Which is easiest to do yourself? I'm not a sewer, but I'm willing to try. Also, which costs less? And what types of fabric work best as far as durability, stain resistance and easy cleaning? I have 3 small boys, who are VERY messy. I've been given a sectional couch for free and I'd like to recover it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Thanks again! The pink carpet is in new condition, despite being put in in the 80's! I'm just going to have to live with it for the next few years. That floral fabric for the sectional looks horrible! It would make a nice accent, much too busy for such a large sofa! I guess it's not really a floral, it's a fern print.
By the way, I finally got pics on the gardening forum!!
If it is an armless one, check out this pattern:
1. go to www.butterick.com
2. Click the Butterick square at top of screen
3. Click "shop"
4. Type "slipcover" in the search box
5. See pattern #4151 and click on the picture to get a full view.
If this armless style is like the sectional, I personally would pass on the floral fabric choice and I would leave out the piping. Adding piping to each seam is an extra step, and an extra expense.
If the sectional has arms, I would choose a sofa and loveseat pattern that resembled the style, and basically alter it to make 2 main slipcovers to accomodate how the sectional meets.
The yardage requirement for slipcovers is substantial. In the September 1992 issue of H&H Cobi Ladner did a weekend workshop called Shabby Chic. A 3-seat sofa with loose seat cushions was shown. The instructions suggest that a 6-7 foot long sofa with 3 seat cushions requires approximately 22 yards of 45" to 54" wide fabric. (fabric used was cotton duck)
Linda had a guest on H&H television that suggested using painter's dropcloths, available at Home Depot. I forget the name of the guest, but she said you have to wash and bleach them a few times before using them, to remove the sizing or something. When I was making plans for slipcovers, I sketched out the size of the largest one available from Home Depot and figured that using the dropcloths was a much cheaper alternative to purchasing fabric by the yard. Also, at a party I'd seen a sofa done up in a slipcover made from the dropcloth fabric, and it was fabulous, really.
Oh, and about the pink carpet. Our house had pink carpet too! It was in a small area of the family room downstairs, where the kids play and watch t.v. It was the old sculpted type, and it had really bad stains on it as well. With the new big mortgage and only a few coins left in the decorating budget, replacement was not an option. Fortunately for us, my husband's sister was upgrading the flooring in her LR to laminate wood flooring, and we scooped the grey carpet they removed, which is in really great shape. It was free, and it will buy us a few years of time.
I put a wanted ad in a buy and sell type magazine, and a lady emailed me to ask if I wanted it. I beleive it has removable cushions for the seat and the back and it has 2 sections. She said it's in fine condition and was steam cleaned last year. I'm in no position financially to say "no" to free! Plus my boys are really hard on everything, so there's no point in spending a lot of $$$. The couch is orange!!!
Did I mention that the carpet is DUSTY ROSE!!!
I almost made one for my old sofa and loveseat, but my FIL gave us a new set when we moved to our house.
Since you say you are not a sewer, I would have to suggest it might be easiest for you if you used a commercial pattern in the style of your sectional. (Butterick does have a pattern for a sectional, but it does not have arms.)
A slipcover is mostly simple seams. I would suggest you leave out piping, as it is extra work, and an extra expense. Commercial patterns come with instructions on how to measure out your set, and determine yardage.
Can you describe your sectional?
-how many pieces
-loose back cushions?
-loose seat cushions?
-with or without arms?
I noticed, in another forum, that you were typing about recovering a sofa. You mentioned that you sew, how difficult is it to make a slip cover? Is there a specific way to measure for the fabric? Any other tips would be great!
Do you know if you can dye the drop cloths? What dye works best?
for the advice!
Amy
I think slipcovers that are made from pre-shrunk, BLEACHABLE fabric would be my choice. I like the idea of using the painters cloths (dropcloths), which was done by a featured guest on a H&H television episode. (prewash well) Throwing a slipcover in the washing machine, to me, is a lot easier than steam-cleaning upholstery. If you prefer to use denim, make sure your sewing machine can handle sewing over the seam bumps.
With kids in the house, I would select a slipcover design that is a one-piece deal over the whole thing, and has individual slipcovers for all loose seat and back cushions. That way, when there is a spill, you could get away with laundering hopefully one cushion slipcover only. Also, I would make separate arm sleeves to go over the already slipcovered arms, as that area is prone to more staining also. Keep the arm sleeves for everyday use, and maybe remove them when you have company.
I think fabric cost would be about the same either way. It's far more labour-intensive to reupholster, as there are staples to be removed and such.