Our New Chaise Makeover

I bought this French chaise from a photography studio here in town. It had never been in a home and was used only for photographs so it was in perfect condition. I have always wanted one of these and was thrilled when I saw it for sale. 

When you last saw it, it looked like this. And even though it was perfect, I didn't want to leave it pink.

So, I painted the upholstery and the wood frame with chalk paint and covered the cushions with drop cloths. I used the same methods I used on these chairs. (The secret is to sand the fabric after you paint it!) I liked the way they turned out and nobody has ever suspected that the fabric was painted. I used the same colors on this chaise.

And I covered the cushions with drop cloths using the same steps I used for slip covering my couch.
How to Make a Slip Cover - Part Two

This makeover was free - I already had the paint and the drop cloth but you could buy enough paint and a drop cloth for less than $20.

This chaise is super comfy! My son was here for a visit and when he spotted this, he immediately flopped down on it and looked out the window.  And that's what I do, too!

We're almost done with our bedroom makeover. You can see the edge of the track for the barn door in this picture. My husband has worked and worked to get it up. The end screws don't hit a stud and he's had to change the molly bolts several times to try to get it securely on the wall.

He made another trip to the store this weekend for more bolts and hopefully he'll get it figured out this week. In the meantime, he's been working on putting rustic wood all around our house. I'm excited to show it to you when we get it done.

Find out how I made this pillow here: Making Pillows for the Master Bedroom and our progress on our master bedroom here.

Have a wonderful week!

love and blessings~

"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."

Isaiah 54:11,12

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Making a Slip Cover - Part Three

The final step in finishing your slip cover is the skirt.  I'm going to put a tailored skirt on our couch but you can also put a ruffled skirt on your couch, chair or love seat for a more romantic look.  If you've missed my earlier posts, click here for Making a Slip Cover - Part One and  Making a Slip Cover Part Two

The first thing I do is measure out my welting by wrapping it around the couch.

Before I cut it, I add at least an extra foot.  Your slip cover may be a little looser than you expect and you don't want to run out of piping.  I use Wright's and order it on Amazon.

This is the third large spool I've used this past year making slip covers and reupholstering furniture!  After measuring out the length I'll need, I cover it with the couch fabric.

And then trim it off.  I pinned the piping to my couch approximately where I wanted and then went back around measuring up from the floor. This is the best way to make sure your skirt will be even.   I wanted my skirt to be 12" long so I measured up 12" from the floor.

I started my piping on the back corner of my couch where my stopping and starting point would not show.  I like to place a pin every 6-8".  It can be hard to tell what's going on when you take the slip cover off the couch and get it on the sewing machine.  Placing pens close together will help you be confident that you're sewing your piping where you want it.  You might want to put pins even closer together going around corners.

Then sew your piping onto the cover, pulling it tight and straight between your pins.  The above picture is correct - the below picture will result in your piping not being straight around your couch.

When you get all the way around the couch, you need to connect your piping to itself.  Cut your piping so that it overlaps the start by about 2 inches.  Then open up the end of the piping and cut the welting inside so that it ends right at the beginning of the start of your piping.

Fold back the fabric...

and fit the end of the piping around the beginning...

and sew it down, finishing off the circle around your couch.

Put your cover back on your couch, right side out.

Mark your corners with a pen or pin.  I realized after I marked  mine with a pen that I intend this slip cover to be washable and my pen mark may bleed so I recommend a pin.  Cut your skirts.  Because I had put my piping 12" from the floor, I cut 15" skirts for seam allowance and hem.

I wanted my skirt tailored with one piece on each side.  I measured the fabric, adding about 3" to each side, to fold under on the ends of the skirts.  With my cover still right side out, I pinned my skirts on.

I pinned on my front skirt and one side skirt and sewed them on; then repeated the process.  I then added small 'skirts' under the four corners.

 I used Stitch Witchery - an iron-on bonding strip - to put hems in my skirt.  This is the first time I've done it this way and I really liked it.  There is no seam showing.  If you're not planning on washing your slip cover, I would usually use iron on interfacing to finish off the skirt.  This gives the skirt some body and again, no hem showing.

And here is the finished slip cover!

This is our love seat across the room in the living room.  I made this slip cover months ago and then decided I might like a ruffled skirt on it.

I love this romantic look when I see it in other's houses but I think if I have this soft skirt, I need something a little more rustic in this area to balance it out.

I might have to replace it with a more tailored skirt.  What do you think?

When we got these new dining room chairs last summer, I immediately slip covered them to keep them clean.  They are white underneath but I wanted to be able to relax when my family ate spaghetti on them and know that if anyone had an accident, I could wash them or replace them.

This is another chair in our family room that I slip covered.  This style with a curvy back is not as easy to fit  and may want to slip down in the back a little bit but can still be done. I've added elastic circles that hook around the legs in the back to keep them from slipping.

And a parson's chair covered to match the window seat.

This couch took me several days to get done but I'm really happy with the result.  It looks just like a brand new couch and is durable and washable.  

I've never had any formal sewing training.  If you can sew a straight line you can make a slipcover. 

Love and blessings!

"Let them praise His Name with dancing" Psalm 149:3a

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Making a Slip Cover - Part Two

You've now covered the body of your sofa, except for the skirt.  I don't have a reason but I usually cover the cushions now and do the skirt last.  You can skip to making the skirt if you'd like or follow me in making the cushion covers.

I bought 15 yds of fabric and ran out.  Our couch is large.  I bought 10 more yds because I want extra left for replacements or other pieces of furniture.

I trace with a pencil and then cut out fabric the shape of each of my cushions.  I will need to cut out a top and bottom for each cushion.  If your fabric is not the same on both sides, be sure you have a top and bottom for each cushion with your fabric right side out.

I  measure out my pieces of piping.  

Because I have 3 seat cushions, I will need 6 pieces of piping this length.

I then use the piping to measure the length of fabric I will need for the sides of the cushions.  Make your piping several inches longer than you need.

It's pretty hard to move your piece of furniture to a "work room" so I always work right in the room where the furniture lives.  I'm working with such large pieces that I just lay the fabric right out on the floor.  To get a straight cut, I fold the fabric back over itself, making sure the sides are aligned, to get a straight cut.

I measure the sides of my cushion adding an inch on the sides for seam allowance.

I use the tape measure and a pencil and make marks along my fabric at the appropriate width.  Then I use a straight edge and draw a pencil line where I'm going to cut.  You want to be really precise when doing this and make your edge as straight and accurate as possible.

I cut the first piece, adding several inches to the length and then use it as a pattern to cut the other two pieces (I need 3 sides).

The next step is to cover your piping.  Because I cut all the way across my fabric and then cut 3 pieces about 6" wide, I still have fabric the right length to cover my piping.  I lay the piping on the edge of the fabric and using a piping foot sew as closely to the piping as I can.

Then I trim it off.  I cover all 6 pieces this way.

Then I lay the covered piping on one of the tops or bottoms of the cushion covers and "surround" each of these pieces with piping.  Start on what will be the back of your cushion cover. Your fabric should be right side up.  Clip your piping so that it will be more flexible when going around a corner.

When you get all the way around your cushion clip the fabric away from the piping and cut the piping so that it meets the beginning without overlapping.  Fold back your fabric and finish sewing on your piping.

It should look like this.  Repeat for each of the tops and bottoms of your cushions...

making sure that you always start and end at the back of your cushions.  On my couch, these seams won't show at all because they'll be covered by the back cushions.

After you've covered the tops and bottoms you're ready to add the side pieces.  Again, make sure you start at the back of your cushion and sew a side piece onto a top or bottom piece, right sides together.

 Use your piping foot and stay as close to your piping as you can.  It should look like this.

When you get to the back, trim your fabric so that they overlap slightly, trim them off and sew them together.

I hope you can tell what's happening in these pictures.  It's pretty hard to get your fabric length exactly right so I finish it after I put it together.  You can also make adjustments in this area if your cushion cover turns out a little tight so you may want to wait to sew this seam until later.

I should have my cushion turned inside out in this picture - sorry!  Put your cushion cover on, inside out, matching up your top to your bottom.  Pin it together in a couple of places so that you can still remove it from the cushion.  Sew away from those pins being sure your top and bottom are matched up.  If not, your sides will be twisted or your cover may not fit at all.  Leave the back side of the cover completely open including the back corners.

If your cushion fits well it will be hard to get it on.  You want a wide opening in the back to do this.  I don't sew in zippers but you can if you like.  Just be sure that the zipper wraps slightly around the back corners of your cushion.  After I insert my cushion I hand-stitch my cover closed.

Your basic rule is just to follow the lines of your upholstery.  My back cushions have piping on only the top and sides so that's where I put my piping when I cover them.

Your last step is the skirt!  I will post that in a few days.  I may not get to it before Thanksgiving but will if I can.

My son, Matt, is home this week.  He lives in Boston so we are enjoying spending this holiday with him! Laura, who also writes for our blog, and her family will be in Virginia for the holiday with her husband's family.

I hope you have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by people you love.  We have so much to be thankful for!

Love and blessings!

" Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."  Philippians 4:8