Tailored Slipcover Instructions
A slipcover is a convenient way to bring new life and style to an older piece of furniture or add a splash of color and design to a room that needs sprucing up. It is a covering that can be slipped over a piece of upholstered furniture such as a sofa, love seat, or chair. Easy or casual slipcovers may consist of a large piece of fabric such as a sheet, blanket, or bedspread that is draped over the piece of furniture and then tucked in. A tailored slipcover has a sleek fitted look and can give the appearance of reupholstered furniture. This type of slipcover can be made at home following some basic steps.
Things You'll Need
- Decorator fabric Matching thread Cloth or plastic measuring tape Iron and ironing board Sewing scissors Straight pins T-pins Tailor's chalk Yardstick Upholstery zipper Sewing machine Notepad and pencil
Instructions
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Taking Measurements and Cutting
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Iron the decorator fabric that you have purchased or chosen for your tailored slipcover to make it flat and smooth. Measure each section of the sofa, love seat, or chair you wish to cover at the widest points. You will cut the cover as a series of rectangles. You can shape the slipcover to any contours in the furniture later. Keep in mind that that the inside back and the outside back will be cut as one piece, as will the inside arm and the outside arm.
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Use the tape measure to measure the width and length of the furniture you would like to cover, adding 2 inches for seam allowances. Measure the width of the outside back. For the length of the back rest, measure the distance from the seat, up and around the curve of the back and down to the floor. Remember to add in additional inches if you want to create "tuck-ins." Authors Montano and Sommerstein point out that tuck-ins are used to edge a small amount of fabric into the crevices and grooves of the furniture's cushions. Use a notepad and pencil to record all measurements.
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Measure the width of the seat area and then the length of the distance from where the back meets the seat to the front of the seat and then down to the floor. Measure the front of the arm rest from the top edge to the floor and then the distance from the seat, up and around the curve of the arm rest and down to the floor. Record your measurements twice and be sure to add the desired seam allowances to your notes.
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Cut rectangles out of the decorator fabric that you have chosen for the slipcover. As you cut each piece, lay it over the furniture. Tailored slipcovers have a snug fit; therefore place the pieces on the chair right side up so that seams can be pinned with wrong sides together at first. You will repin them later with right sides together.
Pinning and Stitching
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As you lay each piece over the couch, love seat, or chair, be sure to smooth out the fabric and anchor it to the furniture piece using T-pins. (T-pins are designed to offer more surface area for pushing so that you can exert more force comfortably.) Use straight pins to begin pinning all the pieces together. Clip into the seam allowances along all curves. Use tailor's chalk to draw seam lines on the wrong side of the fabric as you pin.
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Unpin the seam at the back right-hand side of the furniture (leaving the top two inches of the seam pinned), and carefully remove the assembled slipcover. Use a straight-edged tool such as a yardstick to redraw the seam lines. Trim all the seam allowances to 5/8 of an inch, except for the back right-hand seam. Unpin one portion of the seams at a time, and repin with the right sides together. Continue until all portions of the slipcover have been repinned with the right sides together. The slipcover will now be inside out and ready for stitching.
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Stitch along the marked chalk lines, which are your seam lines. Start with the largest pieces (moving on to the smaller pieces), and sew the fabric together. Remove the straight pins as you go, and stitch only the top 2 inches of the back right-hand seam. Insert an upholstery zipper extending to the floor here. Finish the raw edges and then use the iron to press the seams open. Clip any excess fabric from the curves.
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Place the tailored slipcover back on the furniture to check for the fit. Turn up a 2-inch double hem on the lower edge and pin. Remove cover, press hem, and stitch. Install the zipper in the back right-hand seam. Replace the slipcover on the couch, love seat, or chair, close the zipper, and push in any tuck-ins.
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References
- Photo Credit sofa image by Greg Carpenter from Fotolia.com
