Thursday, February 18, 2010

Giving You The Slip!

image unknown...sorry
The slipcover is an amazing thing when you have two little boys bouncing all over the place with muddy feet, grubby hands and always covered in grass or sand. It is slipcovers that have made family homes live able, attainable and designable. With a swathe of white denim, or better still white linen, a slipcover can be easily made.
Our own sofa is covered in a slipcover made by me and has been one of the best things the old sewing machine has ever run up, is always being washed and still looks great.
I have yet to cover the other sofa, just haven't had the time, but have put it in my diary to be done and finally I will have the slip covered sofas I have wanted since the boys were born.
The new Nancy Meyers film "It's Complicated", with its gorgeous set, courtesy of the amazing Beth Rubino, has a slip covered living room and I always feel that a family living space should be designed with comfort as well as beauty in mind. The slipcover is perfect for this. No need to cringe when you have a dinner party if your good friend has had a few to many wines and takes her banana pudding with butterscotch sauce over to the sofa to join the men on a debate about cars...just throw it in the soak bucket when they leave, wash and voila! new sofa again.


The famous set of Nancy Meyers "Something's Gotta Give", which was also designed by Beth Rubino, has set many a heart a flutter and a rush was made by those who could wield a sewing machine to cover their unloved sofas and breathe new life into them. I also love the fact that you can make seasonal covers for Winter, Summer and all in between for the small cost of some fabric.
Heiberg Cummings Design
Even the most hideous sofa can be turned into a thing of beauty, by removing big bulky back rests and creating a cosy haven with loads of down filled cushions to take their place. This one here reminds me of one I have seen made over, which had said bulky back cushions which were ripped off, and reused as smaller cushions and made an ugly couch somewhat of a statement piece.
Victoria Hagen
Anything can be covered with a slip and I have done many of my own pieces, like our wing back chair, Chaise, sofa.....
Anyway you look at it, the slipcover is here to stay!
Ness xx

19 comments:

  1. Hi Ness,
    I love such slip covered sofas but cant find one that hold its shape. If you take one from the swedish I*kea then it looks very crumpled after a while. So first I have to search for a good sofa and then I will try to sew such a slip cover for it. But I do not have your skills I´m afraid ;-)
    Have a wonderful thursday !
    Eve

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  2. I'd love to have a slip cover for my sofa but as it's a corner sofa I'm not sure how to get one. I assume sewing one is not the easiest option...

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  3. With my dogs, slip covers are obviously the answer, white is obvious because you can soak and bleach it....BUT....ironing? Do they require long and difficult ironing?
    THAT IS THE QUESTION!!!!!

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  4. They look really good, I've been wanting to make one for a while but haven't managed to get the courage to try it, not sure if my sewing skills are up to the challenge! Are they easy to make? Abby

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  5. Years ago, when I first bought my house as a single young lady, I bought a second hand Pottery Barn slipcovered sofa. I love that sofa and still have it. However, with dogs and cats, the slipcover is destroyed. I wanted to buy a replacement slipcover (after all, you would think that if you bought a Pottery Barn slipcovered sofa, they would offer replacement slipcovers), but they no longer offer the slipcover for this sofa. I don't get it. It has one long seat cushion and square arms with no back seat cushions. I've tried other slipcovers from the store and they all look messy because nothing is fit like a sleeve, which is what the original looked like. It looks like I'm going to have to take my limited (limited = non-existent) sewing skills and make one myself before my husband finally makes me ditch the sofa!

    http://desertchildaz.blogspot.com

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  6. Hi Ness,
    Those slip covers must be a boon. I remember when my children were small that it always happened that, as soon as I'd washed the slip covers, one of them would be sick on them !!!! It was invariably the following day, too !!
    I love those particular film sets. My friends and I are always talking about 'Something's Gotts Give' !! XXXX

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  7. Hi Ness! I'm a big fan of slipcovers! Your own sofa looks so fabulous...you're so lucky you can sew!!! I'm always jealous of people who can make their own slipcovers...I would love to...I've even seen people do a great job of it with dropcloths!

    Hugs ~

    :) T

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  8. oh ness, loved this post! and love slipcovers. such a great invention! do you have two little boys too? oh we speak the same language! lol

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  9. Hi Ness, thank you visiting my new blog, Have a great weekend xx

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  10. I love slipcovers! I just ordered some relatively inexpensive ones for my furniture and they don't fit all that well yet (I'm going to alter them as soon as I get a chance!), but I'm over the moon with them!! So lovely and bright and beachy.

    Thanks for all the gorgeous photos!

    Tracey

    ps...i put up some slipcover photos here...
    http://myhouseofgiggles.blogspot.com

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  11. So many gorgeous pics! I love this look! Have a sweet day!

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  12. I agree, slip covers are the best!!! (i have two boys too :)

    Thking i might get a slip covered armchair re-done soon, trying to pin down my fabric choice - too many choices is the prob!

    have a lovely weekend, julesxx

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  13. We have a sofa with a white linen slip cover, its about 8 years old now and still looks great, tho I dont have any little people to worry about, but the odd spill over the years has just washed out. Timeless I think, and the best solution if you're worried about doing white on furniture.

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  14. Hi Ness,

    You know I am such a fan of the fantastic, classic slip-cover!!! You sound as if you are speaking from experience with the guest and the banana pudding and butterscotch sauce, YUM I'm coming to your place for tea!!!! Still battling the books, still not finished, fighting a migraine, but apart from that having a fabulous day!! Better go.
    Take care
    Janine
    XXOO
    N.W. Coast Tassie

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  15. I just love the black and white stripes with the slipcovered sofa!

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  16. Ness I'm a slipcover girl too. Some of them I have had over ten years and they are still going strong. Where would we be without them?
    Sandy x

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  17. I thought I would answer some of the questions you all have asked in one hit instead of individually.

    -Put your slipcovers on slightly damp, like you do when you hang drapes. It makes them not need an iron and they will fit much better.

    -Its not too hard to sew your own. When I do our next sofa I will show you all in detail how I do it.

    -There is a site that do replacement covers for Ikea and PB sofas and the like. I cant think of the site off the top of my head, but if you google Ikea replacement covers it should bring up the site.

    I hope this helps.
    Ness xx

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  18. Just reaading your comments and I will be watching out for you making your next slipcovers. It always looks like too big a job for a basic sewer like me
    Alison

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  19. Lovely photographs!
    Using slipcovers on our furniture is a great way to improve the appearance of our home without blowing our budget. Whether we want to give worn or outdated furniture a new lease of life or we simply fancy giving our room a makeover, ready made slipcovers are an affordable solution. The beauty of furniture slipcovers is that they can be changed whenever we feel like a new look ... Chairs and sofas slipcovers are inexpensive to buy, especially when compared to the cost of re-upholstery or a new suite, so offer a great way to give our whole room an affordable makeover.

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