How to Make Custom Slipcovers

Furniture slipcovers make your furniture last longer and stay clean as you can just take them off and throw them in the washer when they get dirty. Slipcovers can be expensive and for some furniture pieces it may be impossible to find the correct size or design and color you want, so making your own will not only save you money but ensure you get what you want.

Things You'll Need

• Sewing machine
• Muslin
• Pins
• Scissors
• Fabric
• Thread
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Measure the piece of furniture you will be covering. Make sure to take exact measurements of every angle and curve in addition to the height, length and width of individual sections. Write down all these measurements. It might be helpful to sketch a little diagram of the furniture and label the separate sections so you can remember which measurement applies to which segment.

2. Trace on pieces of muslin fabric. Cut it out an inch larger on all edges than what you measured as the actual measurements on the furniture. Pin the muslin fabric to the piece of furniture. Pinning it to the actual item will allow you to see how things fit together and work on your measurements and scaling techniques. Trim away any excess and take notes of any trouble areas that you need to address when sewing.

3. Remove the pinned muslin from the furniture but keep it all pinned together. Sew the muslin into a mock slipcover. Pull the slipcover over the furniture to check the fit. Make any adjustments necessary or trim away excess. Again take note of changes for the real slipcover by seeing if anything went wrong with the mock-up. Remove the muslin slipcover and take out the seams so it is back in several pieces.

4. Purchase your slipcover fabric. Think about the amount of stretch you need in the fabric to fit over the furniture, how easy it is to wash and clean, whether it will shrink and how easy it will be to sew. You don't want a fabric that is too heavy because sewing it will be a hassle. But if you aren't careful with your laundry you might also shrink your slipcovers in the dryer if you use a fabric prone to shrinkage. Explore your options.

5. Lay out the fabric you've selected on a large flat surface, wrong side up. If the fabric has no wrong side then simply put either side up. Place the muslin pieces over the fabric and pin them in place. The muslin is your template. Cut around the edges of the muslin to get the correct fabric segments. Sew the fabric together on the sewing machine just as you did with the muslin. Pull your slipcover over your furniture and you're done. You just made some custom slipcovers.

Tips & Warnings

• Make covers that will match your decor and/or holiday entertaining.

• Don't make the slipcovers to be "exact" sizes; they need to be slightly larger.

• Don't use fabric that will shrink in the dryer.