Sewing tutorials
Sewing for upholstery: precision, volume and durability
Cushions, piping, loose covers, hand stitching and buttons: every seam a chair needs.
Guide 2 · Step 6 · Sewing
In short: sewing and covering go hand in hand. Many projects need work at the sewing machine before anything goes on the chair (cushion covers, seat panels, piped seams), and some seams are sewn by hand, directly on the piece. A badly sewn cushion cover will never sit right, however well the padding underneath was built.
Upholstery sewing is not fashion sewing: you build three-dimensional shapes that hold under tension and last for years.
Before you start: check that your machine sews through several thick layers with the perfect sewing machine for upholstery, choose your fabric with the fabric guide, and look up any word in the glossary.
Find your tutorial
What are you sewing today?
Machine
Cushion covers and seat cushions
Harder than it looks: the fit must be precise, the corners clean, and the zip sewn so it disappears. Too loose and the cushion looks sloppy; too tight and it won’t go on without a fight, or splits at the seams within months.
A simple cushion cover
Simple cushion cover tutorial
A box cushion
One of the basic skills for many seat cushions. Here, a box cushion with Velcro underneath, for a wooden bench.
How to sew a bench boxed cushion
A seat cushion pattern
A seat cushion that fits inside the frame of a chair, like on a bergère or a club chair, starts with an exact pattern: there are constraints on every side, so cutting and sewing are more precise than for a standard square cushion.
How to Make a Perfect Seat Cushion Pattern for a Bergère Chair
What goes inside: feather and foam
A feather cushion needs a specific internal construction to keep the feathers in and hold its shape: the sewing is as much about containment as finish. Foam cushions have their own tricks, to round the edges or get a softer, feather-like feel.
How to create a feather seat cushion
Modern cushion chair
On a modern cushioned chair, the cover construction and the chair covering work together as one process.
Modern cushion chair tutorial
Machine
How to make and sew piping
Piping instantly elevates a cushion or a chair: it defines edges, adds structure and signals quality, but only when sewn correctly. Uneven piping, a badly joined cord or a corner that pulls the wrong way draws the eye for all the wrong reasons. Why it matters: the power of piping.
How to make upholstery piping, step by step
Machine
Loose covers
A world of their own: fitted, removable covers that follow the shape of the piece without looking baggy or sliding around. The sewing is precise and unforgiving, and a few professional habits make the whole process easier and more consistent.
5 PRO SEWING TIPS for loose cover
Machine
Top stitching
A finishing stitch, sewn by machine after a first seam that has joined two pieces of fabric or leather. It runs alongside the seam, on the visible side, for a clean, modern, decorative look.
Top stitching tutorial
By hand
Hand sewing in upholstery
Essential for closing backs, for repairs, for adjustments, and wherever a machine can’t reach. A clean, even stitch that disappears into the fabric takes a little practice, then becomes natural. Start with how to hand sew.
Invisible stitching
It joins two pieces of fabric edge to edge, directly on the piece, with no visible fixing: the stitch used to close the outside back of a chair, or to sew large pleats on a seat front. The fabric is pinned, trimmed, folded under itself, then sewn by hand.
Invisible stitching on a square angle (seat)
By hand
Buttons
Knotting a button properly makes a real difference, and it is easier to get wrong than most people expect: a badly knotted button works loose, pulls unevenly, or creates tension across the fabric that was never intended.
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Sewing: your questions
Do I need a special sewing machine for upholstery?
A standard domestic machine struggles with thick fabrics, piping and several layers. A machine with a walking foot, or an industrial machine, makes a real difference. See the perfect sewing machine for upholstery before buying.
Do I need a piping foot?
No. A standard single foot works perfectly well to make piping: you don’t need the special foot with a groove underneath. See how to make upholstery piping.
Should piping be cut on the bias?
That’s what the books say, but in practice we rarely do it: with fabrics that cost more than €220 a metre, cutting on the bias wastes too much. I cut piping along the length of the fabric, and only on the bias when there’s no other choice, mostly with satin-type fabrics.
What is the difference between top stitching and invisible stitching?
Top stitching is a visible, decorative machine stitch, sewn after a first seam. Invisible stitching is sewn by hand, directly on the piece, to join two pieces edge to edge with no visible fixing, for example to close the outside back of a chair.
How do I sew velvet?
Always sew in the same direction as the pile. Sewing against the pile is much harder: the fabric resists and slides under the foot.
What comes next
From the machine to the chair
Step 4
Covering
Seats, backs, arms, corners and pleats: fitting the fabric on the piece.
Go to covering →
Step 5
Finishing
Braid, double welting, decorative nails and dustcover: the final layer.
Go to finishing →
See all the steps in Guide 2, or complete sewn projects in Guide 3.
The Hammer Club
Every technique, in full
Step-by-step photo tutorials, many with video, on real pieces from my atelier, to follow at your own pace.
Written by Céline Vanier, running her own upholstery atelier by Lake Annecy for more than 15 years.
