Wednesday, April 9, 2014

WIng Chair Slipcover for under $40!


I've been wanting to get new living room furniture for years...mine is so 1980's looking. But there's always a more pressing repair or replacement that takes priority. New roof, new furnace, new kitchen...the budget can only stretch so far. My sofa isn't in bad shape and the light blue color is actually back in style. So I've resigned myself to living with it for the next few years.

However, the print fabric on the wing chair is just too outdated. I priced slipcovers and definitely didn't want to spend that much! So it's time to jump in to a frugal DIY project. This like many of my projects was done while my husband was away on a one-week business trip.
Because -
  1. He'd try to talk me out of it. ("Why do we have to change? It's fine the way it is.")
  2. He'd hover watching me work and offer "advice".
  3. He'd complain about the monumental mess I was making.
  4. It's easier that way!
I had a general idea that I'd need about six yards of fabric to cover the chair, but nothing in the fabric store was cheap enough to use. I wanted a neutral linen-colored fabric that could be laundered easily. Ikea had the perfect solution. I bought two Fabrina bedspreads each 98" x 98" at only $17.99 each. The fabric is an all cotton ribcord. Perfect.

I spent a lot of time searching online and in library books for patterns/instructions to make a wing back slipcover. This is probably one of the toughest slipcover projects there is. I was going to photograph and describe the entire project for you, but when I finally found a resource that worked for me, I thought why reinvent the wheel. So let me introduce you to Miss Mustard Seed and her fabulous video series. Miss Mustard Seed's How to Make Slipcovers- video series.  I'm a planner and measurer by nature, so following her fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach was scary for me. Believe me I'm glad I stayed with it!

Marian - you are a genius! She demonstrates the easiest way to make a fitted slipcover step-by-step. I followed her method but decided not to add a ruffle or cording to my slipcovers...therefore my project was easier and less expensive. No, my slipcover isn't perfect. If folks want to examine every seam they will find some faults. But as Miss Mustard Seed says "If you want perfection hire a professional". The slipcover is nice looking, fits the chair well, and is durable.

If you're going to try this project let me remind you to pre-wash your fabric first. Cotton fabrics usually shrink around five percent which could make a big difference in your yardage needs. Because the fabric was ribbed I had to take extra care in laying out the fabric direction and match the stripes. I also changed the method of closing the back. I wanted something tailored and finished looking. First I tried iron-on Velcro squares following the instructions very carefully. No matter what I did, the Velcro would NOT stay on the fabric. So I went to plan B and sewed on snap tape. This cost less than four dollars a yard (I only needed one yard) and was easy to sew on.
 I could have gotten away with using smaller bedspreads - the 59" x 98" size for $12.99 each - but I wasn't sure how much I would need. I've got tons of fabric left over. So total cost of the slipcover was - drumroll please -  less than $40!!!

Even my husband was impressed!

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