Make a Sofa Slipcover
A sofa slipcover can give new life to an older piece of furniture, as well as provide a room with a fresh appearance. While it is possible to buy slipcovers, making your own is more cost-effective and offers the benefit of using fabric that is exactly the color and texture desired. Best of all, it is possible to make a sofa slipcover using just a few basic resources and a couple hours of your time.
Contents
Steps
Preparing the Slipcover Material
- Determine how much material you need. The following are general guidelines for fabrics in solid colors; patterns may need more in order to match the different pieces up. Note that fabric is sold by the yard, which is the measurement lengthwise. Bolts of fabric at the craft store have predetermined width, which you'll need to verify before purchasing. Typical widths range from 32 to 60 inches (81 to 152 cm), with 45 and 60 inches (114 and 152 cm) being the most common. The following measurements are based on fabric that is 54 inches (137 cm) wide.
- For a two-cushion sofa, use 16 yards (16 m)
- For a three-cushion sofa, use 18 yards (18 m)
- For a six-cushion sofa, use 22 yards (22 m)
- For a two-cushion love seat, use 13 yards (13 m)
- For a four-cushion love seat, use 17 yards (17 m)
- Buy the slipcover material. You can purchase it at a fabric store or online.
- Consider a fabric in a solid color. Matching patterns or stripes across large panels can be tricky, so unless you're ready to put in this extra effort, look for a cover material that's a single tone.
- Opt for a fabric with a lot of drape – this will be much easier to work with.
- Wash and dry the slipcover material. This softens the material and also accounts for any shrinkage that may occur. Don't skip this important step: the beauty of a slipcover is that it can be easily removed and washed, but you need to make sure it won't shrink after you've made it.
- Be sure to follow care instructions for the particular fabric you're working with.
- Iron the material before attempting to begin work on the slipcover. Wrinkles could cause puckering in the finished product, so this ensures a smooth and accurate fit.
Creating the Slipcover Pattern
- Drape the sofa with cheap muslin or butcher paper and tuck in loosely. This mock cover should conform to the sofa's general shape. Since you're creating the pattern at this point, you can decide whether you want a close-fitting slipcover, or one that drapes more loosely.
- Note that it's okay if you need to use two or three large, separate pieces. In that case, you may need to secure sections to the sofa with safety pins.
- The arm fronts don't need to be covered at this stage; see Step 3 for more details.
- If you're feeling confident, you can skip the mock-up and drape the sofa with the material you're going to use, wrong-side up (that is, the color or pattern should be facing down). In this case, you can trace the pattern onto the fabric itself with chalk.
- Mark the pattern sections with chalk. Use chalk to identify where to cut out the pattern (with the exception of the arm fronts, which you'll do in Step 3). You should have a few different sections:
- the outside back of the sofa
- the seating area (including the backrest and front section that drops to the floor)
- the sides of the slipcover, which start on the outside and come up and over the inside of the armrests
- Measure the arm fronts. These are the two vertical sections on either side of the front of the sofa. It's easiest to create the pattern for them separately. Note that you need only make one pattern, which you can use to create both pieces.
- Cut out one rectangular piece of paper or muslin, roughly the size of the arm front.
- Use pins to hold it to one of the arm fronts.
- Trace with chalk along the outline of the arm front.
- You'll use this piece for both armrests
- Cut out the pattern sections. Use the scissors to cut carefully along the chalk outlines you've made.
Sewing the Slipcover
- Cut out the sections for the sofa slipcover. Place large sections of the slipcover fabric on a flat surface, then cover with each of the pattern sections. Mark the dimensions on the fabric with the chalk and cut out each section, allowing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) seam allowance for hemming.
- Seam allowance is a bit of extra fabric you leave so that you can sew the pieces of fabric together.
- If your arm fronts are asymmetrical, be sure to flip the pattern over before tracing the second one.
- Pin the sections of the slipcover together. Lay the pieces of the fabric on the sofa, wrong-side out (i.e., pattern or colored side facing in to sofa). Use straight pins to assemble the sections of the cover, taking care to affix the pins just on the inside of the chalk lines. This will create the general shape for the slipcover.
- Sew the arm fronts to the armrest sections. Remove these sections from the sofa (you'll need to unpin them from the other sections, but don't touch the pins connecting the arm fronts). Use a sewing machine to stitch the sections together, using the chalk line as the "road" for the stitching.
- Remember to place the fabric into the sewing machine wrong-side up, so that your seams end up smooth on the right side.
- Remove the pins once you've sewn the pieces together.
- Sew the body of the slipcover. Remove the other two pieces (the back and seating area) from the sofa, taking care not to lose the pins. Use a sewing machine to join these two pieces together.
- Remove the pins once you're done.
- Return the body and sides to the sofa and re-join. Make sure the cover fits snugly and falls evenly. Add pins to join the sides and body once again.
- Sew the side sections to the body. Use the pins and chalk lines to guide you.
- Remove the pins from the seams as you go.
- Check the slipcover's fit. Place the cover back on the sofa, wrong-side out. Make sure the seams are straight and the cover fits smoothly across the surfaces.
- If there are any spots that need fixing, now is the time. Remove problem seams with a seam ripper and rework them so that they are straight.
- Trace a hemline along the bottom of the slipcover. Remove the slipcover from the sofa and spread it out on a large work surface. Use chalk to trace a hemline along the bottom, about 1/2-1 inch (1.25-2.5 cm) from the edge. Use a tape measure to make sure your line is straight.
- Pin the hem. Fold along the hemline (wrong side to wrong side) and secure the fabric with pins.
- Iron the hem. This step helps ensure a clean, straight hemline, and makes sewing easier.
- Hem the ends for a finished look. Use the sewing machine to make the hem. Pause from time to time to make sure the stitches are even and holding properly.
- Try the slipcover on for size. Turn the slipcover so the right side is facing out and place it on the sofa, carefully tucking the cover into place.
Tips
- Railroad the fabric in order to avoid problematic seam placement. "Railroading" means you'll place the fabric with the grain running horizontally along the length of the sofa, with the selvage seams running along the floor.
- Use a large work surface for your measuring, cutting, and sewing.
- Using a thin PVC pipe cut to the length of the seating area will help anchor the slipcover and minimize slippage. After positioning the cover on the sofa (tucking behind the seat cushions), slide the pipe horizontally into the space between the back and the seat for a firmer grip.
- Keep in mind that the sofa slipcover does not have to be form-fitting. If the finished product is a little bigger than anticipated, simply tuck a little more of the fabric to create the look you want.
- Keep the pattern in a safe place: this will save time if and when you want to sew a new sofa slipcover.
Things You'll Need
- Slipcover Pattern (in muslin or butcher paper)
- Fabric for Slipcover
- Scissors
- Straight Pins
- Chalk
- Sewing Machine
- Measuring Tape
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- Slipcover a Couch
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- Purchase an Appropriate Sofa for the Living Room
- Buy a Sofa Bed
