To make a round bar stool cover, measure the diameter of the seat, add the depth of the seat plus 2 inches for the elastic channel, then cut a circle of fabric to that total diameter. Hem the edge to create a channel, thread elastic or a drawstring through it, pull it tight under the seat and secure. For a neater result, cut a top circle and a separate side band, sew them together and finish with elastic at the base. Most people can complete a cover in under an hour with basic sewing skills.
There are three approaches worth knowing: a simple gathered cover, a tailored two piece cover with a side band, and a staple fitted cover for stools where the seat pad unscrews. Each suits a different situation, and the right choice depends on how the stool is built.
Every good cover starts with three numbers.
The first is the seat diameter, measured across the widest point of the top surface. The second is the seat depth, measured down the side of the pad from the top edge to the underside. The third is the tuck under, which is how far the fabric needs to reach beneath the seat to hold securely: 1.5 to 2 inches is enough on most stools.
For a gathered cover, add together the diameter plus twice the depth plus twice the tuck under, then add another 1 inch for the hem. A 14 inch seat with a 3 inch depth therefore needs a circle of roughly 25 inches across. Cut generously: fabric can be trimmed, but a short circle cannot be rescued.
If the seat is not a true circle, and many are slightly oval, trace it. Lay paper on the seat, draw round the edge with a pencil held vertically, then use that as your template rather than trusting the tape alone.
Kitchen seating takes more punishment than a dining chair, so fabric choice makes the difference between a cover that lasts years and one that looks tired by spring.
Cotton canvas and cotton drill are easy to sew, wash well and hold a crisp shape. Linen blends look softer and suit calmer interiors, though they crease. Woven upholstery fabric with a stated rub count is the most durable option and resists pilling where clothing rubs the seat edge. Faux leather wipes clean instantly, which suits households with young children, but it needs a longer stitch length and a walking foot to sew comfortably.
Avoid anything with a loose weave or long pile. Both catch on buttons and zips and flatten unevenly. If you are choosing new fabric to match existing seating, our range of modern fabric bar stools UK gives a useful reference for the weights and textures that stand up to daily kitchen use.
Buy a little extra. Half a metre of surplus covers a mistake and gives you material for a matching cover later when one stool wears faster than the rest.
This is the fastest route and needs only a straight stitch.
Cut your circle using the measurement above. Fold the raw edge over by half an inch, press it, then fold again by another half inch and press once more. This double fold hides the raw edge and gives the channel strength.
Stitch close to the inner fold, leaving a gap of about 2 inches so you can insert the elastic. Cut elastic to roughly 80 percent of the seat circumference so it grips without distorting the fabric. Thread it through with a safety pin, overlap the ends by an inch, stitch them together securely, then close the gap in the channel.
Fit the cover damp if the fabric is cotton, because it dries taut and smooth. Work the gathers evenly round the underside of the seat so the fullness is not bunched at one point.
A tailored cover looks far closer to factory upholstery and is the better choice for a stool that sits in an open plan room where it is always on view.
Cut the top circle to the seat diameter plus 1 inch for seam allowance. Then cut a side band: its length is the seat circumference plus 1 inch, and its width is the seat depth plus the tuck under plus 1.5 inches for seams and hem. Circumference is diameter multiplied by 3.14, so a 14 inch seat needs a band about 45 inches long.
Pin the band around the circle with right sides together, easing the fabric gently rather than stretching it. Notching the seam allowance of the band every 2 inches helps it curve smoothly. Stitch with a half inch seam, then press the seam towards the band and topstitch if you want a crisper edge.
Join the short ends of the band, then hem the bottom edge into an elastic channel exactly as in the first method. The result sits flat on top with a clean vertical side and no visible gathers above the seat line.
If your stool seat unscrews from the frame, you can recover it properly rather than slipping a cover over it.
Turn the stool over, undo the screws holding the seat plate and lift the pad away. Lay your fabric face down, place the pad on top, then pull the fabric over the edge and staple it to the underside. Work in opposing pairs: one staple at the front, one at the back, one left, one right, then continue halving the gaps. This keeps tension even and stops the pattern pulling off centre.
Around the curve, make small pleats rather than one large fold, and trim excess fabric before stapling the final layer so the underside sits flat. Refit the seat and check that the screws still reach their inserts, since an extra layer of fabric can shorten the effective screw length by a few millimetres.
This method gives the most professional finish and is the only one that will not shift when someone swivels on the seat.
Whichever method you use, check the fit before final stitching. A cover that is slightly loose will creep and need straightening several times a day, and one that is too tight will distort the seat edge and wear through at the corners.
A few finishing touches help. Adding a nonslip fabric strip or a few dots of silicone to the underside of the cover keeps it in place. A drawstring instead of elastic allows you to adjust tension as the fabric relaxes with use. Pressing the cover before fitting makes an enormous difference to how tailored it looks.
Wash removable covers on a cool cycle and reshape while damp. Wash all the covers together even if only one is marked, since fabric fades gradually and a single laundered cover can stand out against the others.
Covers solve two problems: a tired finish and a mismatch with a redecorated room. What they cannot fix is a failing seat pad, a broken gas lift or a loose frame.
Press down on the centre of the seat. If the foam does not spring back, or you can feel the board through it, new fabric will only disguise the discomfort. In that case replacement is the more sensible route, and browsing modern bar furniture UK sale shows the seat depths and upholstery finishes currently available. For smaller seating that could take the same fabric treatment, our modern foot stools UK sale range works well as part of a coordinated scheme, and Furniture in Fashion carries kitchen and living room seating in shared tones so a homemade cover can be matched to the rest of the room rather than fighting it.
A slip cover earns its keep only if it stays easy to remove. Wash it before the first fitting so any shrinkage happens while the fabric is still loose, then air dry rather than tumble dry to keep the elastic and the seams in shape.
Most cotton and linen mixes cope with a warm wash at thirty degrees. Velvet and chenille prefer a cool wash and a gentle spin, and both benefit from being brushed in one direction while slightly damp so the pile settles evenly. If the fabric has a printed pattern, turn the cover inside out to protect the surface.
Keep a small offcut from the original length. It gives you a patch for repairs, a swatch for matching thread and a test piece for any cleaning product before you use it on the cover itself. Two covers made at the same time are the simplest solution of all, since one can be in the wash while the other is in use.
For a typical 14 inch seat, half a metre of 140cm wide fabric is enough for a gathered cover. A tailored cover with a side band needs closer to 0.7 metres.
Quarter inch or half inch braided elastic cut to about 80 percent of the seat circumference gives firm grip without puckering the fabric.
Yes. Iron on hemming tape can form the elastic channel, and hand stitching the elastic ends is quick. The finish is less durable through repeated washing.
Use elastic slightly tighter than the seat, add a nonslip strip to the underside, or fit a drawstring you can retighten as the fabric relaxes.
Wash cotton and linen first, as both shrink. Prewashing avoids a cover that fits perfectly on day one and no longer reaches after its first wash.
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