Build a Sofa from an Old Sofa
The easiest way to know what a sofa is all about is to tear apart an old, broken one to see how it is made. Then construct a new sofa using similar materials: wood frame, springs, foam and fabric. By the time you completely tear down a sofa, you will have a pretty good idea how to build one.
Steps
- Tear down the old sofa, one piece of fabric and one piece of wood at a time. If the frame is any good, reuse it, and replace the foam padding, Dacron cover and fabric cover.
- Rip off the old foam and glue or staple on the new. Remove the fabric one seam at a time so you have a pattern to work from and create a paper pattern from the old. Leave enough edge so you can actually sew a seam.
- Pin the fabric in place before you actually sew it together. That way you know if it will fit or not. Some parts, you can glue with fabric glue, then reinforce with stitching to be sure it fit exactly.
- Cut the fabric and lay it over the Dacron covered foam, then pin each piece where the seam would be. If it fits, sew it and place it over arm or sofa back - which ever section you are working on.
- Use hemp sewn in strips of fabric for the edging strips and found it works well and is inexpensive to make, however, it is time consuming and you can edit or leave out this step. Wrap the foam with Dacron and staple edges
- Make one long or two cushions for the sofa, and use a zipper or hand sew it instead. You can also use Velcro, which comes in long lengths in industrial grade that glues on Then you don't have to fuss with sewing zippers.
Warnings
- Make sure to be safe with anything sharp or pointy.
Things You'll Need
- Curved needles to hand-sew curved edges rather than nail or staple on the arm end pieces
- Long 5 - 6" needles to sew on covered buttons for cushions: some stores have a machine that does the work, so you can do it yourself, or have it done at a shop.
- The correct thread for sewing
