Chair Cover Project: Adding Designs to the Chair Backs!

I have been working on this chair cover project for quite some time now.  I got started on them in this blog then wrote the tutorial about sewing them in this blog.  I finally got the guts to cut out stencils and paint the designs onto the chair backs.  I have been putting it off for a while now, just a little nervous about how they would turn out.  After all the hard work I put into sewing them I got worried if they didn't turn out right after painting the design then I would just have to get rid of the covers.  Luckily, the first one turned out great!  So I am getting in gear to finish up all six chair covers!

This is the chair cover I saw in Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic shop in NYC that inspired me to make my own:

It took us a while to determine what we wanted designed on the backs.  We agreed to use numbers because we have number decorative pillows in our living room from Pottery Barn, so it makes a perfect match!  Here is a picture of the pillows:

Here are the steps I took to add the design to the back of the chair cover:

  I started by printing out the design we wanted from my computer and then I copied it to poster board. The font I used for the "No." part was Ewardian Script ITC and for the "1" (or whatever #) I used Garamond.  Once on the poster board I used a craft razor to cut out the text to make a stencil.

Here is a picture of cutting out the number from the poster board.

Once I had my stencils, I laid them down to be painted.  I decided to use spray paint because it was a technique I was familiar with from my younger days when I would make t-shirts and tanks for my friends. However, I'm considering painting the next ones by hand. 

Here it is after spray painting. It turned out fine but I got so nervous about the paint running off the poster board and back into the fabric. It did a little on the 'No.' stencil but luckily it gave it a more vintage and distorted look, so I didn't get mad and have an 'Alex cursing fit'. It is however a reason that I'll be doing it by hand on the next few.

Here it is once I fit it onto the chair.  I love it!  I can't wait to have the full set finished.  I might make another 'No.' stencil in a different font so some will be slightly different instead of too matchy-matchy.

I think the fabric and the dark gray paint looks great together.  Kind of reminds me of the Vintage French Linen pillows at Restoration Hardware:

By the way, I am in love with those pillows, maybe I need them?  Or maybe that is the next project, however stenciling that would not be fun!