Change the Season with Sectional Slipcovers

You can get out of those winter doldrums and change the season to spring with sectional slipcovers. There are a couple ways you can do this. You can have someone come in and measure and custom make fitted covers for your sofa. Or you can buy ready made slipcovers, and tuck any extra fabric under the cushions to make it look tight and fitted. You would probably have to buy a love seat and a sofa, cover, and tuck the arm cover under the cushion between the two sections.

There are, however, online, a few sites that will show you how to measure, and will make you custom slipcovers to fit your sectional perfectly. The worksheets on their sites will tell you specifically what measurements you need to take, and after you enter the correct figures, they will calculate the cost for you. Each section would be covered separately.

Some sites ask you to send a picture of each section along with the measurements before they give you a labor cost and yardage estimates. You would need to email pictures with front, side, and back views. It is also helpful if you show the whole sofa with and without its cushions. The prices usually include the cost of whatever fabric you chose.

You can check out SlipcoverShop.com as an example. They are not specifically geared to sectional slipcovers for sofas, but they can handle each section individually. At most sites you will be asked to identify the arm, cushion, and back style by clicking on pictures. You then enter the measurements as they recommended to do them, choose your fabric, and whether or not you want skirting around your sofa.

You might also consider making your own sectional slipcovers. It takes some sewing skills, and will not be a quick, easy, or cheap project to complete. But it will cut your costs to an affordable level, if your budget is small. The first thing you must do is pick a fabric that is easy to work with...get some help choosing the material at your fabric center. Prewash it before you start doing any cutting. Shrinkage, if any, needs to happen before you start measuring! A stretchy fabric will hide a multitude of sins.

Use your cushions to trace the pattern, making sure that they all are the same size, or using the different sizes to trace on the fabric. When cutting, you must leave a half inch seam allowance on all sides. Baste one together and fit it to the cushion before your final sewing. Use long zippers so that you can remove for washing.

When doing the frame and arms of the sofa, it is wise to use muslin or old sheets to form your pattern. Use T-pins to mark your seams, staring at the arms and working your way along the section. It is often easier to use separate pieces for each plane, and seam them together. Again, it is good to seek advice from your local sewing and fabric center.