Wednesday, September 21, 2011

my first attempt at a slipcover.....

was interesting to say the least.....
i have a couple of pieces of furniture that need to be recovered or reupholstered.  the thought of doing it by myself freaked me out.  i would read blogs about people that do this seemingly effortlessly.  
reupholstery is scary.  
the fabric on this small sofa is scarier.
and don't even get me started on this one...
can we just pretend that this chair is not dressed like a ghost?

this chair is actually a really nice chair whose fabric no longer fits our decor. 
the decor that i changed about 18 months ago.  being the intelligent man that my wonderful husband is, he started (18 months ago) ripping said fabric from the chair.  i was able to stop him before he got all of the fabric off but not quick enough to rip the fabric from the ottoman that i have already recovered.
but that only took a staple gun and a glue gun.
now, it looks goofy if we leave the chair uncovered. 
hence, the hillbilly slipcover, aka the paint drop cloth. 
don hates it and is convinced that i am a master upholsterer and for the life of him, cannot figure out why i haven't reupholstered this chair in a nice home decor fabric.
well, this is why...
 detail....
 detail....
and more detail, aka, piping......

like i said,  reupholstery is scary.
  
slipcovers seemed a little more doable for me. 
even though i have no real sewing skills to speak of.  
so i researched. and researched. and researched some more.  

i found and followed the video tutorial series that marian from miss mustard seed was generous enough to provide for everyone.
and i am proud to announce that after only 4 days, three broken sewing machine needles 
and two canvas drop cloths from lowes
and heavy duty thread that never did work in my sewing machine (hence one of the broken needles)
this...
became this...

no piping on the arms because piping scares me...
 and a little grey paint on the pretty legs,
it beats the white sheet i had on it before to cover it up.....
i still need to sew some ribbons on the back to keep it tied up
 but is so much prettier now than that green fabric.

 it's not perfect, there are lots of mistakes (try not to notice that the ruffle is uneven) and it tugs, pulls and buckles in places that it is not supposed to, and my seam ripper was really given a workout.
but overall, i think it turned out okay and i am glad that i finally took the plunge. 

 this one is next, and i am using the drop cloth that is part of it's ghost costume.  maybe i'll wait until after halloween......it's kinda cute!


12 comments:

Natalie said...

Holy cow, woman! That is AWESOME!!! I'm intimidated just to make a pillow...and you did an ENTIRE couch! *INTERNET HIGH FIVE!* Great job!

Ethereal PLUS what I Love said...

Wow this is really good ... you did great. I have been sewing over 20 yrs and I'm still afraid to try a slipcover. Great work!!!

Unknown said...

Girl if I can make pipping sure you can do it.
I want to sleep cover my ottoman but Im so scared too, I will check out Miss Mustard seeds tutorials
Loved your new sofa
And Check out piping tutorial of centsational girl soo easy I did it that means everybody can do it
And one last thing: the blue tufted sofa is just amazinggggggggggggg

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Wow, I am really impressed!! I can't imagine tackling a slipcover with my limited sewing skills. You did a fabulous job and now the settee is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing this transformation at the Open House party.
Hugs,
Sherry

Rachel said...

That turned out seriously cute! What a great shape and as my son would say, "it's a very useful engine"!

I love your pillows too!

And to think I was terrified of stapling new cloth onto my yucky dining room chairs, ha!

Amy Chalmers said...

Hi! Well if this is your first time you did very well with it. There are many hard things to making it fit right, especially when it has curves! Curves are the hardest, so you should be proud. Now next time don't be afraid of piping. You just add it in as you sew along...

Miss Char said...

Looks great and IMHO not being perfect is OK with slipcovers. You did a good job and thanks for sharing.

The Feathered Nest said...

GORGEOUS!!! I'm in love with your new slipcover!! And the imperfections? They make it even more precious ~ such a wonderful job ~ hugs and love, Dawn

Kahli said...

this is such a cute little sofa! You did a great job! I feel like I would suck at slipcovers even though I have reupholstered an armchair with detailed piping and pleats! I guess I need to just try it first.

Inspired by you said...

Great job on your first slipcover! My first slipcover has many mistakes that I am okay living with. It really changes the feel of the piece!

Curtains in My Tree said...

you did a great job for the first time and there is no patterns for slipcovers.

I have wanted to slip cover my sofa for years and don't know where to start

Debra@CommonGround said...

Fantastic job! Piping scares me too! Glad you linked up to VIF!!

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