* Remodelaholic *: Slipcovers

Slipcovered Wingback Chair..(that I want!) by Shelley

Hi. My name is Shelley. And... I'm a Remodelaholic.

When Cassity contacted me to do a post on my slipcover I was so thrilled that my computer chair dancing turned into full blown out of the chair dancing :D So, thank you, thank you Cassity for having me over to your AMAZING blog!

As I mentioned, my name is Shelley. I am a stay-at-home mom who finds sanity through creating. My blog Crazy Wonderful is my happy place where I can post about my favorite Izzy adventures and the creating that happens when she sleeps. By the way, I'm not yet prepared for what happens when they no longer nap. Any tips are welcomed! Hahaha!

Now, on to what's important!

How I Slipcovered My Wingback

I used Miss Mustard Seed's tutorial. It was such a great tutorial, I highly recommend looking at it even if you're doing something other than a wingback. Making a slipcover really wasn't that difficult to do, and this one only took a few days of working during Izzy's nap times to complete.

If you decide to make a slipcover (which I hope you do) here are some very helpful tips:

1. You CAN do this. It seems intimidating, but remember, you eat an elephant one bite at a time.

2. Wash and dry your fabric first! Not only does it prevent your finished slipcover from shrinking the first time it needs to be washed, but it also softens up the fabric making it easier to work with.
3. Go ahead and put forth the extra effort to make and/or use piping. It will make your slipcover look much more polished.

If you don't already have a sewing attachment for piping, borrow or purchase one. This is what I used.

4. If your using painter's drop cloths, use the prefinished edges to your benefit. They come in handy for the skirt of the chair, and also for any closures in the back of the chair.

5. Back to eating the elephant one bite at a time. Work in small sections, starting with the largest pieces first. Pin one major seam together, and then take it right over to the sewing machine to sew together. Try the sewn seam on your chair to check for fit before pining the next seam. Here's an example of sections you can work in.

6. When sewing a seam that has piping, make sure your foot is pressed tightly against the piping so that the needle stitches just to the side of the piping. It will give you a much cleaner look and prevent floppy looking piping.

7. If you get to a section that's giving you problems and you start freaking out, WALK AWAY. It's not worth ripping the entire thing apart in frustration and giving up. Not that I ever thought of doing that ;) Go do something else for a few minutes (or a few days) and come back to it later. You'll have a clear head and will be better able to figure out the solution.

8. This one's more of a design decision. When I made the pleats for the skirt, I knew I wanted a very crisp, flat pleat. I measured out my pleats, pining in place as I went, and then gave them a really good press and shot of steam with the iron before running them through the sewing machine. I know that when the time comes to wash the slipcover, I'll need to iron them down again. But, for now they lay great!