How to Make a Slip Cover Without Sewing for an Ottoman

Because of their simple shape, an ottoman slipcover makes up quickly.

Make old furniture or thrift store finds look as good as new with a fresh slipcover. Achieve a tailored look for the slipcover without sewing or sewing experience. A slipcover helps change the overall design effect of a room while keeping costs down. Any type of fabric can be turned into a slipcover, although some will wear better than others. Another advantage of a slipcover is that it can be removed for cleaning. This project needs only a few items and is done in less than a day.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric measuring tape
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Yardstick
• Fusible web
• Iron
• Safety pins
• Ribbon, grosgrain or satin, at least an inch wide

Instructions

1. Measure up from the floor, across the top of the ottoman, and down to the floor. Do this for both width and depth. Add one inch to both dimensions for the hem. For instance, if the ottoman is one foot across and one foot high, the fabric would need to be 3 foot 1 inch in each direction.

2. Cut the fabric to the measured size. Drape the fabric wrong side up over the ottoman, making sure it is centered. Extra fabric will lay on the floor, in a triangle shape, at each corner. Lay the yard stick on the triangle so that the fabric comes to the floor at the corner. Mark with a pencil so that a triangle shape is clear. Cut the triangle off. To visualize, lay the fabric flat on the floor before it is cut. Here it looks like a big square. The corners have to be cropped so they do not drag on the floor when the slipcover is put on. After the cutting, the fabric will look more like a stop sign. Using the 3-foot-one-inch square example as a reference, the triangle that is cut off is approximately 5 inches high and about 8 inches across the base.

3. Heat up the iron. Lay the fusible web on one edge, on the wrong side of the fabric. Fold the fabric edge over so the fusible web is covered. Use the iron to melt the web and glue the fabric together. Fuse on each edge of the fabric. The slipcover is now hemmed.

4. Drape the fabric over the ottoman again, centering as before. Fold a pleat at one corner, so that the edges are straight down on each side panel. The pleats fold to the inside, similar to the folds made when making a bed, only done on both sides of the corner. The depth of the pleat depends on the size of the ottoman. Secure with a safety pin. Repeat on the other three corners.

5. Make four bows with the ribbon. Using safety pins again, pin the bows over the pins that are holding the edges together. Ribbon choices include grosgrain (which looks ribbed) or satin (which is smooth), being either plain or of a complimentary design to the fabric. A wider ribbon will cover the safety pins better. This adds a design element, as well as covering up the safety pins.

Tips & Warnings

• Sew a couple of quick stitches, instead of tacking with safety pins .

• Choose buttons instead of ribbon bows; however, they will need to be stitched on.

Resources

• Sewing For the Home: Singer Reference Library; Cy Decosse, editor; Random House; 1984.