How to Make an Easy Cushion Slipcover

Upholstery fabrics feature heavier construction ideal for cushion wear and tear.

Covering the cushions for a couch, loveseat or other upholstered piece of furniture provides a quick and inexpensive way to change the look of a room. Many designers recommend buying quality furniture with nice lines and using slipcovers to update the design from season to season. Slipcovers provide functional design to a room. Families with small children or pets use slipcovers to protect, or cover up, spill and wear on cushions. With a creative eye, fabric can be chosen to fit the style of any room, creating custom furniture for any design.

Things You'll Need

• Upholstery fabric and matching thread
• Basic sewing tools
• Sewing machine
• Cushions

Instructions

1. Measure the cushion. The upholstery fabric should be two-and-a-half times the length of the cushion from front to back. It should extend wide enough to completely cover each side. It is better to have too much fabric than too little.

2. Lay the fabric right-side up on the floor. The right side of the fabric is the side that you want to see on the outside of the cushion.

3. Place the cushion in the center of the fabric. The front to back of the cushion goes parallel with the length of the fabric. This will give you a seamless appearance to the front of the cushion.

4. Pull the long sides of the fabric up and over the cushion, like you are wrapping a gift. The ends should overlap in the middle of the cushion with the sides left open. Trim the fabric so that one end slightly overlaps the other end by at least three inches.

5. Remove the fabric from the floor. Hem each end of the fabric by 1/2 inch using a sewing machine threaded with coordinating thread and set for a straight stitch.

6. Lay the fabric right-side up on the floor and place the cushion back in the middle of the fabric.

7. Fold the fabric again so that the two ends overlap in the middle of the cushion. This will be the opening through which the cushion is inserted and removed.

8. Pin the fabric sides together along one side of the cushion. This creates the side seam of the slipcover. Remove the pillow and sew along the pins. The slipcover now has three sides, two where it was folded over and the one just created by seaming.

9. Trim the fabric to the outside of the seam to 1/2 inch to remove any excess bulk from the sides of the slipcover.

10. Place cushion back inside the cover, fitting it snug in the three-sided pocket that has been created. Pin the fabric along the other side of the cushion. Carefully remove the pillow through the opening on the top of the cushion.

11. Sew along the pins. Trim the excess fabric from the outside of the seam to 1/2 inch. You should now have a envelope of fabric seamed up both sides, with an opening in the middle.

12. Place cushion inside the slipcover, which is inside-out at this point. You will notice that the corners are pointed, not square like the cushion. Pin each corner vertically from the top corner of the cushion to the bottom corner of the cushion. This creates a flat vertical seam for the corner of the cushion to fit neatly.

13. Remove pillow and sew each of the corners along the pins. Cut off the left over fabric 1/2 inch from the seam.

14. Turn slipcover right-side out. Place the cushion inside the finished slipcover.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a practice run with your sewing machine on a scrap of the fabric in order to set the appropriate stitch length. The heavier the fabric, the slower you should sew.

References

• Family Corner: Slipcovers 101
• Homespun: Slipcovering for Washable Furniture