Black Dust Cover Fabric (Cambric) for Upholstery, 60 in or 36 in

Turn a re-upholstered chair over and the last layer you see is the dust cover: a sheet of thin black fabric stapled across the underside. It hides the webbing, the staples and the raw edges of the seat fabric, and it keeps dust and loose bits of filling from dropping onto the floor. This is black nonwoven dust cover fabric, also called cambric, in two pieces: 60 in wide by 3 yd long, or 36 in wide by 6 yd long.

Where it goes:

• Under drop-in and upholstered dining chair seats
• Under footstools, ottomans and upholstered benches
• Across the bottom of an upholstered chair or sofa frame, over the webbing

Fitting it:

• Finish the seat first. The dust cover is the very last step, after the webbing, foam, batting and top fabric are stapled.
• Lay the seat face down and cut a piece a little larger than the underside.
• Fold the raw edge under as you go and staple through the fold. Start at the middle of each side and work out to the corners, the same order as the top fabric.
• Keep the staples a little in from the outside edge so they don't show from the side, and set them close together so the edge lies flat.
• Where a leg or a corner block is in the way, cut a short slit toward it and fold the flaps under around it.

The cover should lie smooth and flat, not drum-tight; it carries no weight. If you ever need to get back to the webbing, lift the staples with a staple remover and staple a fresh piece on when you are done. The chair seat project page lists everything for the whole job.

Both sizes are the same fabric, so choose by the shape of your job. Measure the underside of one seat, add a little for the folded edge, and see how many pieces fit across the width and along the length.

For example, with pieces 20 x 20 in, three fit across the 60 in width and five along 3 yd: fifteen pieces. The 36 in x 6 yd piece gives one across and ten along at that size. If your pieces are 18 in or less, two fit across the 36 in width and you get two dozen.

Pick the 60 in width when one piece has to cover something large, such as the bottom of a sofa or a big ottoman.