tropit

I've made slipcovers many times. Most of the time, they came out pretty good and saved us a ton of money. Besides being cheaper than buying a new couch, or chair, the older pieces are far better made than what's on the market today. Anything made before the mid-sixties was built to last forever. Here are some of my tips:

Buy practical, sturdy fabric and make sure that your sewing machine can stitch through several layers of it. If not, consider buying a used, industrial machine for the job. Personally, I like cotton duck, or canvas. It washes up great. Watch out for prints that will fade in a bad way.

If you have pets, be sure that the fabric isn't the type that will get damaged easily by them and that it won't show the hair. (My dogs had a ball tearing up my silk velvet pillows.)

Buy more fabric than you need. You might make a mistake, or have a repair to make down the road.

Pre-wash your fabric And cording several times before you make one cut, or stitch. I did a loveseat last year and I wash it all the time. Although, I pre-washed the fabric, but I didn't wash the cording and it started to slowly shrink each time it went through the washing machine. Now I have to make repairs and adjustments to the slipcover where they ripped apart, due to the stress of putting it on and taking it off.

Make your slipcover a tad roomy. (See above.)

Use the pieces from the old couch cover to make a pattern for the new one and use generous seam allowances.

If you have any other questions, I'm happy to help. Just PM me. Good luck!

~ C