03-Summer deckchair

How to: deckchair

Summer is sun and relaxing. What a better time to enjoy it than resting in a comfortable deckchair?

You’ll need:

Some remnant of hardboard;

2 pieces of wooden dowel of 2 cm (0.78”) in diameter X 13.0 cm (5.11”) length;

White acrylic paint or any color of your liking.

Thin foam (protecting foam from packages) and fabric for the cushions;

Wood glue.

The shiny, smooth side of the hardboard is the top surface of the chair. I have used an Xacto knife to cut it. It is fairly difficult, but it gives a better result than any kind of saw.

1: Making the chair: 

Cut the two (2) pieces of hardboard (Pic.01) smooth side on top, facing you.

One piece is 32.0 cm (12.60”) by 13.0 cm(5.11”); this will be the back of the chair. Cut a 6.5 cm(2.55”) slot at 7.0 cm ( 2.75”) from the bottom end.

The second piece is 26.5 cm ( 10.43”) by 13.0 cm (5.11”) this will be the seat. Cut a 6.5 cm (2.55”) slot at 4.5cm (1.77”)from the top end.

The different measurements for the slots are important. They give the chair its final inclination.

The slots have to be at least as wide as the hardboard’s thickness (Pic-02).

Try on the two pieces to see if they fit properly then sand. (Pic-03)

Fit the 2 pieces together, interlocking the 2 slots (making an X) and open the base to the maximum (Pic-04). The legs of my chair are more or less 11.0 cm (4.33”)wide.

Place the dowels on each side of the legs, on the smooth/right side. Mark their center and glue each one ONLY to the "legs" parts (Pic-05). 

Hold it tight, over night to allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

When it’s done, slide apart the seat and back, sand and paint them.

When satisfied with your painting job, put back together the two pieces and you are done.

2: Making the cushions: 

I used protecting foam for the filling. Mine was quite thin, so I used 2 layers for the chair’s cushions, and 3 layers for the pillow.

The final sizes for the cushion are: 

• 13.0cm( 5.11”)X 21cm (8.26”) (back)

• 13.0cm (5.11”) X 23cm (9.05”)(seat)

• 13.0 cm (5.11”)X 8.00 cm (3.14”) (pillow)

I used a turquoise and white striped jersey. I wanted a pillow that can be slipped over the top of the back seat, and jersey is quite stretchable. (If you are using cotton add some seams allowances.)

Cut one (1) piece of 26.0 cm (10.23”) over 25.0 cm (9.84”) for the seat’s cushion;

Cut one piece of 26.0 cm (10.23”) over 21.0 cm (8.26”) for the back’s cushion;

Cut one (1) piece of 24.0 cm (9.44”) over 14.0 cm (5.51”) for the pillow.

Assemble following the sketch (Pic-06)

For the cushions, make a tube and sew the long side, leaving a little open part. Place the seam in the center and sew the two ends. (see a & b in the sketch)

For the pillow, fold the long side of the fabric piece in 3 (see c & d in the sketch) then sew together the 3 layers at each ends.

Place the cushions on the chair, and slip the open layer of the pillow over the top of the chair.

Halldòra (original doll: 16"- Urban vita -“in the buff”- platinum blond- 2010- from Horsman.