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
A custom-ft slipcover in charcoal cotton-poly canvas for my Kalamazoo customer, Andrea. It’s just what her Pottery Barn chair needed to look new again. Farewell old brown slipcover!
Fabric for this project: 12 oz. cotton-poly canvas, color charcoal. Look closely and you will see a subtle two-tone color effect. Love that!
This durable canvas is made with 11% polyester, which softens the wrinkle and adds strength. It takes on a wonderful relaxed French Laundered look after it’s washed. It has a more upscale, substantial look than basic cotton canvas.
Great for family-friendly, washable slipcovers that get moderate to heavy traffic.
Beth purchased her Pottery Barn Basic Sofa back in 2003 with an indigo denim slipcover.
After many years of wear, wash and exposure to sunlight, her original slipcover shows its age but the sofa itself is still going strong.
Unfortunately, Pottery Barn no longer makes replacement slipcovers for their older models from the Basic collection. They changed the size, their newest slipcovers don’t fit. No problem. I can make a slipcover copy!
Beth dropped off her old Pottery Barn slipcover to use as a pattern. She chose Beefy Brushed Bull Denim in color Graphite by Carr-Textile. This 12 oz. cotton denim is sanded, brushed and dyed to take on a broken-in look after it’s washed.
I updated the slipcover by shortening the skirt a couple of inches to expose the sofa legs a bit.
Like most older sofas and chairs, the cushion filling compresses overtime and no longer fills out the cover. Beth is working on refreshing her back cushions with help from my DIY instructions I posted here.
Thanks to episode 6 of Fixer Upper, the remarkable horse barn transformation, I’m now obsessed with decorating with grey and white. Slipcovers and all!
I especially like grey slipcovers in a room with a lot of white and natural materials. Tonal shades, from pale grey to charcoal, in different weaves strike a nice balance between color and texture. The recycled cotton Respect Fabric collection from Bemz (maker of custom covers for Ikea furniture) is a beautiful example of this.
Recently, I’ve been working with a few grey slipcover fabrics from Big Duck Canvas. I think you will like them for your own project.
From left to right:
Linen Plain Weave in Soft Gray — an 8 oz. medium weight linen cotton blend that Big Duck calls “upholstery & drapery” fabric. I call it the perfect slipcover fabric!
Cotton Pebble Cloth in Stone Grey — I’m currently making a sofa slipcover in this 10 oz. canvas and can tell you the overall quality is quite nice. It makes a decent medium weight slipcover with a casual look and feel.
TIP: use this fabric on the reverse side. The front side is brushed but I found it gets too fuzzy and pills when washed. The reverse side is not brushed and looks great!
Cotton Poly Canvas in Charcoal — this 10 oz. blend in 60% cotton and 40% polyester is a fine weave canvas yet feels beefy and durable. This a good fabric option for simple, contemporary style slipcovers.
