How to Sew a Slipcover for a Sofa

Covered sofa.

An essential element to a living area, sofas are expensive to replace. When a sofa becomes damaged or soiled, or if you are redocorating, utilize a slipcover as a convenient and more cost-effective option than replacing the sofa. Plus, a slipcover results in a cleaner room. If you have pets, simply throw the slipcover in the wash to remove pet hair and dander. In addition to cost savings, slipcovering a sofa can personalize a room. Hand-picked fabrics and accents create a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture that makes a statement.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric for sofa slipcover
• Fabric pins
• Thread
• Fabric shears
• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Ironing board

Instructions

1. 

   Medium-weight fabric.

   Select the fabric. Look for medium-weight sturdy fabrics. A standard sofa requires 10 yards of fabric.

2. 

   Laundered fabric.

   Prepare fabric for sewing by laundering according to the manufacturer's instructions. Since you can remove and wash slipcovers, laundering the fabric before sewing minimizes future shrinking and twisting of seams. Iron the fabric to ensure accurate fit.

3. 

   Fabric contoured to furniture.

   Fit the fabric. Place the fabric wrong-side out over the sofa. The fabric must cover the entire sofa, so smooth it over the curves of the arms and cushions. Continue to adjust the fabric until it roughly mocks the shape of the sofa.

4. 

   Fabric pins.

   Pin the fabric. Use fabric pins to create seams for the slipcover. Pin the fabric along the existing seams of the sofa, along the arms, back corners and front corners. For example, although the arm of a sofa may curve over the top, the front may lie flat. Pin fabric where the curve on the top of the arm and the front arm panel meet and continue along the front corner edge, so that the fabric in the front of the arm lies flat. Pin the fabric snugly, but not tightly, to allow for removal of the fabric for sewing. The shape of the slipcover is created with this step, and you will sew seams along the lines that the pins create. Use pins liberally to define the shape and create clear seam lines for accurate sewing. The slipcover should fit the sofa, but the bottom should drape. Pin the bottom of the fabric to create a hem.

5. 

   Sofa without slipcover.

   Remove the slipcover. Gently pull the slipcover off the sofa, keeping the pinned-side out.

6. 

   Sewing slipcover fabric.

   Sew the slipcover. Sew the back corners of the slipcover along the pinned line with a straight stitch, removing pins along the way. Continue with the remaining sections. Trim edges with more than 1-inch of excess material and zigzag stitch edges to prevent fraying. Create the bottom hem by applying a zigzag stitch along the frayed edge of fabric. Stitch a straight stitch 3/8-inch from the frayed edge to create bottom hem.

7. 

   Covered sofa.

   Turn the fabric and fit. Turn the fabric right-side out and stretch it over the sofa. Tuck fabric along the edges of cushions to create a snug fit.

Tips & Warnings

• If the sofa has more acute angles or drastic curves, leave about 2 inches of "give" to the fabric covering the back of the sofa. Cut the back fabric in half from the bottom of the fabric to approximately 6 inches from the top of the back of the sofa. Sew fabric hook-and-loop fastener strips in opposing directions along the opening; this allows you to slip the cover on from front to back. Secure in place by pressing the back panels together along the fastener strips.

References

• Trading Spaces
• "Country Home Magazine": Slipcover Makeovers

Resources

• Slipcover Information