How to Repair a Rip in a Chair Arm
- 1). Examine your chair to see if extra fabric is available on the back side of a seat cushion. If so, remove the seat cushion. Use a seam ripper to open the seams and remove the fabric. Replace the fabric with something similar and resew your cushion together.
- 2). Remove the fabric from the chair arm and carefully observe how it was put together. Use the old chair arm fabric as a pattern for your new replacement fabric (from the underside of the cushion) and re-cover the area using the old torn materials as a guide.
- 3). Examine the torn area when you do not have any replacement fabric. Most upholstery fabric is tightly woven with heavy threads so the tear may be contained. Use your scissors to very carefully remove any stray threads.
- 4). Determine if the stuffing under the fabric has been torn away. Replace any missing stuffing with scrap fabric or foam so that the surface is even and not lumpy.
- 5). Select a heavy-duty upholstery thread that closely matches your fabric color. Thread a curved upholstery needle. Starting at one end of the tear, bring the fabric together and use an over-stitch to catch both sides of the torn fabric together. Pull the fabric tight and sew the entire damaged area. You should do this repair even if you are not satisfied with the finished look. Repair the integrity of the chair arm to prevent further damage.
- 6). Select a fabric that complements your chair fabric. Create a fitted slip cover that will completely cover the damaged area of the chair arm. Sew your slip cover and fit it over the top of your repaired chair arm. The new fabric should significantly improve the chair's appearance.
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