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 

Linking with: 

Common Ground
A Stroll Thru Life 

Slipcovering a Leather Chair

I think I have sensory issues. 

My favorite chair in the gameroom is leather. 

 I don't care for sitting on leather. 

 It's cold in the winter and sticky in the summer.

 Bill and I are addicted to a new show on NetFlix and we can't wait to turn it on each evening.

I had to go to great lengths to cover my chair with a blanket. 

The blanket was rumpled and slipped and slid all over the place interrupting our T.V. time.

I spent a great deal of time adjusting and shifting the blanket only to have it slip off again. 

The sloppy look of a blanket falling all over the place wasn't working for me. 

  I decided to make a slipcover. 

I thought about making it out of a blanket but in the end, I decided to make it out of drop cloths. 

There are plenty of tutorials for making slipcovers on the internet. 

I placed the fabric on the chair inside out, pinned, cut, and sewed. 

It isn't difficult with some sewing skills. 

The rounded arms were the most difficult part of this project. 

 Careful pinning and sewing is key. 

The tighter the fit the better the slipcover will look.

Bill came home and caught me. 

He wondered why I was shabby-ing up his mancave. 

I asked him if he wanted me to sit with him in the evenings for T.V. time. 

He does. 

I don't think of it as shabby-ing up the room.

 It softens up the room a little. 

It will be a good spot to do some blogging this summer. 

It is so much more comfortable than the leather.

This room has a weird window. 

The curtain is hung at an appropriate height but it is too far above the window. 

I plan to augment the window with molding to make it more proportionate.

We have been watching Doc Martin and we are in love with this show. 

You have to give it a try. 

Thanks for stopping in my friends. 

Katie 

Linking with,
Savvy Southern Style
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia  
A Stroll Through Life

Seating in the Livingroom

 I've been in the process of editing some of our belongings.
I want to keep those items that we love and use. 
The little loveseat was purged as a result.
I moved the other loveseat into the garden room and it is a cozy place to sit. 
The problem came when I started to arrange the remaining seating in the room. 

I really like the big leather arm chair in that corner but I didn't care for the open armed black chair in the opposite corner. 

Bill offered up his World Market updated wing chair. 

It's gold. 
That was fine for the office but not the living room. 

I pulled out some drop cloths and got to work slipcovering it. 
This isn't a tutorial but drap the fabric on inside out, cut, pin and sew- test for fit and repeat.
 

This ended up being a little slouchier looking that I would have liked so I tightened the fit. 
I love a slouchy slipcover but the shape of the chair is a little more modern. 
The curved back was a pain in the neck to get right.

This will be a cozy spot to sit when we have a fire. 

This is all set for Thanksgiving.
I'll have to figure it out again when I put up the Christmas tree. 
Have a wonderful day. 
Katie  

A Stroll Thru Life
Between Naps on the Porch  
Savvy Southern Style 
From My Front Porch to Yours