The first purchase I made for the nursery was a $40 rocker. (You can read about making room in the office-studio here and here.)

Then, I started reading tutorials about how to recover the cushions.

I discovered that most bloggers start their posts by saying, “I bought this glider and wanted to recover the cushions, but I thought it would be impossible. Then, I tried anyway and it wasn’t so hard. I did it! I am so glad I tried.”

About the fifth time I read that, I decided I could give this project a shot.

So, dear friend, go for it! We are all in the same boat here. It looks scary…but it is not too terrible.

My $40 Thrifted Rocker

Materials

• 4 yards of fabric (3 would be plenty, but I got extra for mistakes)
• safety pins
• sewing machine
• coordinating thread

Tips

• Study the design of your cushions, then simply duplicate what the original cover looked like. Use the original layout of fabric and the same placement for your puckers.
• Practice with an old bed sheet
• Measure your cushions. I added 1.5 inches to allow for mistakes and seam allowances. I trimmed down from 1.5 slowly, to the right size.
• Pay attention to the pattern on your fabric. I accidentally cut my fabric so the white lines were going horizontal and I wanted them to be vertical. That’s why I bought extra!
• Start with the smaller cushion. I only photographed the larger one, process is the same.
• This post is very photo-heavy with limited directions. I thought you’d benefit more from extra pics than my rambling.

Timing 

• I did this project in three small sessions. First, I tested with a sheet. Then, one for each cushion. I tend to start rushing after an hour or so. 2 hours browsing Pinterest. 3-4 hours sewing time.

Getting Started

Sew the front and back panels together.

Slowly trim off excess. Remember you’ll still need to leave a seam allowance. Pin your tucks, sew.

Put back on to test that if looks snug.

Side Pieces

Mimic the pattern of your cushion. Make two that match.

Attach Side Pieces

Start at the top. Now is the hardest part. Just go slowly. Be prepared to rip. And, friend, be patient with yourself. Right sides together.

Start at the center seam where you sewed the front and back pieces together.

I want to make sure I had the right snugness. So, I only sewed about six inches. Then, I put it on the cushion for a test drive.

I was happy with the tightness. Then, I sewed about 12 more inches down both sides and then repeated my test. This is what I meant by go slowly.

Do yourself a favor and resist the urge to wizzzz down the whole seam in one shot.

On one test, I discovered I had missed a little spot. Then, I went back and fixed that hole.

When I was all finished, it looked like this. The last time I put it on, I felt like I was wrestling an elephant into a pair of skinny jeans. Definitely not easy.

Finishing

Now, here is where I differed with some of the other tutorials I read. They did zippers and velcro. Both, are bit out of my skill & patience level. I decided to go for safety pins. This might make some folks uncomfortable, but I trust my safety pins…so I’m not too worried about it. Also, I’ll still be able to wash the cushions if need be.

First, I pretend I was wrapping a Christmas package. I made pretty corners and used straight pins.

One by one, I replaced the straight pens with safety pins.

And, what’s any good tutorial with out a before and after shot?

Total Cost: 

• 4 Yards home dec fabric – Hobby Lobby ~ $30 with coupon
• Thrifted Chair $40
• Total: $70 + 1 yard leftover fabric

Have you ever been scared of a DIY project until you read several blog posts from other anxious makers?

Have you ever recovered a rocker?

Do you have any tips?