apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

darn I am new here and i guess my comment didn't take.

http://www.surefit.net/
http://www.bemz.com better covers for Ikea sofas

I used to have a goodwill sofa and I got a stretch pique slip cover from surefit.com and it was actually pretty nice. It stretches to fit the curves of your sofa and stays tucked in better than others and it washes really well. If you have to go with the slipcover solution I'd recommend surefit stretch.

I'd also recommend washing it regularly. That seemed to keep it tight.

They have alot now with separate cushion covers so it doesn't look like a slipcover anymore.

"countrytime sally" ha! that is exactly my thought on the matter. Ugh.

I had a Surefit slipcover that was quite irksome.
But that's most likely because the couch it was covering was, dumpy, lumpy, and low to the ground. There was way more slipcover than there was couch. I'd give Surefit another try though.

But honestly, I'd rather just go to some sort of bargain basement place and get a cheapo couch in a color I like to begin with. By the time you've paid for a decent slipcover....I dunno. Just me.

Or maybe I'd just forget about covering it and accept it the way it is, especially if it were one of those disgusting, overstuffed, circa 1992 monstrosities, it'd just look like I'm trying too hard.

Sew one for yourself. This is a challenging project and I am an experienced sewer but mostly garments so home dec is a challenge. It took me a couple weeks of easy does it planning and stitching to get a pre-washed natural linen cover on my butt fugly sofa - so worth the effort. I used a tailored skirt with box pleats in each corner and center front/back. No ruffles, no contrast piping, plain and simple.

Is this a horrific sofa with good lines or dumpy in every respect? If dumpy, go to Goodwill or Salvation Army or Catholic Charities or some such for a bad, old sofa with good lines (and super cheap) to be covered by a reasonable slipcover regardless of who makes it.

I got some Surefit slipcovers that I have been moderately pleased with. It took 2 tries, though. They have a pretty easy return/exchange policy as long as you do it within the allotted time period (a month or 3, I can't remember). It seems like most slipcovers are made for sofas and chairs with big fat arms which is mostly why my first go didn't work. I re-ordered a pair that are stretchy and designed to fit less common shapes such as my skinny-armed furniture. They aren't perfect, but do the job and don't have those annoying ties you see on the arm parts of most slipcovers.

ps. slipcovers were more expensive than I thought they would be. These were about $100 on each. (By the way, I later freecycled the loveseat and have a wine/cranberry-colored stretchy number to pawn, ccampoll at indiana period edu) So in some cases investing in furniture you don't have to cover would be more efficient.

slipcovers aren't cheap, but they have more advantages than covering dumpy sofas. i like my sectional, but we just got a second dog and there's just no way to keep on top of the wear and tear.

i found some decent, neutral covers at target today. i went with the cheapest, since i needed 2: 49.99 each. they have several styles, mostly traditional, but i wouldn't call them country.

Seems like SureFit has cornered the market on slipcovers. That would be a good business for some creative sewer to start. In the meantime you can get slipcovers here
http://www.clubfurniture.com/slipstyl.html

If you continue to scroll down once you find a collection that's close to what you have, you'll see that you can purchase the slipcovers separately.

Hey Alice,
Any suggestions for how to book... simple book, that is. Patterns I looked at are if-y and expensive. I'd rather make my own pattern based on my chair(s). But I really do need some directions. I can't just wing it. (No pun intended) My friend is the sewer and she's willing to baby me through but I'll be doing most of the work myself.
Thanks in advance!