• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Positively Splendid {Crafts, Sewing, Recipes and Home Decor}

Handcrafted. Splendidly.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • + Handmade
    • Crafts
      • Craft Gift Ideas
      • Holiday Crafts
      • Home Decor Crafts
      • Kids’ Crafts
      • Paper Crafts
      • Quick and Easy Crafts
      • Wearable Crafts
      • Wreaths
    • Gift Ideas
      • Budget-Friendly Gifts
      • Gift Wrapping
      • Gifts for Dads and Grandpas
      • Gifts for Kids
      • Gifts for Men
      • Gifts for Moms and Grandmas
      • Gifts for Neighbors
      • Gifts for Sports Fans
      • Gifts for Teachers
      • Gifts for Women
      • Quick and Easy Gifts
    • Kid-Friendly Projects
    • Sewing
      • Sewing for Children
      • Sewing for Men
      • Sewing for the Home
      • Sewing for Women
      • Sewing Techniques
      • Sewn Accessories
      • Sewn Gifts
  • + Home & Garden
    • DIY Home Decor Projects
    • Helpful Tips
    • Home Decor Crafts
    • DIY
    • Home Tour
    • Mantels and Tablescapes
    • Organization
    • Outdoor and Garden
  • + Holidays & Seasons
    • Spring
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Summer
    • Teacher Appreciation
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Winter
    • Back to School
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fall
    • Fathers’ Day
    • Graduation
    • Halloween
    • Independence Day
    • Mothers’ Day
    • New Year’s
  • + Printables
  • + Recipes
    • Soups and Stews
    • Appetizers and Salads
    • Breads
    • Desserts
    • Food Crafts
    • Main Dish

Pocket Chair Backer Sewing Tutorial

November 13, 2018 By Amy @ Positively Splendid

FacebookTweetPinYummlyPrint

Add a functional pop of personality to a plain-Jane chair by stitching up a pocket chair backer with my easy DIY sewing tutorial. These chair backers include a handy pocket for holding anything you like: notebooks and other school supplies in a classroom, coloring books and crayons at a kids’ holiday table, or even homework supplies at a kitchen table. There are so many great possibilities for these, and by using fun stencils and paint from FolkArt, there really are innumerable ways to customize these chair backers to make them your own! Read on for the full tutorial.

I’ve partnered with Plaid to bring this great idea to you today. All opinions are entirely my own.
How to Sew a Chair Backer with a Pocket Chair Backer

Pocket Chair Backer Supplies


  • 1 yard home decor fabric
  • 1/2 yard white canvas fabric
  • 1 yard muslin 
  • 2 yards 2″ wide grosgrain ribbon
  • FolkArt stencils
  • FolkArt Multi-Surface paint
  • Stencil brush
  • Stencil tape
  • Coordinating thread
  • (4) 1-9/16″ curtain grommets
  • Basic sewing supplies: machine, sewing shears, iron, etc. (See my list of must-have sewing tools here)
  • Recommended: rotary cutter and mat

First things first, make your cuts. (I recommend using a rotary cutter and mat for this to streamline cutting!)

For each chair backer, you will need:

  • 1 home decor fabric piece cut @ 18 x 34″ (for the main body front)
  • 1 muslin piece cut @ 18 x 34″ (for the main body lining)
  • 1 white canvas piece piece cut @ 14 x 18″ (for the pocket front)
  • 1 muslin piece cut @ 14 x 18″ (for the pocket lining)

For my chair backer today, I opted to add a fun DIY touch to the front pocket with stenciling. FolkArt Multi-Surface paint is the perfect choice for a project like this, as it is suitable for so many different surfaces including wood, terra cotta, glass, paper, canvas, and–as seen here–fabric. It’s so awesome to have so much functionality in one small bottle of paint, and there are so many beautiful colors to choose from. This paint really is one of my go-to’s, and there is an awesome starter set with 12 great colors available from Amazon that is a great way to build up your craft supply arsenal.

FolkArt Multi Surface

FolkArt has a variety of 12-inch stencil sets that are perfect for using with this particular project, since the designs are perfectly sized for the pocket front. For my chair backers today, I used a teepee and an arrow motif from the FolkArt Modern Variety Pack stencil set. I plan to use my chair backers for the kids’ table this Thanksgiving, and these designs go perfectly with a Thanksgiving theme!

For stenciling, use the stencil tape to secure the stencil design to the center front of the white canvas pocket piece. Make sure to orient the stencil so the top of the design is aligned with one of the long edges of the pocket piece.

Teepee Stencil

Use the stencil brush to apply paint within the stencil design onto the fabric.

Pro Tip: Make sure not to overload the brush with paint, or else paint might seep under the edges. Instead, load the brush with paint, and then dab the brush onto a paper towel until only a small amount of paint remains in the brush. Apply the paint by dabbing the brush in an up and down motion, instead of brushing from side to side.

When the stenciled design is complete, remove the stencil while the paint is still wet, and set the fabric piece aside to dry completely.

Stenciling with Folk Art Multi Surface Paint

Lay the stenciled pocket piece face up on a work surface. Place the pocket lining muslin piece directly on top of the stenciled front piece, lining up all raw edges. Pin along the top edge (one of the long 18″ edges), as shown. Stitch along this top edge using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Chair Backer Sewing Pattern

Press the stitched seam open. Fold the piece in half so that the wrong sides are facing and all corners are precisely aligned. Press.

Press Seam Open

Edge stitch 1/8″ away from the top stitched seam to give the pocket a polished finish.

Sew Chair Backer

Place the home decor fabric main body piece face up on a work surface. Place the assembled pocket piece face up on top of the main body piece, aligning the long bottom edge and corners of the pocket with the short bottom edge corners of the main body piece.

Chair Backer Tutorial

Place the main body lining muslin piece directly on top of the previous layers so that the 18″ lower edges of all pieces are aligned and all corners and raw edges match up. Pin all the way around the perimeter of the pieces to secure. Stitch all the way around the perimeter of the pinned pieces, starting along the short (18″) end of the piece without the pocket. Leave a 4″ opening unstitched for turning. Clip the corners. Turn the piece right-side out through the opening, using a point turner to make sure the corners are totally turned. Press.

Chair Backer Sewing Tutorial

Pin the opening closed, and stitch 1/8″ from this edge to close the opening.

Thread Spool Pins

Working at each corner of the piece, use a seam gauge to measure up 4″ from the short edge and over 1.5″ from the long edge. Make a mark where these two measurements intersect, as shown.

Seam Gauge

Center the placement guide from the grommet set over this mark, and create a circle to designate the positioning of the grommet. 

How to Set a Grommet

Set a grommet into this space according to the grommet package instructions. Repeat this same process at each of the remaining corners, to set a total of 4 grommets.

Dritz Curtain Grommet

Fold the chair backer in half right side out so that all of the corners are aligned. Place the folded chair backer flat on a surface so that the folded edge is on top. Feed the end of the ribbon piece down through the grommet on the left edge of the pocket side, then feed the ribbon up through the grommet on the right edge of the pocket. Flip the chair backer over, and feed the ribbon end down through the grommet on the left edge of the this side and then up through the grommet on the right edge of this side. When finished, you will have two long tails of ribbon that extend from the left side of the chair backer.

DIY Grommet

Slip the chair backer over the chair back so that the pocket faces outward, and use the tails of ribbon to tighten. Tie the ribbon ends in a bow to secure, trimming off any excess length of ribbon as needed.

Your chair backer is ready to go! 

How to Make a Chair Backer

This chair backer pocket is perfect for holding items like books, crayons and more. These are great for classrooms, or for using at kids’ place settings during big holiday meals like I plan to do with these at Thanksgiving this year.

How to Sew Chair Pockets

I love that fact that stenciling enables you to really add tons of personality to these. You could even stencil on a monogram or name for an even more personalized touch.

Chair Pocket

My fellow Plaid Creators have been hard at work creating fun projects that they plan to use on their Thanksgiving tables this year. There are so many great ideas for place card holders, centerpieces, napkins, and even the kids’ table! I hope you’ll stop by each of their places to be inspired for your own Thanksgiving gathering!

Petticoat Junktion

Cherished Bliss

Made to Be a Momma

Amy Latta Creations

Flamingo Toes

Pretty Life Girls

Erin Spain

The Cards We Drew

DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW PLAID ON PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE FOR PLENTY OF OTHER CREATIVE IDEAS TO KEEP YOU CRAFTING!

 

Amy @ Positively Splendid
Amy @ Positively Splendid

Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.

EVEN MORE GREAT IDEAS JUST FOR YOU!

FacebookTweetPinYummlyPrint

Filed Under: DIY Home Decor Projects, Easy Sewing Projects, Free Patterns, Positively Handmade, Positively Home & Garden, Sewing, Sewing for the Home, Tutorials Tagged With: Sewing, Sewing Patterns, Tutorials

Previous Post: « Farmhouse Halloween Mantel
Next Post: Christmas Crack Recipe »

Primary Sidebar

PS Search

Search this website

Seasonal Inspiration

Hocus Pocus Wreath
Ghost Plushies
Paper Pumpkins
Fabric Yo-Yo Pumpkins

Copyright © 2025 · Positively Splendid · All Rights Reserved. · Privacy Policy

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies and other tracking technologies to assist with navigation and your ability to provide feedback, analyse your use of our products and services, assist with our promotional and marketing efforts, and provide content from third parties. To find out more, as well as how to remove or block these, see here: Our Cookie/Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...