Category Archives: armchair slipcovers

My Brown Slipcover Experiment

Cream Cotton Poly Canvas Slipcover

I’ve always made my slipcovers in natural or creamy white as a way to give my small living space a bigger, brighter feel.  Even when I make new covers to replace the old ones, I stick with this cream cotton-poly canvas, natural denim or off-white linen.

This has been my decorating style for a long time. It’s hard to imagine slipcovering my furniture in a darker color and loving it as much as my favorite pale neutrals.

White Linen Custom Slipcover

But when brown kept showing up this year in my workroom, in trend forecasts and in swatch books I started thinking beyond cream and white.

I wondered if the right shade of brown would work as a new neutral for my slipcovers.

Brown always looks so good in plush velvet upholstery and tufted leather pieces with rich, high-low patina.

Would brown look as beautiful in a more casual fabric like basic bull denim or flat cotton canvas? Would brown slipcovers make my small space feel smaller?

To find out, I decided to do a little experiment on one of my own chairs. Continue reading →

Make Your Own Beautiful Slipper Chair Slipcover

Slipper Chair Slipcover in White Denim

White denim slipper chair cover by The Slipcover Maker

The slipper chair. You might know this little upholstered armless piece as an accent chair. I think of it as the everywhere chair.

Thanks to it’s universal design and small footprint the slipper chair has become a favorite for  extra seating in living rooms, bedrooms, reading nooks, guest rooms, hotel lobbies, waiting rooms and offices.

And, for you DIY home decorators, it’s one of the easiest chairs to update with a custom slipcover. Yes, you can make it yourself! At the bottom of this post you’ll find several helpful tutorials to get you started.

But first, let’s take a look at some slipper chair inspiration! Continue reading →

Slipcover Design: How to Handle Outer Arm Seams

Slipcover Natural Denim for Armchair

An outer arm seam sits high or low on the side of the rolled arm. It runs from the front arm to the back corner seam. Some are barely noticeable while others have welt cord or decorative topstitching.

I’m frequently asked about OA seams:  Are they necessary? What is the correct placement? Why do some slipcovers have them and others don’t?

In this post I share examples of slipcovers I’ve designed with and without outer arm seams. Here’s the scoop on when, why and how I do it.  Continue reading →