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How-To Create a Fitted Slipcover for a Cushy Curvy Chair

Club Chair Custom Slipcover Natural Denim

A rounded back, curved inner back, puffy rolled top and deep tufts. These cozy features on Roxanne’s well-loved arm chair have stood the test time.

Her old chair is still sturdy and very comfortable. Never mind the faded, outdated upholstery. When a chair has good bones, comfy support and classic design the sky’s the limit on updating the look.

Roxanne’s vision for her chair:  clean, bright and versatile. She went with a fitted slipcover in natural denim.

Fitted? How in the world do you get fabric to snug smoothly over all of those cushy curves?

How To Shape Inner Back Slipcover

Create shaping seams, of course! And, add a couple of tucks, too.

For this project I used 12 oz cotton bull denim in natural. This beefy, densely woven fabric did a good job at covering the textured upholstery and tufts without grin through.

To control fullness in the curvy areas I pin fit the body with shaping seams. This chair needed 5 seams on the inner back and 2 on the outer back.

Think of a shaping seam like a princess seam used to contour a piece of clothing through the bodice.

I like making shaping seams barely noticeable. I stitch the seam, press it open and then edge stitch on both sides of the seam to make it strong, flat and smooth.  Works like a charm every time.

Below is an upper back view of Roxanne’s slipcover to give you an idea of what the stitched shaping seam looks like.

Shaping Seam Details on Denim Slipcover

 

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. I love following your posts! You are an excellent seamstress and you inspire me to do more sewing! Thank you for all the info and tips. I am hesitant to make slipcovers for other people because I just have the traditional 30+ year old Kenmore sewing machine. The machine works great but the seams on the slipcovers I make for myself always end up fraying. Do I need to invest in a better machine? Thanks

    1. Hi Karen,

      If you like how your home sewing machine sews seams I wouldn’t replace it. It sounds like you need a serger to finish the raw edges of your seams so they don’t ravel or fray. I use an industrial straight stitch machine and an industrial serger because I sew everyday for a living and work with heavy weight fabrics that need powerful machines to stitch through the layers. Take a look here https://slipcovermaker.com/start-a-slipcover-business/shop-my-workroom/industrial-machines/

      If you decide to make slipcovers for a living I would invest in the industrial machines. If you want to sew just for yourself with fabrics your home sewing can handle than I would just keep going with that and buy a home serger.

      Karen

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