The first thing you're going to want to do is make a pattern for the type of high chair you have. The pattern doesn't need to be elaborate; it can simply be a rectangle cut into cardboard. The basis for the pattern is really just to make sure you purchase enough fabric, and to make sure you cut it correctly. If you want to get creative and give the cover a different shape, feel free. Just make sure you purchase the appropriate amount of fabric.
Next, it's time to head to the craft store. Your shopping list is simple and includes:
-fabric
-thread that matches the fabric you chose
-stuffing
For the simple cover that I chose to make, I purchased 1 ½ yards of fabric. This allows for extra fabric to use for making the ties that hold the cover to the chair. If you want to purchase less fabric, you could use 1 yard of fabric and purchase a matching ribbon or rope for attachment. If you're unsure of how much you need, take your pattern along with you. Keep in mind your cover needs to have two sides like a pillow, and stuffed in between. Fabric is typically sold folded in half, but if it's not you'll need to purchase a little more.
The stuffing or filler that you want to purchase should be washable and hypoallergenic. The washable function allows for you to simply throw the cover in the washing machine if your little one spills something on it. If you choose not to buy washable stuffing, and you wash it anyway the stuffing will clump very badly, and you'll likely ruin your hard work.
Once you've made it home with your goods it's time to get to work. Unfold the fabric you purchased and get ready to cut two pieces, each the same size. Essentially you're sewing a pillow. Lay the pattern on the fabric and cut around it, leaving about 1 ½" of extra fabric on all sides. This gives you some room to sew and make sure you have a nice edge. When completed, you should have two rectangular pieces of fabric, each the same size. If you set the fabric on your high chair, it should be the width and the length you're looking for with a little extra fabric on all sides for sewing.
Take your two pieces of fabric and put them together so the nice printed sides are touching each other, with the back sides facing out. Use pins to keep the fabric together. Get your sewing machine ready with the appropriate colored thread and sew the two pieces of fabric together, inside out as you have them pinned. Sew three sides completely, and when you get to the fourth side, leave a gap that will be large enough for you to get your hand inside to stuff the cover. You will sew this shut later on.
Next, turn the fabric inside out so the good side is facing you. The next step is to cut a hole in the fabric that you can feed the harness through that is attached to the high chair. The best way to do this is to either use your template to measure where exactly the harness needs to come through, or you lay the fabric into the chair so you can line it up this way. Once you know the location, you're going to cut a hole in the fabric that is a square large enough to feed any buckles or attachments through. For my high chair, I cut a rectangle in the fabric that was about 2" by 1". If your sewing machine has the capability for sewing a button hole, you could use this feature to obtain finished edges, otherwise you can finish it by hand by folding the fabric inward, and sewing around the edge as you go along.
By this point you should have the basis for your high chair cover. You can take the stuffing you purchased and begin stuffing the cover to your liking. You don't want to overstuff the cover, but fill it enough that your child has enough cushioning to keep him or her comfortable. Overstuffing will also result in the cover not bending in the appropriate creases of the high chair. I only used about a quarter of a new bag of stuffing. Get your hand all the way in there, make sure the corners have stuffing pressed into them, and make sure you don't have any large clumps of stuffing. Once you have the entire cover stuffed how you want it, you can sew the small hole shut either by hand, or with your sewing machine. Before you make the last few stitches it's a good idea to insert a little more stuffing into the remaining hole so you don't have a flatter spot near that area. Test the cover on the high chair to make sure you measured correctly, and that the chair is cushioned how you anticipated.
The only step left, which is often the most time consuming, is making and attaching the ties that will hold the cushion to the chair. I chose to make the ties out of the remaining fabric from the cover so everything matched, but you really don't have to if you have ribbon or rope that you like just as much. If you choose to make matching ties out of fabric, you'll want to take the fabric you have leftover, and cut it into strips about 2 ½" thick and about a foot long. I determined our specific high chair needed to be attached to the cover in 3 spots on each side. You'll need two separate strips for each point of attachment so in total, I needed to make 12 ties. Take the strips, and fold it in thirds, pinning as you go along. Use your sewing machine to sew the overlapped fabric in place and when you are done with all of them you should have a set of ties to attach to the cover. I found the easiest way to attach the ties to the cover was to hand sew them. I simply put the cover on the high chair, pinned the ties to where they needed to be in order to properly tie to the chair, and hand sewed all the ties. Adding some extra ties is sometimes helpful in order to make sure the cushion sits properly on the chair. You want to make sure the cover doesn't move all over the place- you want the final product to be safe.
Making a personalized high chair really isn't too difficult. It just takes precise measurements and a little bit of time. It's a great way to create covers that coincide with your child's favorite themes, and it's an inexpensive way to match the décor of your dining room. If you make a few covers, it's so easy to take one off and slap a new one on while the other is being washed, and if you pick nice durable fabric the life expectancy of the cover should far outweigh the time your child will be using it.
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