The Great Cover-Up : Using Slipcovers to Hide Old Furniture Flaws, Create New Look Has Permanent Appeal
Slipping a new cover onto a piece of furniture, whether to change its look for the short term or the long haul, is an idea both current and as old as the hills.
*
The idea of slipcovers dates back at least to the 18th Century. Today, soft-fitting versions are widely featured in advertisements and in design articles; old pieces wearing new slips and new furniture designed to look like it’s wearing a cover-up.
All the attention has made professional slipcover makers--and there aren’t many of them--very popular people.
Jack Jackson of Jackson’s Slipcovers in Orange, for example. When he moved here from New Jersey in 1971, Jackson discovered that slipcovers were a nearly foreign concept on the West Coast, and customer development was slow going. In the 1 1/2 years, though, says Jackson, he’s been swamped with orders.
“The demand is there, and there’s not much supply,” he says. “In fact, I may be it.”
Not quite, but close. Most upholsterers don’t make slipcovers, although they can re-cover a piece in slipcover style. Calico Corners, a chain of specialty fabric stores, makes custom slipcovers, but their service is the exception.
Otherwise, finding a source for stitching a slipcover for your couch or chair may be a case of knowing someone who’s confident with needle and thread, or, if you’re reasonably crafty, stitching it yourself.
A surprising number of people are tackling the task themselves, according to Pat Morrel, manger of Cloth World in Huntington Beach.
“There are people who have done very little sewing who are attempting this,” she says.
*
There are four basic steps involved in making a slipcover no matter what type of furniture it’s meant to enwrap, says Morrel: cutting bolt fabric into individual sections roughly to size (called “blocking out”); pinning these sections directly onto the piece of furniture (called “pin-fitting”); trimming the sections close to the intended seams, and stitching the seams together.
The challenge, she says, comes from the first two steps. “The sewing itself is pretty simple--big pieces and mostly straight lines. Putting in zippers (so you can get the slipcover on and off) would probably be the hardest part for beginners.”
There are many books on the market which outline the process in detail. Sunset Slipcovers & Bedspreads by Sunset Publishing and Singer Sewing Projects for the Home are among the best, according to several fabric stores.
Singer--as do most other books on the subject--recommends making a slipcover out of muslin first to serve as a pattern before cutting into your good fabric.
Jackson recommends that too, especially for first-timers.
“There will be a lot of surprises in the process,” he says, “and you could save yourself a lot of grief and money.”
Morrel at Cloth World made a muslin pattern when she slipcovered a chair and will again when she’s ready to tackle her sofa. Despite the fact that she’s been sewing since she was 9, Morrel was reluctant to cut into good fabric directly without a pattern. “I’m not brave enough for that,” she says. “I’m more comfortable with a pattern. It’s what I’m used to.”
Another advantage of using a pattern, says Morrel, is that if you want to make another slipcover later, most of your work is already done.
Sunset’s method, on the other hand, is to block and pin-fit the final fabric directly onto the sofa or chair instead of cutting it from a muslin pattern. The direct fitting method is the one used by professionals. It’s also the technique demonstrated by Patty Liekhus of Placentia at her slipcovering classes at Woof & Warp in Long Beach.
“All fabric has a different amount of give,” she says. “So if you want your cover nice and fitted--which is the way I like them--then I don’t think a muslin pattern is particularly helpful. Besides, the direct method isn’t that hard. Only the first cut is scary.”
Lora Royster of Placentia, who attended one of Liekhus’ classes in May, came to the same assessment.
“I’ve made dresses that look a lot harder than this,” she says. “It’s just draping and pinning. I’m not going to bother with a pattern. I’d rather just go for it.”
Before attempting a slipcover project on your own, it will probably be worthwhile to educate yourself further on the subject.
Look at the books available, assess your own skill and temperament, and choose the method with which you’d be most comfortable. Look at some of the slipcovers by pattern makers like Simplicity, Butterick, and Vogue, too.
A few covers simply drape over furniture and are secured with cords, requiring minimal sewing. Though probably not good choices for long-term covering, suggests Morrel, they would be fine for a season.
If you’re still not sure whether to proceed, consider a slipcover-making class like the one at Woof & Warp. Though most attendees leave reassured, says Liekhus, she’s had others say, “I’ve just paid $25 to find out I’ll gladly pay someone $400 to do this.”
Once you’ve decided whether to tackle slipcovers yourself or to go professional, the next step is choosing fabric.
The universal favorite, say fabric stores, is a cotton or cotton blend in a substantial weight with a tight weave. “Something with strength but still soft enough to drape,” says Mary Ann Collins at Big Y Yardage in Orange.
Floral chintz and white duck or denim are popular choices for summer slipcovers, she says, and lately large floral patterns on bark cloth (a style called “shabby chic” after the Los Angeles-based store with the same name that popularized the look) are flying out the door. “They look like the material Grandma used on her sun porch,” says Collins.
“Shabby chic” has also become synonymous with the deliberately rumpled, baggy slipcover style currently in fashion. “English loose” is the proper name for this style, says Jackson, and construction is identical to more fitted styles.
“It’s pinned exactly the same but has wider seam allowances,” he says. “That’s the only difference.”
A fabric change can totally alter the look of a sofa or chair, says Liekhus. Florals, for instance, tend to disguise the lines of a piece that lacks distinction. Bold stripes, on the other hand, emphasize a handsome structure.
Finishing choices make a big difference, too. A ruffled skirt, for instance, looks romantic, and fringe adds opulence. For an illustrated example, see “Slipcover Chic” (William Morrow, $23) by Catherine Revland and Carol Cooper Garey. It’s full of sketches and ideas.
While prices of typical slipcover fabrics vary widely--from as low as $6 per yard to as high as $100 per yard--the majority are about $10 to $20. Simple muslin--which can be used for a trial effort or for the finished slipcover--is priced from $1.50 to $5 a yard.
Fabric store personnel can usually offer advice regarding yardage requirements for a specific project. As a rough indication of the amount of fabric involved, a yardage estimate chart from Sunset calls for 20 to 23 running yards of fabric for a three-cushion couch with a tailored skirt. A ruffled skirt would require another six to seven yards and welting (a finishing trim using cording covered with fabric) another three or so yards. The chart estimate is based on 45- to- 54-inch-wide fabric.
When in doubt, say the experienced, buy extra.
“People are always coming in for two or three yards more,” says Morrel. “And sometimes that’s a problem. There may not be any more, especially if the fabric was on sale, or the next dye lot may be a slightly different color.”
“People don’t allow enough for matching or forget to add in the yardage for welting,” says Collins.
“Always buy extra,” Liekhus advises her classes. “Extra is good. If you have some left over, you can always make pillows.”
Dealing with the sheer bulk of fabric required for slipcovers may be the most difficult aspect of the job, according to Linda Kamm of Capistrano Beach and Pat Koepsell of San Clemente, graduates of Liekhus’ class. They are jointly tackling a sofa slipcover for a friend.
“The most material I’ve ever dealt with before is maybe three yards for a dress,” Kamm says. “And we’re dealing with 18 yards in this case. Some of the skirt pieces alone are three yards long.”
It’s been fun, though, both women agree, and they’re more than ready to tackle another project.
“It would be a shame not to put what we’ve learned to use again,” Kamm says.
“Who knows, maybe some day we’ll go into business.”