Learn how to sew your very own DIY bench slipcover complete with a pleated skirt to cover and refashion any old benches you have. Its an awesome sewing project for beginners!
Please note: This post may contain affiliate links, for our full disclosure click HERE.
I am so excited to share with you guys an easy tutorial for this DIY bench slipcover with a pleated skirt!
Not too long ago I made the duvet cover seen in the picture above to replace our old one that had ripped. Around that time, I decided I wanted to style our room (and our whole house for the most part) with an intentionally old fashioned farmhouse feel.
I have a whole board on Pinterest with all of my ideas for old fashioned farmhouse decor if you want to check it out HERE!
Recently I came across a photo while pinning that felt like just the right vibe for our room, AND it matched the duvet I had already made. The room had several different shades of blue with a variety of different patterns!
Long story short, its what inspired me to make this DIY bench slipcover! Under the slipcover is the original bench cushion which is a deep purple, and didn’t match anything in the room. I am so excited to be able to cover it up with this cute cover and have everything match better.
If you have an old bench lying around that just doesn’t match your style right now, or maybe you want to give it a refresh, this tutorial is perfect for you! Its very simple if you know the basics of sewing.
Keep reading to learn how to make your own DIY bench slipcover with a pleated skirt.
PSA: Did you know we have a FREE ebook on “7 Ways to be More Efficient and Effective With Your Homemaking?” Sign up for our email list HERE to get yours today!
DIY Bench Slipcover Materials
- 1-2 yards of fabric, depending on the size of your bench.
- scissors
- matching thread
- sewing machine
- measuring tape
- pins
DIY Bench Slipcover Tutorial
This handmade bench slipcover is very easy, and can be completely customized! Choose whatever style and type of fabric you like, make it as long or as short as you like, and customize the pleats how you want.
Take Measurements
Start by measuring your bench. Be sure to add extra to the measurements to account for hems, how far down you want your slipcover to go, as well as how long you want the pleated skirt to be.
I measured the length and width of my bench, and then added 3 1/2″ per side because that’s how far I wanted it to hang down. I then added an extra 4 1/2″ for the pleated skirt, by the circumference of my bench (x 2).
When you are buying fabric, be sure to account for how much extra the pleated skirt will be. Even though its only a 4″ wide strip of fabric, because you are pleating it and folding it it will likely be double the amount of fabric (in length) depending on how wide you want your pleats to be. Which is why I did (x 2) for the length of the strips for the skirt.
Cut Out Your Fabric Pieces And Hem
Once you have your fabric and you’ve taken all of your measurements, cut out your pieces! You should have one big body piece, and a long strip for the skirt. If you have to do multiple strips and sew them together because of the way your fabric came, that is fine also.
Sew your strips together (if you needed to cut multiple strips), by placing them right sides together and sewing one end across about 1/4″ so they are all connected.
Then, hem one raw side of the skirt strip about 1/4″ – 1/2″ down. This will be the very bottom of the skirt, so you want it to look pretty.
Sew It All Together
Now its time to sew it all together! First, you’ll want to start by placing your main body piece over your bench with the right side down. Make sure it is even on all sides.
Pull the corners together to form a triangle and pin in place. Do this for all of the corners.
Make sure the body piece fits snug on the bench but can be pulled off easily. Sew along where you pinned and cut off the excess fabric.
Now, you are going to sew your skirt to the body piece. Turn your body piece inside out, and start lining up the skirt strip to the body piece, right sides and raw edges together.
Decide how wide you want your pleats to be and begin making the pleats and pinning them in place. You could measure each pleat, or you could just eye it.
You could pin all the way around, or you could stop pinning part of the way and sew to make sure its turning out how you like.
When you are ready to sew, you’re going to sew the raw, pleated edges together about 1/4″ down. Just take out pins as you go.
Almost Finished!
Be sure to be aware if you are running low on your strip fabric, so you can make a new piece and sew it to the existing strip before its all sewn onto body piece. I had to make a few new strip pieces (measure, cut, and hem them) to sew to my main strip to have enough to go all the way around the body.
Once you get to the end you can close the end by sewing the two end skirt pieces together, but it shouldn’t be necessary. You can hem your pleats in place to give them a more polished look or leave them how they are.
Now you are finished!
Place your slipcover on your bench to make sure it fits well, and cut off any stray threads.
I hope you enjoy your new DIY bench slipcover! Its such a fun way to re-purpose and re-fashion an old bench. If you make this please let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram!
Other Handmade Homemaking Posts
DIY Gardener’s Hand Scrub Recipe
Pin it for later!
