Making slipcovers has been something I've done for years, off and on. I mainly make and alter clothes but that can be seasonal. I really like when the home dec projects come along. For me, it's similar to making and altering clothes, you still need everything to fit and patterns need to line up. My most recent project was a slipcover for a rocking chair and ottoman for a baby's room.Finding the right fabric can be one of the biggest challenges in any project whether its home dec or apparel. The mom-to-be knew she wanted navy and white polka dot, that was a definite. She searched the area fabric stores but couldn't find what she had in mind. Looking online was a little more successful for her but when the samples arrived they weren't right for a slipcover.
Specifically, we were looking for a fabric with the weight of outdoor cushions, denim, or something similar. We found fabric at warehousefabricsinc.com. She ordered a sample and it was just what we both were looking for -- for her, the right polka dot in the right color at a very reasonable price and for me, the right weight to make the slipcover and ottoman. Thank you, Warehousefabricsinc.com!
The chair with the old cover removed.
I started with making the back chair piece first because it was the focal point, I wanted to make sure all the polka dots were centered and running in the right direction.
Adding the arm pieces came next. Lining up the dots was a challenge, making sure they were all going in the direction they were suppose to, all directions -- it took some thought, it took a few re-dos to make sure everything lined up.
Pinning around the curve where the arm meets the back of the chair.
I learned something new with the old slipcover. There was not a "platform' piece, the piece that goes across the seat of the chair. At first I thought that was odd until I took a closer look and noticed there was velcro along the edges of the seat "base" and then velcro on the cover to attach to the chair. Usually you have to tuck in the arms and back and they never stay tucked. It's a nice look for a loose cover but for a fitted cover it's a hassle. With velcro everything stays in place -- pure genius.
One thing about doing slipcovers - the largest item I can do are chairs because I need to have the piece in my house for fittings. I can't even imagine where I would store a sofa. I may need to ask my dear sweet husband to build a workroom in the backyard just in case I ever sew something larger -- for now, my limit are chairs of any shape and size (within reason, that is.)
