Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Nasty Sofa? Slipcover It!

Take a look...

This was the before...

White slipcovers brightened the entire room!  I know I know, I have a one year old and a three year old and white slips might not seem like the sanest solution to dressing up my furniture.  But they are!  I have washed the covers numerous times now and they are holding up beautifully.

Some of the stains that have washed out of the slipcovers:
  • marker
  • crayon
  • oatmeal
  • juice
  • mystery brown goo
  • blood
Here is the blood.  I stuck myself with a pin when I was sewing the slipcovers.  And the stain came out!  Oxy Clean is amazing stuff, especially on blood.

I am not going to pretend like this project was easy.  It was totally doable, but very labor and time intensive.  The payoff was HUGE, so all the blood, sweat and tears were worth it.

Before I go any further, I have to say that I never ever ever could have even attempted this without an awesome ebook:


And here is her blog:

This ebook was made for me.  Kristi wrote it in a way that gave me confidence but didn't lose me in all the details or rules.  She totally encouraged me and somehow made me believe that I could do this.  I think her passion is seeing the world slipcovered... she is so sweet and helpful and loves posting pics of the final products on her blog.  If you are going to attempt this, you will be spending some $$ on the fabric.  Do yourself a favor and make a small investment in the ebook!

I also slipped a chair.  Here it is in progress:

Here it is finished:

I actually started with the chair (to give me the confidence I needed to tackle that crazy sectional).  Kristi instructs in her ebook to pin the fabric inside-out when making your slipcover.  Only problem with the sectional?  It isn't symmetrical, so that won't work.  I hemmed and hawwed and sighed and complained when trying to figure out how to get a clean look on the arms of the sectional.  And then it hit me:  Pin the arm of the sectional slipcover on the chair!  The chair and sectional are from the same line of furniture, so it worked out beautifully.

 So this arm on the sectional

was shaped by pinning inside-out to this arm on the chair

And it worked!  You need to understand that I have very limited sewing skills.  I love problem solving and muddling my way through new experiences, so I would say a small amount of knowledge + the ebook + the right attitude can get you some new slipcovers too.  And I love the word custom.  They are just for me and my furniture; not from some kit I bought at Target (although I do have one of those slipcovers on a chair upstairs).

Here is one more look, because I'm so dang proud

Thanks for visiting!  I love comments so let me know what you think and if you're going to try this at home!
Blessings,
Jamie
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51 comments:

  1. It looks great! Just the thought of slip-covering your full couch including an arm chair would have kept me from doing it for years or eternity. But you saved so much money by doing it yourself. And it does look brighter and it looks like a whole new area because of how white it is!

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  2. Sewing is still not something I've attempted so i'm in AWE of a project like this! It looks awesome and with oxyclean it seems like a great solution with kids. I LOVE that our couches are slipcovers and pretty much everything comes out in the wash! Yay Jamie!

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  3. This looks really amazing! I'm using the store bought slip covers that you just drape and tuck. I'm very intrigued by this E-book, though! I'm ok with sewing so I may have to try it! Thank you so much for sharing :)

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  4. The cover looks amazing! You are one brave soul to tackle this...but ended up with fantastic results!

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  5. Both pieces look fabulous. I recently bought the same ebook for a couch in my living room. I sew very little, so I've been a little nervous to start. After seeing yours, I think I have the inspiration to put this on my summer project list. Thank you!

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  6. Looks like you had a lot of hard work, but it paid off! I'm a new follower thanks to the Not Baaad Link Party.

    http://sweetteaserendipity.blogspot.com

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  7. Thanks for the advice on that e-book. I will definitely be checking that out. I want a white slipcover so badly, and even though I have years of sewing experience I keep dragging my feet, afraid to take the plunge and get started. Yours turned out so fabulous! I am going to get that e-book and have my white slipcover soon!

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  8. Oh I'm sooooo impressed! I just did a little ottoman. It turned out really good... but I don't think I would tackle this. :) GOOD JOB!

    ~Liz

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  9. You have every right to be proud of your achievement! What an accomplishment! Congrats on great work!

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  10. This is fantastic! I once covered a couch with no book for guidance and bumped my way through. But then the cat picked at it and destroyed it!!! You did a great job!!

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  11. Oh wow, you should be proud- that's amazing! What a huge project! I'd be really intimidated by any type of slipcover, let alone for a sectional!!! Great job- it gives your room a totally new and fresh look. Love it!

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  12. Wow!! I saw your link at Not Just a Housewife and I am so impressed! Those slipcovers look professional! This makes me a little less chicken about trying something like this. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. WOW - it's beautiful!! I just got the fabric for my slipcover project. I can't imagine how hard that was to make. It's so pretty!

    xoxo
    Jen

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  14. How funny that you just did this because so did I! I white slipped my couch that was a hideous microfiber red before and I'm totally loving it. What's funnier is that I also have a 1 year old and 3 year old AND I got a dot of blood from a pin on my slipcover too. It's like I wrote this post, haha! Anyway you did a fabulous job and it looks amazing!! If you want to see mine, here's the link: http://www.honeybearlane.com/2011/06/how-to-make-a-couch-slipcover-part-1.html

    Heidi

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  15. What a difference! Thank you for sharing this with us!

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  16. This is great!
    Hi from your newest google follower. I saw your link on Crafty Soiree.
    Please pop by, Karima from
    www.karimascrafts.com
    and
    www.karimasblogs.blogspot.com

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  17. I know making slipcovers is difficult! You did a great job! The sofa now looks like the ones in PB catalogue.

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  18. Girl...anyone who slips a sectional gets props from me! That is a hard job and you make it look easy! Great, Great job!

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  19. Gorgeous! it made such a big difference!!!

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  20. Great job, you deserve 2 pictures and blow them up big for all the work you did. I have done several wing back chairs and I am still hesitant to do a couch so I am know you did an amazing job.

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  21. Well you should be proud! That was a large first project to tackle and you did a great job! Congrats on using the piping too.

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  22. Absolutely Stunning! Great work!

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  23. Good for you! I can't stand sewing that's not to say I can't sew I'm the daughter of a seamstress I just hate doing it.
    Kristy @ 4 the love of WOOD

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  24. This is amzing, im really hopin to do one on my sofa also, this may have jus given me the courage i needed...

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  25. I am impressed. You did a wonderful job! I am not a sewer either and I don't think I would have attempted this slip cover, especially for such a large couch! I will be featuring your couch slip cover on DIY Thrifty Thursday this week. Thanks for linking up!
    Michelle
    www.thrifty101.blogspot.com

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  26. My sofas need this desperately. I'm afraid my sewing is very minimal though. One day.

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  27. Your slipcover looks fantastic. I am about to attempt my sectional. It looks exactly like yours. Would you mind telling me how many yards of fabric you ended up using for this project?

    Thanks.
    Ashley

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  28. well done! I love the pillow with the fluffy flower too!!


    greetz from your new follower from germany

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  29. Thanks for sharing! this is great encouragement- my seeing skills are also very limited! New follower. I invite you to check out me new blog.

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  30. Beautiful slipcover. I've sewn a chair slipcover and while it may not be brain surgery, it certainly helps to proceed slowly and it'll all come together. I went to the library and found these books very helpful: "Custom slipcovers Made Easy," "The Complete Photo Guide to Slipcovers," and "Slipcover Style."

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  31. just found your blog and your slipcover....amazing! I'm following you!
    Debbie

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  32. Thanks so much for your comment on my decorator rope balls, they are easy to make you should give it a try.

    Admire you for having the skill to make a slip cover, I have the mother of all ugly sofas in my basement but took a little whimsical route to deal with the problem...check out how Here, and let me know what you think!

    Just became a follower of your blog... I'd love you to follower mine too and join me on my creative adventures.

    Zoe

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  33. It turned out great and you are right it really brightens the room up. Good job!

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  34. This is amazing! I would love to attempt doing a slipcover for my couch but was so intimidated. Yours looks like you got it from Pottery Barn! So lovely! Would you link it up to my party?

    http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com/2011/12/latest-and-greatest-friday-12-features.html

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  35. Amazing! Geez! It looks great, I really need to do this.

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  36. You should be proud, very proud. Amazing. I will learn someday!

    maxwellhouseinteriors.blogspot.com

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  37. Wow! Looks amazing. We would love to have you come share your great ideas at our weekly link party every Saturday! -The Sisters
    http://www.sixsistersstuff.com

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  38. love it! i was just thinking today how much I would love a new sofa b/c our 9 yr. old denim has just about had it, but I know the husband will not go for it right now. I think I'll just try this! Great job!

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  39. Wow! you inspired me! Neat job! Congratulations!

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  41. this is awesome!!!!! did you have to unattached the back pillows to the couch or were they already unattached? I cant find the ebook on her site.. You should make a tutorial :)

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  42. Hi Dear,

    i Like Your Blog Very Much..I see Daily Your Blog ,is A Very Usefull For me.

    You Can see = Slipcovers for Sofas
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  43. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  44. Besides, if you have an extra large sofa at your home then you can consider buying the extra large sofa covers. This sofa covers have a good length and breadth which will surely fit your sofa.

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  45. Great Post! I’m a total novice and anytime I can learn just a bit, it’s great. Thanks.
    2/3 seater sofa in UK

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