How To Repair Caned Chair With Weaving Or Crosstitch

How to cross run up a chair base

This blazon of woven cane wicker chairs and stools were actually popular in the 70s and 80s and because of the regular holes in their design, they make a corking base of operations for cross stitch. I picked upwards this stool for £ten from eBay. Only check to make sure that the base of operations is strong and intact.

Things you'll need

A chair or stool
Thick wool or ribbon (I've used 5mm velvet ribbon)
Some backing fabric for whatever areas where the dorsum of the stitches are exposed (the back of this stool for example)
A mesomorphic needle
Embroidery and cloth scissors
A gum gun or staple gun
A tape measure
Some pens and paper (preferably graph paper)
Wood paint (if you choose to paint the chair first)

How to stitch a chair base materials

Preparation

If you wish to paint your chair before y'all start, and then do this and leave information technology to dry out for at least 48 hours before starting to stitch. You might also want to leave the wood of the chair base of operations natural, but paint around the very edge of the wicker areas that will be seen outside of your stitches which tin create a dainty upshot (as shown in my book Modern Cross Stitch). Again if yous choose to do this, leave plenty of fourth dimension for the pigment to dry out.

Pace one - create your blueprint

Recreate the stitchable area of your chair on your graph paper past counting the number of stitchable squares on the chair and plotting them on the paper. Have a play around until you come upward with your perfect design. If you lot are using a repeating regular pattern like I have, and so remember to line it up with the centre of the chair carefully. Don't forget that y'all will need a pattern for all stitchable areas of the chair (in this example there is a minor section of chair back too).

Create your cross stitch pattern

Once you take created your pattern, thread your needle with the colour of the fundamental stitch and go going! By starting in the centre y'all remove any complications should you find that any of the holes effectually the perimeter prove too difficult to stitch into.

Step 2 - begin stitching

Bring your needle upward through the central hole of the chair merely similar you would with regular cross stitch material. Draw the ribbon through until you leave a tail about 3-4 inches long backside the seat base.

How to stitch a chair base - bring your needle up

Sew your first few half stitches, taking intendance to catch the tail of the thread under your stitches on the base of the chair. Turn the chair upside down occasionally to cheque this.

Go on to stitch one-half stitches until you accomplish the edge of the seat base. You want to stitch as close to the edge as possible. This may involve sliding your needle nether the wicker where information technology is tight against the wooden frame in places.

Step three - complete your stitching

Keep stitching in this fashion following your pattern. Take care to go on the ribbon or wool untwisted and flat. Slide your needle under the stitches every now and again to straighten them out.

Straighten your stitches

Go along going until yous accept finished your chair seat and dorsum.

Completely stitched chair seat

Step four - roofing the back

For any areas that exposes the back of your stitches, you may wish to cover with material. How you lot go about this might need a bit of tweaking depending on the kind of chair you have. Measure out the area first.

Measure the back of your chair

In this case I decided to cutting a piece of fabric to the same width, but double the height of the area to be covered. Brand sure your piece of fabric is ironed then fold inward to hibernate the raw edges all the manner effectually. Run a glue gun along the inside edge of the surface area to be covered.

Glue the edge of the area to be covered

Now quickly press the fabric edges confronting the gum with the raw edges facing inward to attach them to the inside of the frame. Press all the way around the edge to requite a peachy finish. You can practise this in small segments if you don't think that you can piece of work quickly plenty before the glue dries.

Back of the stitched chair

And that'due south information technology. You tin can experiment with different thread textures and colours. The velvet ribbon that we used makes for a very tactile feel and contemporary await. Prove off in your dwelling with pride.

Finished stitched chair