Fabric for dining chairs

[parietal]

So my lockdown project is to recover my dining chairs. I plan to make removable covers that stay on with Velcro but can be washed.

My ideal fabric would be

• off white or grey
• small pattern or texture that won't show dirt
• washable & hard wearing
• if possible a fabric with a bit of give or stretch to make them easier to fit.

Where could I buy that kind of fabric? I don't even know what websites to start looking on.

White or light grey fabric is likely to show the dirt. Unless it's washable.

I think you need to google “upholstery fabric” as a starting point. My local fabric shop has a craft section and an upholstery section, and there’s usually information about how they score on rub tests/abrasion tests.

I really like your Velcro idea. I was vaguely thinking of doing something similar but with elastic because I hate sewing Velcro.

www.justfabrics.co.uk/curtain-fabric-upholstery/usages/washable/

OP do you have children? Will this be for everyday use or is it a more occasional use, formal dining room.

I would definitely recommend upholstery fabric. It's much more durable. There is a durability rating for upholstery fabric called the Martindale rub count - essentially how many times the fabric can be rubbed before it wears through. I wouldn't recommend going any lower than 20,000.

Get samples, scrunch them up, spill stuff on them, Chuck them in the wash, see how they deal with it.

If you fancy posting a pic of your chairs that would be helpful too.

You could get samples from somewhere like John Lewis. They stock a broad range of manufacturers and clear description of what the fabric can be used for.

thanks all.

the chairs are the white version of these
www.made.com/set-of-2-jacob-dining-chairs-coal-black-and-walnut
purchased about 8 years ago. they are cheap leather which has now ripped & is looking pretty grotty. They are used everyday for all meals + homework / craft etc - we have only one big table for kitchen/dining.

I have been googling for plenty of upholstery fabrics but it is not easy to pick from websites, so I'm ordering lots of samples. I used to go down to Oxford St John Lewis to see stuff but I find their website doesn't have many options.

So I would love recommendations for good websites to buy from.

modellifabrics.com/

We purchased fabric for recovering our sofas and also dining chairs. Fantastic vale for money and extremely helpful. If you email and tell them the type of fabric you want they will advise you.

OP of you are close enough to London to go to Oxford Street the Curtain Factory Outlet might be a possibility. I've never visited personally but a lot of people I know who do home furnishings rave about it www.curtainfactoryoutlet.co.uk