3 Slipcover Design Tips for Updating Your Old Sleeper Sofa

Sleeper Sofa Slipcover Ticking

There comes the day in the life of a sleeper sofa when no one — I mean NO one — wants to sleep on it anymore. The mattress is kaput.

Around that time you begin to notice how outdated the upholstery looks.  You wince every time you walk by it. As one customer puts it, “Blech.”

So, you ask yourself should I keep it or get rid of it?

The good news is your well loved pullout couch doesn’t have to go by the wayside just because the mattress is shot and the upholstery is ugly. If you have a classic design that is structurally sound and the cushions still offer good support it can easily be updated with a slipcover and become a great looking, comfortable sofa for everyday use.

Here are 3 design tips for giving your old sleeper sofa a new look and function:

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Grey Denim Fabric: 7 Favorites for Washable Slipcovers

Big Duck Canvas Grey Denim for Slipcovers

Denim swatch images from Big Duck Canvas.

It seems like for the longest time grey slipcovers were considered mostly for industrial decor and boys’ bedrooms.

Grey fabric options for custom covers were limited to stiff, dry clean only canvas and nubby synthetic upholstery. If you shopped for grey denim online not too long ago you probably came up short. I sure did.

Finding a washable, durable denim for slipcovers in a good grey was tricky.

Fortunately that has changed!  Continue reading →

Why I Cut Up This Brand New Pottery Barn Slipcover

Slipcover Replicate of Pottery Barn Comfort Rolled ArmchairI copy a lot of old slipcovers. They come to me thread bare, stained, shrunk and stretched. That’s the norm for a worn & loved slipcover.

Most well-used covers are in such bad shape they are ready to be thrown out. For that reason, I’m never hesitant about cutting them apart to use as a template.

But this project was different. My customer, Nicholas, sent me his brand new a Pottery Barn Comfort Rolled Armchair slipcover to duplicate. Yes, brand new! It was was perfect in every way. Well, almost perfect. Continue reading →

A Cotton Ticking That Works for Washable Slipcovers

Navy Natural Ticking Slipcover

For Malorie & Mike’s slipcover makeover I updated their pair of Wesley Hall faded velveteen chairs and ottoman using medium weight Covington New Woven Ticking.

Yes, you read that right — a medium weight ticking as in 7  to 8 ounces. Gasp!

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile you know I rarely recommend ticking, or any other fabric, that is lighter in weight than 10 ounces. Why? Most medium weight fabrics lack the coverage and durability that an everyday slipcover requires.

At first I was reluctant to use Covington’s 7.8 oz cotton ticking to cover plush upholstery. It’s not the heavy weight I prefer. I’m still on the search for that. But it worked surprisingly well for my customer’s project because it has four things going for it:

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