FURNITURE SLIPCOVERS
MAKE A TAILORED COVER FOR A CHAIR
Before constructing a slipcover for yourself or a client there's
several considerations you should keep in mind:
- Will the fabric be washed or dry cleaned?
- Does your client want a tailored, casual, or "sloppy"
look?
- Will a slipcover hang right for the piece of furniture considered?
- Is the fabric in mind appropriate for a slipcover?
People want slipcovers for different reasons, such as, they have
pets and/or kids and would like to be able to easily clean their furniture,
they like the "look" of slipcovers, or they think that slipcovering
is much cheaper than upholstery. Making a slipcover is not necessarily
easier than upholstering a piece and often takes just as much time to do
right. If you plan on making covers for a living we suggest investing in
one of the training videos available. Like ours, The
Slipcover Option. (Shameless self-promotion) Please study
Basic Cutting and Sewing and and the cutting and fabric layout portions
of Reupholster a Chair
before starting.
Our
client had a pair of chairs, like the one at right. She chose an upholstery
weight fabric and wanted a tailored look. The fabric, heavier than usual
for a slipcover, fell quite nicely and covered up the channel back better
than a plain material or polished cotton. Because the fabric had a backing
it would need to be dry cleaned. Due to shrinkage some materials need to
be pre-washed. Fabrics that are to be washed may make it necessary to finish
the seams off with a serger, zig-zag them, or at least go around an extra
time close to the edge with a straight stitch. Another alternative on covers
without welt cord is to top stitch the seams. (See photo in how to
Recover a Truck Seat) Most of our fabric distributors recommend dry
cleaning to maintain the new look of their materials.
Here's
our finished cover. Most slipcovers have skirts. It's important to know
if the furniture is going to sit on a carpet or hardwood floors. If your
skirt is too long sometimes you can put furniture glides on or cups under
the legs. We measure and block out the material in a similar manner as
we did in the upholstery segments only we cut the pieces a bit larger.
We double hem, that is turn over an extra time, the edges of the seat boxing
and outside back, etc., so allow for that.
We
were able to cut the inside back and seat several inches longer in order
to be able to stuff the material down in back. This helps keep the cover
in place. Mark the center of the front and back of the seat and notch the
front and back of the seat material. Place the seat fabric wrong side up
and chalk out the shape of the seat by feeling for the cording. Also chalk
around where the the fabric meets the frame of the inside back. We wanted
the new seam to finish slightly beyond the upholstered seat so that it's
not sitting right on top causing a bulky look. You remembered to cut your
welt material on the bias, didn't you? Fold the seat material to make sure
both sides are the same, make 1/2" seam allowance and cut out.
Next
align the inside back material in the same manner as the seat. Fold in
2-4 pleats as needed in both upper corners. Pin them or use a hand stapler
to hold them until they can be sewn down. Chalk out the shape of the inside
back. Sew down the pleats close to the edge of the fabric.
Here are the
inside back and seat pieces. Note the cut outs where the fabric will go
around the frame. Start from the center notches and sew the two pieces
together.
The
edge of the seat protruded beyond the lower part of the frame so we sewed
in darts at the two front corners. Another alternative (often a better
one) is to make the seat boxing in 3 parts. The boxing may also need to
taper down towards the back of the seat. See how this is done in Recover
a Truck Seat. If your seat boxing doesn't need to be pieced or tapered
then you can sew the welt and boxing all at the same time as in Sew
a Boxed and Welted Cushion, otherwise sew the welt down first then
start the boxing at the center notches.
Shape and sew the
outside back material. Here we've sewn 3/4" Velcro on one side so
the cover can easily be removed. Double hem the boxing and outside back
to eliminate the raw edges.
With
the cover on the chair make a chalk line to mark where you will sew on
the skirt. The material for this skirt was self lined, that is, it was
simply doubled over. Iron. We cut the entire skirt in one length and placed
deep 3" pleats in each corner. You can also make individual panels
for each side with a flap at each corner (the common way on most upholstered
pieces). Finally we've used a trick our seamstress Layne, came up with
to hold it all snugly together. Sew a strip of Velcro to the seam just
under the welt and the other piece to the last flap (or pleat). Steam the
entire job if necessary.
Return To UPHOLSTER! Home Page
