Be sure you go to the Glidden website to claim your free quart of paint! Offer is good while supplies last. The website is a little slow (probably because everyone wants some free paint) but it’s pretty easy to submit your request. It also says that you can call 1-800-Glidden as well to place your order!
One of our readers Christy wrote us with the following dilemma:
“My couches are nasty but not nasty enough to get rid of–especially with my kids! I’d like to have some slipcovers that I can wash but I’m overwhelmed by what is available. I can handle something DIY but I want them to be snug and not look like, well, slipcovers. Am I asking for the impossible here? What do you think?”
Christy is right, there are lots of slipcovers out there that scream “I’m a slipcover!” The main reason they look like this is due to the fact that sofas come in many sizes, shapes, and styles and the slipcover manufacturer must make their slipcovers to fit as many sofas as possible. This tends to have features like bunched fabric, extra fabric, or skirts that are too long or too short. (Good thing apparel manufacturers don’t try to do the same thing!)
Christy, good news is, if you know your way around a sewing machine you can essentially make your own pattern with a little effort. I just finished helping one of my clients do the exact same thing. While I didn’t sew them myself I worked with my workroom to make sure they were fitted, and not more of the drape and tie type of slipcover. I watched her very carefully during the process so I could make my own later, and share with you how it’s done.
Things you’ll need to make the pattern:
1 bolt muslin fabric
Lots of pins
Pinking Shears
You’ll want to start off with the bolt of muslin. (Sometimes I’ll go straight to working on the pattern with the final fabric to be used, but since upholstery fabric can get expensive, and, depending on the design of your sofa you’ll need 10-15 yards of fabric we’ll use inexpensive muslin to create the pattern and then cut out the final pieces with your fabric.)
If your cushions are removable, go ahead and remove them so you have the basic shape of your sofa. Lay a large piece of fabric down on the sofa seat. (It’s called the deck without the cushions there.) Cut out the exact shape leaving 1/2″ extra fabric around all the edges. Continue to cut the pieces out by draping the fabric, trimming, and then pin together. You’re essentially putting the pattern together right there on your sofa. If you’re having trouble figuring out where to cut the pieces and make seams, just look at how your current sofa is upholstered, and anywhere there’s a seam, you know that you will also need a seam there.
After you’ve got the sofa pattern completed, make separate templates using your cushions. If the seat cushions are all the same size, just do one template and use it for all of them. Do the same for the back cushions.
When you’ve got your pattern made you’re practically there! Be sure to prewash the upholstery fabric you’re using first. We wouldn’t want to sew the entire slipcover, and then have it shrink on us!!
Remove all the pins from your pieced pattern (be sure you number or label them to keep then straight!) and lay them out on your final fabric. Cut the pieces out and sew together. Remember to match patterns if your upholstery fabric has a pattern to it. If you’re using a suede or other fabric with nap, keep that in mind as you cut out the pieces too. (For good instructions on the order in which to sew everything see here.)
Sew your cushion covers and place on your sofa! You just made a custom fitted slipcover!!
Be sure you keep your muslin pieces so you can sew different slipcovers later!
Tags: DIY, fabric, furniture, How to, make, sew, slipcover, sofa
We’ve had a few spots open for our Monday Redesigns! Would you like us to help you with your space? Just enter here or click the Submit A Space tab up top there. It’s super easy and we’d LOVE to help you!
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Here on Fresh Nest Design we love giving you the tools to be your own designer because that’s what we’re all about! Part of that is making sure you know what goes into choosing durable fabrics so that you can make your own informed decisions! I won’t talk much about choosing color schemes this time. (Probably in the near future though!) If you look at a fabric label you’ll see much more information than just the name of the pattern and the color. But how do you decode everything else that’s on there?
This label has lots of important information on there and we’ll try to sort through it all in the next few weeks so you can ALL be experts! What do they mean when they reference double rubs? Well hopefully I can help a little! And if you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments and I’ll answer then for you! If there’s enough questions about different things I’ll do a separate post.
The double rubs refer to a test where a special machine is utilized and a pad is rubbed back and forth over the surface of the fabric multiple times. This is done until a hole is worn through the fabric.
If it takes 25,000 rubs to make a hole than the fabric is labeled that it is durable to 25,000 double rubs. Some fabrics are rated for 100,000 to 200,000 double rubs! When compared to that amount, it seems like a 25,000 double rub fabric is not so durable, but in fact, 25,000 is perfectly fine for most residential applications.
Most of the ones rated higher than say, about 50,000, are for commercial use. When I design emergency rooms and I’m looking at the fabric labels to see what is safe to use on the chairs there, 50,000 is plenty for that application. (And emergency room fabrics get TONS of abuse and are used 24/7!)
If you’re ordering a sofa and getting custom fabric from a furniture store this information might not be in plain sight. You may have to ask the sales associate to do a little more work and find out the information for you! But it will help that you can make a more informed decision about the fabric you’re choosing! I hope this has been helpful and remember, if there’s any questions be sure to ask them in the comments!
So I assume everyone has an incredibly made bed after Barclay Butera’s post on making a bed properly. I hope you picked up as many tips as I did by reading it. And if that isn’t enough, Barclay Butera is back to giveaway his book to 2 of our readers! That’s right, two of you will have the pleasure of receiving this fabulous book in the mail.
The book is amazing. Seriously. Let me just show it to you myself. I received the book in the mail and couldn’t stop drooling over the beautiful pictures of Barclay’s work. It is un.be.lievable! It’s a hard bound book with over 175 pages of pure beauty. Here are some of my favorite pages.
So beautiful, huh? So here’s the deal…. 2 readers will be lucky enough to receive one of these in the mail. All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell us what area of your home needs a little sprucing up. Does your kitchen need a new coat of paint? Do you need some organization in your laundry room? Do you need to redo your landscaping? Is your garage so full you can’t fit your cars inside? Tell us, we want to hear about it.
For extra entries, you can tweet about the giveaway or post about it on facebook. Just leave another comment below with a link.
The giveaway ends Monday, June 28th at 10pm. The winners will be randomly selected. Good luck!
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Tags: Barclay Butera, Living in Style
