Slipcover Tips

How
To Choose & Care For Furniture Slipcovers

Choosing
Your Slipcover

• If
  you’ve got pets or children, or you simply use your furniture a lot,
  then look for a durable fabric that’s been tested for color-fastness
  and shrinkage, and is fully machine washable such as 100% cotton or
  twill.

 

• Look at
  your rugs, carpets, walls and curtains and pick a color or pattern that
  blends in with or enhances your existing décor.

 

• A
  patterned slipcover can look great and add a splash of color to neutral
  décor.  Solid colors are
  very versatile and can look better if you’ve got patterned wallpaper,
  rugs, curtains or carpets.

 

• To help
  you make your decision, order some samples of slipcover fabrics so you
  can see which goes best with you décor.

 

• Remember
  that if you want to cover dark colored upholstery, you may need to put a
  white sheet over your furniture before fitting the slipcover, to ensure
  the old color or pattern doesn’t show through.

Caring For
Your Slipcover 

• If your
  kids have been jumping on your sofa, or your furniture has been used a
  lot, your slipcover might get a bit wrinkled. 
  Creases can easily be smoothed out by lightly spraying them with
  water – a plant mister is handy for this – and pressing them out
  with your hands.
   

• An easy
  way to tidy up your slipcover when you put it on is to use a wooden
  spoon or spatula to push any loose fabric into the cracks at the edges
  of the cushions.

Covering Awkward Shaped Furniture

• Dining
  chairs with wooden backs can be transformed by covering the backs with
  batting or similar material – an old blanket would do – to add
  padding, then covering them with
  dining chair slipcovers.

 

• To
  makeover a sofa or chair with wooden arms, it’s simple to add padding
  by wrapping the arms in polyester batting (available at craft shops) and
  holding it in place with string or Velcro. 
  Once you’ve fitted a slipcover over the top, your DIY padding
  will be completely hidden from view and your furniture will have a smart
  new look.

 

• If you
  plan to put a slipcover on a leather sofa or arm chair, covering the
  seat in foam batting first will help the slipcover stay in place without
  slipping on the slippery leather surface.

 

• Two-piece
  sectional furniture can be covered by using ordinary slipcovers for each
  section and hiding the excess fabric that would usually cover the arms
  by tucking it into the space in the middle where the two sections meet.

 

• If
  you’ve got an old sofa bed that could do with an update, you can
  easily fit a slipcover over it as you would on an ordinary sofa –
  you’ll just have to remove it when you want to use it as a bed.

 
If you would like to make your own slip covers
then these instructions as to how to go about it, may prove useful.

Planning, measuring
and materials for making your own slipcovers

How to make your own
slipcovers