How to Create Effortless DIY Slipcovers with a Stitch of Artistry?

Posted on by Naomi

This post may contain affiliate links so I earn a commission. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Slipcovers are a great way to keep your furniture and still change the look of your interior decor.

Over the past 15 years of making slipcovers, I have had a great variety of requests come through my shop. Some clients want a patterned interior design fabric to spruce up their living room and others look for a solid, easily washable fabric that will give the space a fresh, minimalist look.

I started making slipcovers, not because I thought I knew what I was doing, but because my husband told an aquaintance that I could. At the time I had never done a slipcover before but knew a bit about clothing alterations.

Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter The Sewing Circle

Like many sewing skills, once you know the basics, the sky is the limit. Many sofas are basic rectangle or square shapes, which makes slipcovering less challenging. One of the main challenges on any cover is the corners, where the seams meet.

1. Slipcovers for camel backed sofas

DIY sofa slipcover ideas

This slipcover was made from a lighter weight designer, home decor fabric. The primary purpose was to keep the home decorative and to protect the furniture from cats. The shape of a camel back piece of furniture can seem challenging, but if you think objectively it isn’t that complicated. Start by tracing the outline of the back on the wrong side of the fashion fabric with tailors chalk. This will give you a perfect fit.

2. Geometric Patterned Slipcover

Couch Slipcover Rhinebeck NY

3. Solids with Contrasting piping

Take a look at this stunning piece by Slipcover Shelly. Her work is amazing. For more creative ideas be sure to follow her on instagram.

4. Creatively reveal wooden arms.

Below is another piece by Shelly, which shows off so much talent, from the pleated skirt, to the exposed wooden arms. Let your imagination run wild with the possibilities of all the slipcovers that could be made.

5. Slipcovers with Stripes

Susan from Fort Worth Texas is doing an amazing job on slipcovers! Take a look at these stripes, with matching sofa and chairs.

6. Slipcovers with attached back pillows.

From the look of this cover you would never guess that the back cushions are attached. It does make the job a little more challenging, but with careful measuring, accounting for all the tucks, a perfect fit is more than possible.

Custom Slipcovers in Rhinebeck NY

7. Show off the legs

This cover is so snug, one would hardly know that it is a slipcover. And without a skirt it leaves the beautiful legs exposed.

Do you want to learn to sew slipcovers?

I learned through books and DVDs after I was a seasoned seamstress. Before you tackle large jobs, be sure to try some that are less complex, and make good friends with your sewing machine so you don’t find yourself in the middle of a project with jammed threads and piles of frustration.

Virtual Sewing Classes

PDF TUTORIALS