A bright, cheerful deckchair invites you to enjoy the fruits of your labours - the epitome of summer relaxation. You can often find old wooden deckchairs at junk shops or auctions - you may even have a couple with rotting canvas covers in your own garage.





Preparation:
Remove the cover and note how it is attached to the wood as you do so. If possible, use the old cover as a pattern for the replacement.

If the frame needs sanding down or painting, do those repairs before attaching the new cover. Paint sanded wood with a good quality wood varnish to protect against sun damage.

This deckchair featured here has a built-in shade awning that's also been stencilled. You could also stencil cushions to match, using the fruit motifs in a larger size.

You will need:
- White cotton duck 510g canvas, as required
- Adhesive spray
- Fabric paints in the following colours: red, maroon, sunflower yellow, orange, olive green, hunter's green, violet, chocolate brown, flesh, terracotta
- Black fabric liner
- 8 small stencil brushes
- Binding or fringing for edges (if desired)
- Wooden deck chair frame
- Upholstery tacks and decorative studs
- Plastic shield with curve

Here's how:
1. Cut the canvas to size, then determine where your design should be positioned. Use pins to mark this position or mark the canvas lightly in pencil.

2. Make three photocopies of the Berries and Cherries design to the size you require; I used the design with a length of 32cm. Number each copy.

3. Secure each copy to a sheet of stencil material and number the front of each sheet '1', '2' or '3' with a felt-tip pen in the top right-hand corner. Cut out all the areas marked '1' on the first sheet, remembering to cut on the outside of the lines and to cut out the four registration points. Do the same for sheets 2 and 3. Remove the paper copies.

4. Spray the back of each stencil with adhesive spray. Check that you are spraying the back - the numbers on each stencil should face up otherwise you may end up with a confusing lot of stencils with adhesive sprayed on different sides.

5. Position stencil 1 and mark the registration holes with pins or pencil. Using olive green, lightly stencil all leaves. Use hunter's green around the edges of the leaves and create a vein down the leaf centres using a curved shield. Apply sunflower yellow for the gooseberries, leaving an area of light in the centre, then do the same for the cherries using red. Surround the cherries with maroon. For the youngberries, stencil lightly with violet. Remove stencil 1.

6. Use registration pins to position stencil 2. Stencil the leaves as before and use hunter's green for stems and flower centres. Finish cherries as before and stencil the strawberries in the same manner. For the gooseberry casings, use a little flesh over the entire area with a tiny amount of terracotta at the edges, using the shield to create the casing lines. Remove stencil 2.

7. Position stencil 3 and finish the leaves and casing areas as described previously. For the flowers apply sunflower yellow with a little edging of orange. Use violet for the youngberry nodules and chocolate brown for the strawberry seeds. Remove stencil 3 and position stencil 1 for the next repeat, using the two pins at the bottom of the finished print and inserting two more pins in the vacant registration holes.

8. To print the stencil mirror image on the other side of the cover, clean the stencils and allow them to dry thoroughly before spraying the other side with spray adhesive. Use as before.

When all stencilling is complete, the stalks for the cherries can be added with a black fabric liner.

Finish the edges either with a binding trim or fringing, because hemming the thick canvas is impossible without an industrial sewing machine.

When you have completed the cover, attach it to the frame with upholstery tacks and decorative studs, at the same time stretching the canvas tightly as you do so.

Pour a well-deserved cold drink and try out your new chair!