My fellow short-statured friends, this one is for you! I'm sure you can relate to the struggle of finding an office chair (or any chair for that matter) where you can scoot all the way back and have your feet touch the ground. At 5'2" (5"3" on a good day) I'm either leaning forward with zero back support or sitting back with my feet dangling in mid-air. Not good when you're spending so much time on the computer.

Lowering the chair isn't an option either because the desk is way too high to comfortably type. So I came up with a budget-friendly alternative by making an office chair bolster pillow with farmhouse charm and my back is thanking me!

Office Chair Bolster Pillow For Us Short-Statured Folks

This handy bolster pillow scoots me forward on the seat while providing much needed back support AND my feet touch the floor. Prior to making it, I was using a pillow that I slipped behind my back and was such a nuisance. It was constantly shifting and every time I stood up it would fall to the floor. Plus it was kind of embarrassing because it was just a pillow form without a cover and our guest bathroom has a direct sightline to my office.

The bolster pillow attaches to the chair with ties wrapped around the headrest and can be adjusted as needed.

I made the bolster pillow with a red ticking stripe remnant from an armchair slipcover that I've been itching to put to good use. Some of the slipcover fabric was used to make these Farmhouse Ticking Stripe Pumpkins and to upholster this IKEA Bentwood Stool.

This office chair bolster is for a novice sewing skill level. Instead of a more difficult zipper closure, it is an envelope style pillow cover.

Here's how I made it...

Cutting the fabric

The measurements are based on a 20-inch pillow form, adjust your measurements according to your pillow form size.

Tip 1:

For a fuller pillow cut the fabric the same size as the pillow form without an allotment for a seam allowance.

Tip 2:

When salvaging a slipcover try to incorporate the parts with finished seams and recycle the tie backs too. The less sewing involved the better.

The pillow front fabric is cut  20" x 20".

I was thrilled to find a long piece of the slipcover with a finished seam that I could use for the two back pieces of the pillow cover. With envelope style pillows you want the back two pieces to overlap one another by at least four inches. My readymade option is 14-inches long which provides a four-inch overlap on both pieces. I cut it into two 20-inch wide pieces (pictured below).

I'll be using the salvaged tie back pictured below to hang the bolster pillow around the headrest of my office chair. Saved me a lot of time not having to sew new tie backs.

Making the bolster pillow ruffle

Cut long strips of fabric (make sure the pattern is the same direction) into 4-inch wide strips. You will need enough to make a 160-inch long strip plus an extra 10-inches for seam allowances.

Sew the 4-inch strips together as pictured below. Ticking stripe fabric is prone to fraying so I used the elastic stretch stitch on my sewing machine to stop the edges from fraying. A serging or zig zag stitch is another option.

Once you have your 160-inch long ruffle sewn, fold it in half and iron the fold. My ironing board and iron are kept in the basement laundry room so I have a small tabletop ironing board and travel steam iron in my office to use for sewing projects. Excuse the stains on the ironing board cover, time to make a new one.

Iron any wrinkles out of the front and back pieces of the pillow cover at this point as well.

This step is tedious and a little finicky so you will want to take your time. It's a good step to do while watching television.

Measure the ruffle every 40-inches (double the width of each side of the pillow form) and mark with a pin.

Starting at one end, with needle and thread run a basting stitch (pictured below) the first up to the first 40-inch mark. Make sure to leave long thread strands on each end for pulling. It's important that there not be any knots in the fabric so it gathers easily.

Slowly and carefully pull the thread on either end to gather the fabric until it measures 20-inches (the length of one side of the pillow) for a double ruffle (pictured below). Tie the threads so they don't unravel. Gather the next 40-inches of fabric much the same. Continue these steps until you have an 81-inch long ruffle - an extra inch for 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Sew the two ends of the ruffle together (make sure the ruffle isn't twisted), much like you did when making the long ruffle strip.

Attaching the ruffle

There are two ways to attach the ruffle to the pillow cover. If you're an experienced sewer, you can skip this step and move onto assembling the pillow cover. But in this tutorial, we're going to take the easier route of sewing the ruffle onto the front piece first.

Pin the raw edges of the ruffle to the raw edge of the pillow front piece. With the stitch length set to #4 (longest stitch on the sewing machine), baste stitch the ruffle with a 1/2-inch seam allowance, pivoting the needle at the corners.

Tip - How to sew corners

Stop near the edge and leave the same distance between the needle and the edge of the fabric (1/2-inch seam allowance). Put the needle in the down position, lift the pressure foot, pivot the fabric 90 degrees, and continue sewing. Double check that the ruffles on both sides of the corner are still facing towards the center of the pillow cover.

Now we have the front ruffle finished we'll work on the two back pieces for an envelope closure. You can see in the photo below that I didn't take my own advice and iron the piece first while making the ruffle.

Assembling the envelope pillow cover 

1. Lay the front piece with the right side facing up and the ruffles pointing inwards toward the center of the pillow.
2. Lay the ties pointing inward toward the center of the pillow and spaced approximately 6-inches from each corner. You want them hanging on each side of the headrest on the office chair.
3. Lay one of the back pieces with the good side facing down and the finished seam towards the center of the cover. Pin the raw edges together. 
4. Lay the second piece over the previous one, again with the finished seam towards the center, and pin the raw edges together.
5. Sew a 5/8-inch seam allowance around the entire pillow, pivoting the needle at the corners. Take your time as there will be a lot of bulk and make sure the ruffles are laying flat towards the center, especially around the corners.

Turn the pillow cover right side out, pushing the corners with the end of a wooden spoon. Slip the pillow form inside one half of the cover (pictured below).

And fold the other half of the pillow cover over the pillow form and you're ready to hang it on the chair.

Adjust the height of the pillow to your liking and tie it around the headrest of the office chair.

I am so glad to FINALLY have the back support that I need while scooting forward in my office chair so my feet touch the ground. No more loose pillows constantly shifting and falling to the ground and it looks lovely with its farmhouse charm.

If you have any questions about this project, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

For more DIY pillow inspiration and tutorials see my Pearl Earring Envelope Pillow Cover or Turquoise Rosette Drop Cloth Pillow posts.

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.

Painting wooden chairs with all those spindles can be very time consuming and the quickest way to get the job done is with a paint sprayer. BUT if you are an apartment dweller or your only option is to paint indoors then today I'm sharing three tips for an easy way to paint chair spindles when you can't spray. Also included in this tutorial is what to do when sanding isn't an option either.

Easy Way To Paint Chair Spindles Without A Sprayer

...and what to do when you encounter a challenging chair like the one in this makeover.

This is the chair after...

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. See my full disclosure policy.

Three tips for painting spindles without a sprayer

It's all about using the right brush, controlling the paint, and the brush stroke direction. Say what?

Tip 1 for painting chair spindles

By using a round synthetic paintbrush like the one pictured below. I'm not trying to sell you paintbrushes here, just sharing how when I switched to using this brush, it rocked my spindle painting world! The silky fine bristles glide over the spindles with uniform coverage and leave no brush strokes behind.

Zibra Round Paintbrush

Tip 2 for painting spindles

But the next thing that makes all the difference when painting spindles is thin coats. I don't mean thinning the paint but rather putting less paint on the brush and moving the paint over the spindles before redipping the brush. Start with a damp (not soaked) brush, it helps the paint glide over those spindles.

Thin coats of paint eliminate the build-up of paint in the tight ridges and help prevent dreaded paint drips. In the photo below you can see the chair after the first thin coat of paint.

Tip 3 for painting spindles

Brush the paint side-to-side. Seriously, it makes all the difference in eliminating brush strokes plus moves the paint from building up in the ridges.

So here's the scoop on the chair makeover

I painted the chair with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the color Old Violet, a pretty cornflower blue. The photo below doesn't capture the true paint color seen in person.

The photo below shows what the painted spindles look like after a matte topcoat, which we'll discuss further down in this post.

What to do when sanding furniture indoors isn't an option

Many chalk paint brands say their paint doesn't require sanding but I ALWAYS err on the side of caution by going over the piece lightly with a sanding pad first. I want to give the paint that extra bite, especially considering I sell my pieces.

BUT having said that there are a few situations where sanding first isn't an option.

• Require a dust-free zone when painting indoors
• Wood is mahogany or cherry and opening the pores guarantees paint bleed
• Has a glossy paint, lacquered, or melamine finish
• Possibility it could have been painted with lead-based paint

In these cases always prime the furniture instead. I've tried several primers over the years and this is my go-to Primer.

This particular old chair was made in the former Yugoslavia. It had been painted a glossy white that was chipping in some areas. Because I had no idea whether it had been painted with lead-based paint, I was not taking the risk of sanding.

What to do when there is paint resist

Like humans, some furniture can be more stubborn than others. Such was the case with this chair and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I've never had this problem after priming a piece. I knew it wasn't the paint because I've used the Old Violet on this Vintage Farmhouse Cupboard and Art Deco Waterfall Sideboard.

After applying two coats of paint there was some paint resist on parts of the chair. The only thing I can think of is that when cleaning the chair I found candle wax drips in some areas. Despite removing the drips with a razor blade scraper perhaps there was still an ever so slight waxy residue left.

Regardless, if you ever come across this problem brush more primer over the paint and try again. Priming over the paint sealed whatever it was and I was able to get good coverage after that.

Topcoat for painted wooden chairs 

Kitchen chairs receive a lot of wear and tear, prone to spills, and get wiped often and so I prefer protecting the paint with a durable water-repellent top coat. Gator Hide is my go-to clear finish for chairs, tabletops, and children's furniture. I also love it because it provides a beautiful matte finish over chalk paint.

Once the chalk paint is completely dry, apply three coats of the topcoat, waiting about two hours between each coat. It can be brushed on or applied with a sponge applicator. I use either but for this chair, I used the same round synthetic brush used to paint the spindles.

I should mention that the topcoat I used needs to cure for at least 48-hours before using the chair.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions about this makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

I share my projects at these inspirational link parties.

Rugs don't have to be just for floors. Have you ever considered using them to upholster furniture? An inexpensive faux fur rug is a quick and easy way to add instant glam to vintage vanity stools. It only took an hour and less than $40 to transform these metal vanity stool and chair.

Vintage Vanity Stools With Faux Fur Rugs

Rarely does a vintage vanity come complete with the original stool and so I always have my eyes open for vanity stools and chairs to keep in my stash. I found both of these, a vanity stool and chair for less than $20 but oh were the seats nasty.

It took around 30 minutes to refresh them with paint and another 30 to upholster the stinky seats after a trip to IKEA.

I've included affiliate links for your convenience so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. What that means is that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I may receive a small portion of any sales at no additional cost to you, which supports the costs of running this site. See my full disclosure policy.

This is what they looked like before with the dirty stinky seats. What an improvement wouldn't you say?

The gold was worn down to the metal in some areas on both stools but nothing a little spray paint can't handle.

After removing the seats and giving the metal frames a bath in warm soapy water, they were painted with Pure Gold Rust-oleum Metallic Spray Paint. While the first coat was drying I got busy removing the nasty fabric from the seats.

Then I did battle with a Tejn and I won.

One IKEA Tejn rug covered both of these stools for under $15. Can't beat that!

While the second coat of gold paint was drying I got busy upholstering the seats. The fur was stapled to the seat with a pneumatic staple gun.

Upholstering the seats with fur

Place the wooden seats face down on the underside of the rug (as pictured above). Measure a 3-4 inch fold allowance and cut accordingly.

Thicker fabrics are more difficult to work with but I provide some helpful tips below.

Tips for upholstering a square|rectangular bench style seat with faux fur

• Add one staple to the center of each side, pulling the rug taut before each staple. Work your way around the seat towards the corners, stopping around 2-3 inches before the corner.
• On each corner take the point of the fabric and fold it up like a flap over the corner.
• Staple along each side of the flap at a 45-degree angle.
• You should have fabric sticking straight up on both sides of the stapled flap. 
• Trim excess fabric with scissors and staple it down with as little bulk as possible.
• Repeat for each corner.
• Use a straight edge to trim fabric around the seat with either scissors or a utility knife.

And here is the bench stool after the makeover...

Tips for upholstering round seats with faux fur

• Snip small 1-2 inch wedges around the circle along the outer edge (no further than the 3-4 inch fold allowance) to help relieve bulk when stapling.
• Using a clock dial as a visual, staple the rug at 12. 
• Pull the rug taut and staple at 6. 
• Repeat at the 3 and 9 points. 
• Continue to pull the rug taut as you work and staple between the previous staples.
• Work your way around the seat overlapping the wedges to relieve any bulk.
• Trim the excess fabric with either scissors or a utility knife before attaching the seat to the frame. 
• Pictured below the bottom half of the seat has been trimmed and the top still needs trimming.

And here is the round vanity chair after the makeover...

What an improvement a can of paint and a faux fur rug made on these vanity stools.

Here's a closer look at each of them...

For under $40 a stinky old vanity stool AND chair get a glam makeover fit for a princess. Now they each need a vintage vanity and finger's crossed I'm successful on my hunt soon. They are hard to come by in these parts.

Have I inspired you to rethink the IKEA Tejn Rug? Do you have a vanity stool or chair that could use a makeover? If you do and have any questions, leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to send me an email.

For more upholstered seat tutorials and inspiration:
Farmhouse Cane Back Chairs
Thrift Store Duncan Phyfe Chairs
Round Pedestal Table With Cross Back Upholstered Chairs 
70's Coffee Table Upholstered Bench
Queen Anne Upholstered Music Bench
Upholstered Ottoman In 5 Easy Steps

I share my projects at these fabulous link parties.