Monday, April 20, 2020

A New Slipcover For The Sofa

Happy Monday. 


How are you today?
How are you holding up? 
I am a homebody but this staying home all the time has me a little stir crazy at times. 
I don't want to look back at this time and feel that I wasted it. Spring cleaning and organizing have been a big part of my routine but we've tried to tackle a few big projects as well. 
The slipcover on the living room couch was on my "to do" list.
The couch was looking a little too shabby. 
There was a stain that wouldn't come out and the cushions had some serious wear going on. 


Last year once the floors were done, I felt like the living room furniture could use some sprucing up. 
It was almost bonus time so Bill and I went shopping. He was looking for a recliner for the garden room. 
I was looking for living room furniture. 
We looked at IKEA, Haverty's, Wiers, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Outlet, and Living Spaces. 
By the end of the weekend, he was ready to purchase the most comfortable but the ugliest recliner known to man. 
I was unimpressed with anything that I saw but I felt that if we were patient, the PB Outlet would have something eventually. 
Several trips later, I came to a couple of realizations. 
There were stains or wear on a lot of the outlet furniture and the pieces that I liked were slipcovered in a neutral.  I couldn't justify the expense for something similar to what we already had. 
I liked the shape and scale of my furniture and it was still structurally sound. 
Bill doesn't love slipcovers and I wasn't excited about making one of this size. 
 Here is our actual interaction about the couch. 
"What is wrong with the original fabric?"
Me, "It's a dog hair magnet." 
Bill, "How do you know that a new couch isn't going to be a dog hair magnet?" 
"Hmmm. Good point." 
This was the tipping point for me. 
It was time to think about fabric for a slipcover. 
If you have been with me for a while, you know that I like to change my color scheme frequently. 
Therefore all my furniture is in a neutral. A lot of it has been covered in drop cloth material but it was time to upgrade from that. 
Drop cloths were better in 2012. 

Before the shut down, I made it to Joann's to look at Duck Canvas. They had it in a variety of colors. 


Unfortunately, they only had a bright white or an off white that was a little darker than I would have liked. 
White was not going to work with my other furniture. 
I considered the green. 


It didn't recommend washing but ours had to be preshrunk and washable. 


I bought 3 yards of the natural with the intention of seeing how it looked after washing. 
If it didn't work, I'd use the fabric for something else. 
It came out just fine. 
This would have the Farmhouse/Shabby Chic look that I like. 
It took a few weeks to muster up the gumption to get this done but by then the Shelter In Place order took effect in our area. 
I was able to order 20 more yards through my Joann's app. It came pretty quickly. 
 There would be leftovers but I knew they would be used for something. 


I'm not patient or detailed enough to make a box cushions for the seats. 
However, the back cushions and the arms got nice crisp piping. 


It took about 10 hours. 



The black chair in the image below is upholstered in drop cloths. 
It will get an upgrade, eventually but they match well. 


I don't use a pattern. I pin wrong side out and then sew it a section at a time. 
Farmhouse on Boone has a video about slipcovers. 



It's nice to have this project done. I hope they will last for a long time. 


You can see my last slipcover project here.


Since these two pieces are done, the room is looking much less shabby. 
How have you been staying busy? 
Stay safe and well. 
Katie 

4 comments :

  1. Your slipcovers came out great and love the piping on the arms too. I have zero sewing ability and no interest either, but at times like these I wish I had kept at it. Very nice!

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  2. I love it, Katie. It's when I see a project like this that I kind of wish I sewed! It looks just great in your room! Good luck with the dog!

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  3. It looks very nice! You have a lovely blog!

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  4. Love the slipcover. It came out so nice. I do not sew I have to have my slipcovers made for me. I love the slipcovers on my sectional because I can easily wash them. It seems like when it comes to slipcovers people either love them or hate them. I like the ease and look of them. Yours really turned out great.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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