buttons

*1 pink button

Items needed to complete project:

I used a cutting mat and rotary cutter (you can do this with scissors though)

Pins

Material scissors

Sewing machine

Iron

Thread, you can do any color you want, I suggest colors of material you will be sewing.

Needle (Needed to sew on buttons. You could glue buttons on as well)

Fabric glue

Iron if needed

                                      Step 1: Gather all your items, so you are ready to begin!

Step 2: Measure and cut the main material (the base material of chair slip cover) Iron it if needed before. I left the top of mine folded so I wouldn’t need to do any sewing at the top. 

Measure it 18” x 18”

 

Step 3:  Cutting Patterns

Cut out patterns and then pin them to the material you want for each item. Then cut out all of them. Letters (I went in a pattern alternating colors ..see pictures, then I traced a cupcake base pattern and pinned it to brown, top of cupcake I did pink and cherry on red, the leaf on green. Have all your design parts cut.

Also cut the side strips 3” wide x 18” long. (2 pieces needed)

The bottom skirting part cut (Red material) 4” x 21”

Also cut Netting (tulle) (if not already cut) to measure 2.5” x 70” long 

Step 4: Arrange your now cut out patterns the way you will want them. Set it aside.

Step 5: Hem one side on the slip cover…this will be the part that touches the inside of the chair at the bottom. Fold it over a ¼” in and sew, it to give it a finished look where the child’s back will be…You can see the pink thread in step 5 photo of mine. After that we will sew the sides. Now at the top of the material (yellow material) where there was the fold, line up the (side material the 3” x 18”) take one strip and pin it to match the fold and go straight down. Sew. (Now don’t be alarmed, the side that we just hemmed will be shorter. This will give a skirt look to the slip cover)

Step 6:  Now working on the same strip we just sewed, pin the top of the strip to the yellow material and follow it down on opposite side, pinning all the way down. This will give it a square top effect. Do this and step 5 to the both sides of the slip cover.

Step 7: This is how it should look after you have sewed each side, after this you can turn it right side out. Make sure you cut any unwanted strings before turning right side out.

Step 8: You will have extra material at the bottom, also see how the front and back of the slip cover are different lengths this is what you want to make it skirt around the chair.

Step 9: You can hem the extra and cut it off… or what I did was. I folded up like shown in picture and sewed down the left side, then turned it right side out and tucked the corner in. It gave it a nice corner finish.

 

Step 10: Notice the finish look on left corner (I used pink thread, to show you where my inside hem is, as done in step 5). The long part is where we will be adding the skirting.

 

 Step 11: Take red material, fold short side over ¼” and press with iron, and sew. (Note: you will only want 18” in length once all the hemming is completed) Hem on both sides of the red piece. Short ends only. After, fold in half,  right side out and press it with an iron. Set aside.

Step 12: Now we will be working with the netting (tulle) this piece is to be 2.5” x 70” long. Cut it and have it ready. Then thread your needle and start weaving it in and out of the material to create a bunch of the material. The tighter weaves the better. (Note; you will want the thread to be 18” long) This will be the length of the bottom of the slipcover.

Step 13: After you have it all bunched up on the string, then pin it to the red that we sewed in step 11. Pin it well, to keep it from shifting while sewing.

 

Step 14; I pinned and sewed my netting backwards because I found it easier, than the netting catching on the foot and fighting the red material. Make sure you can see your pins, so you don’t break your sewing needles. Sew from one end to the other.

Step 15: Now that your skirt is on. Take the red ribbon and place it on the top just barely over lapping the yellow and red, pin it and sew down the ribbon with one sew strip.

Step 16: Lay out the now slip cover on a surface that is height comfortable for you. I did this on my iron board. Take the fabric glue and glue the orange ribbon on top of the thread line that you just sewed the red ribbon on. Then place the letters and cupcake and all the fun things that you spent the time cutting out in step 3 and place them where you want them. You may need a tape measure to get it centered. (It took me a few times moving everything) Then bend the letter over half way holding it down with your left hand and dab glue on the side flipped over, then lay it down on the material and flatten it out. Its okay if the fabric glue oozes out a little from the sides…It dries clear. Do this with all pieces. The cupcake base brown, then blue ribbon, then the brown with pink dots, is layered and I glued each piece. Note: stick a piece of paper or cardboard underneath the part you are gluing so it doesn’t stick to the other side of the slip cover.

 

Step 17: Now time to glue on the buttons or sew them on, remember not to sew through both sides!

Step 18:

You did it! Now everyone can have a fun way to eat their birthday breakfast, lunch and dinner…just to make it even more special!

These are on regular sized paper. The letters measure 2 1/4" tall by 1 1/2" wide (this is measuring the "H")

Base of Cupcake measures 3.75" wide and 2.5" tall. Frosting is 3" tall 4" wide. I was hoping to have it so you can just print them out. I apologize if you cannot! You can print letters off from your computer and the cupcake is really easy to draw...Simple!