The Dantesca Continues. Yet again

The Dantesca Continues. Yet again

This is the even more delayed continuation of my post on constructing the dantesca chair.


At this point the chair body is complete and has a nice finish on it. Now for the seat and back.

The seat is nothing more than a rectangle of fabric, the back is pretty similar.



The Basics.

 Historically these chairs were found with either a leather or fabric seat. Most of the ones I have done have been fabric. It comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns and is pretty easy to work with. I prefer upholstery fabric, outdoor rated is even better. Keep in mind when you choose your fabric keep in mind who all it may end up supporting. My method of choice is a sandwich of 2 layers outdoor rated canvas and two layers of your decorative fabric.

Leather has it's advantages and disadvantages as well. It can be more expensive, it is not so forgiving as fabric, and it is more susceptible to moisture. It is however very strong, can be painted, dyed, or tooled, and requires less steps than the portion does.

For a fabric seat and back you will need about 2 yards of material. 1 yard of the inner fabric, and 1 yard of the outer, more if you are trying to match a busy pattern.

Grab your cloth tape measure and first measure the height of the back of the arm.

Now measure from the outside edge of the arm back, to the outside edge of the other arm back, plus 1 1/2" around to the side at both ends.

This is the finished width and length of the outside back of the fabric for the back. Add seam allowance  to preference, I like 1/2" for these.

Now, that is the outside of the back, for the inside you will measure from the inside corner of the arm back, to the other inside corner, again adding 1 1/2" to each end.

This will be the inside piece, again seam allowance. Cut two pieces of fabric for the outside with the measurements you have taken, and two pieces from the inside from those measurements. Sew them together right sides facing on three sides. Press with an iron, round your corner a bit and flip it inside out. Fold over your seam allowance and stitch it shut. I like to go over the outside and press it flat and top stich in about 1/4" all around for a finished look. Repeat for the second piece if you haven't.

Once you have two pieces, place them together center to center, the back piece should be an equal distance longer on both sides. Pin in place.

Here is where it gets a little tricky. On the shorter piece, mark in 1 1/2" from the edge on both sides, you will sew the two back pieces together down the entire top and bottom length but do not go over that line. At the line a double or triple line of reinforcing is a good idea.

You should now have a 4 layer thick chair back that has two short stubby pieces sticking up near the ends. The reinforced seam you just made should go into the inside corner of the arm so that the longer piece of the outer part wraps around the back of the arm and onto the side.

I use wrought head nails from www.Rockler.Com, 1" nails are fine. PRE DRILL. The nails are diamond in cross section and form a good tight bond, but can split the wood if not careful. I use three nails vertically on the inside, then again on the outside. Repeat for the other side.

Your fabric may be a little tight and need time to stretch, it's pretty normal and unavoidable. If your fabric is so tight that your chair won't open all the way you may need to move your nails a little closer to the edge of the canvas.

I usually put 5 or 6 nails on the back of the arm for support and decoration. The inner piece of fabric is there to take the weight of your body off the back so that those nails don't put out or rip your canvas.

The seat is a bit more straight forward.

Measure the inside length of the tenon.





Then measure around the tenons, the tape should make a loop.


This is the seat, again add your seam allowances but here cut two outer layers, and your two reinforcing inner layers. You will want the finished piece to be a couple inches shorter than the total measured length of the loop. Once it is sewn up and a closed piece of sturdy material you will put in grommets near the edges on each side, 5 is usually a good number. The seat gets wrapped around the tenons and then laced on through the grommets. This allows you to tighten it up or loosen it as you find comfortable over the life of the chair.

At this point, you're done.

I welcome feedback and questions. Have fun, make stuff,

Dare to Be worthy of Your Dreams