Have you ever shopped for outdoor patio furniture covers and been disappointed at the options available, or shocked at the expense? Then this article is just for you, since we’re going to talk a bit about making your own patio furniture covers. If you are at all handy, or have a relative that sews, making your own covers lets you choose your fabric to perfectly match your theme, and will also save you in the long run by allowing you to make a custom fit set of covers at a fraction of the cost of having them made for you.

It is important that your patio furniture be protected from the elements. The amount of protection your furniture will need is dependent upon where you live. Those people that live in tropical areas will want to protection their furniture from the blazing sun or salt spray every chance they get. The tropical sun will remove an entire layer of varnish in less than 6 months. Unless you don’t mind sanding and re-varnishing you best acquire some covers for your patio furniture.

The covers can be made out of any material you wish. More expensive materials can include some UV protection and water proofing but this is not always necessary. I have seen covers made out of old sailboat sails. I’ve also seen covers made from burlap potato bags and plasticized sand bags. The covers can literally be made of anything.

The goal in making your own patio furniture covers is creating a well fitting set of covers customized to your particular furniture. You must be careful to take proper measurements at this stage, as this is the most important part of creating a tailored cover. One of the simplest table covers that you can easily make is simply a piece of material cut 16 inches larger than the table (8 inches larger on all four sides), and then folded over one inch to make a wide hem. Run a cord through this hem to use as a drawstring, and your table top cover will fit perfectly.

Creating a custom fitting cover for your chair is as simple as creating essentially a cube with one side shorter than the other. The back will be a rectangle measuring the same as the back of the chair, and the front will measure the same as the front of the chair, either as high as the seat, or the top of the arms if your chair has arms. The sides are slightly trickier, since they are not rectangles, but rather they are cut with one side as high as the arms or seat at the front, and the other side cut to the height of the chair back. Make sure that all your pieces have a seam allowance, and a bit of extra size so they will slip easily over the chair once constructed. As with table covers, you can add a hem with a drawstring at the bottom if you chair covers need extra securing.

With a little planning, and a little measuring and a little sewing, you can see how easy it is to create your own set of completely custom outdoor patio furniture covers. The best part about making your own set is the ability you will have to create an entirely unique look for your back yard or patio, not to mention the cost savings compared to having a custom set of furniture covers made to order.