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Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Simple DIY tutorials and thrifty furniture and decor makeovers

Sectional Slip Cover Reveal

Hi sweet Friends! Today I’m sharing how my attempt at a sectional slip cover turned out.

We bought this sectional when my husband and I combined households to replace his bachelor black sofa and my girly patterned sofa. Mine was much better than his (ahem, of course), but I didn’t want to force my more feminine style on him. This sectional was neutral ground…very neutral, but I tired of the brown very quickly. With two boys, it has saved a lot of headaches though since it is the basically the color of dirt, and oreos and chocolate pop tart smears blend in magnificently.

These days, my Hubby lets me have at it, so that’s what I do. 🙂

Here is how our sectional looked for my Summer Home Tour:

Sectional-Slipcover

I tried to add a lot of light neutral pillows to lighten the brown. (It really doesn’t look that bad here, but I was still tired of it.)

I had the hardest time trying to find a tutorial online on how to slipcover a sectional. It’s different from a regular sofa in that either end is different, so you can’t just drape the fabric over inside out and start pinning, because when you turn it right side out and flip it around, it won’t work! Luckily I was able to do that for the sides with the arms though since opposite ends are the same, just not the parts where the sectional meets.

Here’s how it turned out:

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Not too shabby!

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

I love how it brightened the space right up!

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

I’m not in love with the way the piping from the cushion underneath shows through. I might eventually take those covers off.

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

It took me six days working about 8 hours each day to complete the whole thing. I was never so excited to see the end! I considered not adding the piping at first, but it just looks so finished with it.

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

 

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Another view before:

Sectional-Slipcover-1

And after:

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

The brown really wasn’t that bad, but I’m loving the update.

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Might need to add some color with pillows. It’s very neutral now with the old ones I had on there.

And here’s a throwback pic for kicks:

Sectional-Before

{Ew.} That was actually an “after” pic from way back when I chopped part of my sectional off.

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

 

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

 

Sectional Slip Cover Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

This may not be as maintenance free as my old dirt brown sectional, but all the cushions have zippers so they can easily be taken off and thrown in the wash.

I took full on step by step photos and will definitely follow up with a tutorial soon. (Just in case anyone out there wants to spend 48 hours sewing piping.)

Seriously worth every minute though. 🙂

UPDATE: See the full step-by-step tutorial here now!

I’ll see you Friday, sharing what I did with these mamajammas:

Tea-Towel-Halloween-Pillows-1-(2)-Before

UPDATE: See these towels here now.  🙂

XO,

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Comments

  2. Oh Christy, this is stellar!!! Truly a professional makeover of your sofa. I am completely impressed. A great job and if the old cording bothers you, slip some thin foam cut to the recessed spaces’ dimensions and slip underneath. Just a thought. YOU notice these things and others will not. Again, completely stellar job and a huge accomplishment!!!

  5. Christy, your slipcovers took my breath away! I am truly in awe of your talent! I always look forward to each post that I receive! Thank you for sharing such wonderful and inspiring ideas!

  6. Wow Christy, what a difference!?! It brightened up nicely. I can’t wait to read the sectional slipcover tutorial. Not that I have the patience for sewing that long, or, the skills either. My future goal is learning how to sew.
    It’s beautiful, great work!

    • Thanks, Heather! Tutorial to follow soon! There are so many projects you can do when you add sewing to your skill set. You rock the painting, so maybe now’s the time to give sewing try…you’ll rock that too I’m sure! 🙂

  8. Your slipcovers look beautiful. If you had not said that they were I would never have known. Congratulations on doing a beautiful job. Your time was well spent and I am sure that they will be staying for a long time to come. Again Congratulations.

  9. Wow! and Wow! and Wow! You did such an amazing job. Those slipcovers are gorgeous. I definitely do not have the skill set to sew anything close to those; however, I do admire you for doing so. What a difference they make in your room. You should be so proud of yourself and all the hard work and many, many hours you put into them.

  10. and you can sew too!! You are amazing Christy!! I have a sectional like this and thought about doing one too but I’m not sure I have the patience to do piping. But I agree, it did make all of the difference in the world on yours. LOVE IT!!
    Laura

  12. What a fabulous job! I made a slipcover for an IKEA sofa…it was pretty miserable, especially toward the end of the process, when you are trying to hold up all that heavy fabric and keep on sewing.

    Your end product is beautiful, and very professional!

  16. Hi Christy! I am absolutely amazed at your talent which continues to grow with each new challenge you fearlessly face. This. slipcover. is. fantastic!!! I have been sewing since junior high and sewing window treatments for almost 20 years, but only fabricating a couple of slipcovers, so I can so appreciate the time and frustrations and challenges overcome that go into a project like this. You continue to inspire me with the grand scope and varied nature of the projects you tackle. Simply amazing, and I seriously don’t know how you get it all done! Take care and have a great rest of your week! [P.S. I just started my business, in its infancy as we speak, and am in the process of building my website with a ton of help from my son – he’s a sweetheart! I have all your advice printed out and close at hand and have done a “test-run” at two Festivals to gauge feedback. I’m” shop” shopping right now and am having a blast! Thank you again for all your help!!]

    • Catherine your sweet comment is so appreciated! Thank you!! I do like to think I can tackle just about anything. Sometimes I fail and sometimes I succeed, but it’s always fun to try! How exciting to be building a website. This business of making things beautiful again really is the best! Best of luck to you!! XO

  20. Wow, Christy!!! I love it – you did an amazing job! You are one brave lady. I considered it for about 5 minutes when I had a brown sectional, then I started searching for someone to make one for me (super $$$$) so I just went a got a new sofa hahah! I love it – the piping looks great.

    • Thanks, Chelsea! That was smart of you! We paid a small fortune for this when we bought it, so as much as I wanted to ditch it (truly I did!), I just had to suck it up and make it work! I’m glad it worked out though, you just never know when you start to tackle something like this how it will turn out! XOXO

  21. I know the work involved in making these slipcovers and they are pretty fabulous! I love the look and idea of changing them out…white for the summer and spring. Brown for the fall and winter.

  23. I am so amazed with how talented you are. You did a fantastic job on the couch slip cover. I’ve done a little upholstery…chair seats, Windows valances, pillows with piping, all pretty easy stuff. Have wanted to do a couch but feel that would be way out of my comfort zone. Looking forward to seeing your couch slip cover tutorial. Thanks for sharing your amazing transformation. Have a great day!

    • Aww thank you, Ange! I appreciate your sweet words! If you have done pillows with piping, you can totally do this! Definitely not a beginner project, but if you know your way around your machine, seriously you can do this! I’ll be breaking it all down into a step by step tutorial soon. 🙂

  25. Your sectional looks fantastic! I’ve made a loveseat slipcover in the past and know how much work it is, so kudos to you! I agree with you about taking off the original seat slipcovers because of the piping. If it doesn’t seem plump enough after that, wrapping a piece of quilt batting will fill them out again.

  27. Wow, what a terrific job! I am so impressed! It looks so light and bright and cheerful – good luck with the chocolate pop-tarts!

  28. Holy Dinah Christy, you would never know that was DIYed – so professional looking! Wow, girl your sewing skills are perfection! Looking forward to seeing the tutorial because I have an armchair that is begging to be slipcovered but I’m way too nervous about tackling it.
    Pinning to share.

  29. Wow, I am wicked impressed! I was excited when I slipcovered a small chair wouldn’t even consider doing this. what kind of fabric did you use?

  30. HOLY MACKERAL!!!!!!! You out did yourself on this one! I l-o-v-e those slip covers. I now feel so inadequate! I could never, I mean never accomplish that. What a great job, great look and great work, girl!

    • Wow, Linda! Thanks so much for the very kind words!! I honestly was not 100% confident I could do this before starting either, but was willing to give it my best effort, I and found that it wasn’t so bad. Just very time-consuming. 🙂

  32. I love how your sectional turned out! I spent all last weekend sewing a new slipcover for our love seat. I too was elated when it was finally finished. I thought about doing the piping and wish I would have taken the extra time. Yours looks great! Nice white!

  34. Come on Christy! Really?

    Your living room looks so so nice. I love white color!
    You really really made a exceptional job.
    Congrats.

    Please share link tutorial.

  35. This is amazing! I am stunned by your sewing skills, I can use a mitre saw, paint like no ones business, but sewing a straight line is too much for me. I have a white slip covered sofa and love it. I do wash it, but then it looks shiny and new again.

    • Thanks, Emily! If you can rock a miter saw, you can use a sewing machine for sure! I know these will spend many hours in the wash, but I don’t care! I might change my tune six months from now ha ha, but hopefully not! XO

  36. Oh my gosh! You are amazing girl! Can’t believe what a fabulous job you did! They look gorgeous! I’m going to fly you to Kansas to have you help me make some for my furniture!

  37. Wow! Totally amazing! It absolutely brightens up your whole home.
    You have saved a fortune on making it yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back.
    *Smiles*

    • Thank you so much, Pamela! It really does brighten up our space. The first night I had them on, my husband and I sat down to watch TV and he asked me if the lighting was brighter? Ha ha nope, just the light bouncing off of my shiny bright new slip covers. 🙂

  39. HELLO!!??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? You are wicked with that sewing machine!!!
    (I am still drooling over that toaster cover!!!) You seriously have talent!!! This redo is AMAZING!!!!! piping and all!!!! Leave the piping alone.
    I do agree, you need to now change the pillows to more colorful……
    QUIT SLACKEN- GET ON IT!!!!! ….you probably could do that while dinner is on the stove.
    BEAUTIFUL!!!!
    Addie

  41. Absolutely beautiful!!!! You are a rock star! I have been waiting all week to see this post. You really did an amazing job.

  43. Beautiful job! I sew so I understand how much work went into this…and how professionally it turned out! Absolutely beautiful job!

  44. It looks so nice and fresh! I have been wanting to do the same thing. Is the fabric “duck” canvas? If not, what is it?
    Thanks!

  46. Absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t wait for that tutorial. I have the oldest couch around, so a slipcover would b e ideal. Not looking forward to 48 hours of piping, but it’s worth it if it looks even close to yours!

  48. i think you should run for president!! there’s nothing you can’t do!! that looks superb. truly amazing. you have one of the best blogs out there……..

  52. You did a wonderful job! If you can rest the new piping above the old it will help, for pictures, anyway. As soon as you sit on them it will shift and that is just life! Good work, very impressive!

    • Thanks, Janice! The new cover on that cushion is pretty snug, so I wasn’t able to shift it enough, but that’s okay…like you said, they’ll probably shift again anyway lol. 🙂

  53. I’m in love with your new slip covered sofa. Well worth the hard work.
    That’s what my couch needs!

  54. WOW Totally Different Look! While it is a large piece of furniture to me,that dark color, even though the room seems to have a lot of light, creates a dark hole.
    The white color is now making the room so much brighter and lighter. It does not appear to be taking up space. But it is now a canvas to add color with pillows and throws. I love it!! I truly appreciate all your hard work & time.

    • Thank you and I so agree with you, Barbara Ann! The sofa was a bog dark hole, and this side of our room doesn’t get a ton of natural light since the sun doesn’t move around to that glass door till late afternoon, so the white really brightens it up. I know I will enjoy dressing it up with pillows and throws as the seasons change. 🙂

  55. I just did the opposite with my sofa, it went from white to a rusty red… You did a great job, and I really like that you took the time and added piping, it just takes it up to a whole new level!
    Also, I like what you did with the ceiling! Do you have a tutorial on how that was done?
    Kind regards,
    Cathy

  57. DANG GIRL! You are an ANIMAL! what a labor of LOVE…It turned out fabulous. I SOOO wish I could SEW…my mother could make wedding dresses and all I can do is sew on a button.
    What an amazing job!
    hugs,
    Karin

    • Thank you, Lisa! I’m glad to hear from someone else that has one that it’s worth the trouble! I’ve had mine on for about 10 days so far and only two pop tart smudges so far lol. 🙂

  59. You did a great job. It was worth all those sewing hours. Colour goes better as well. We had a suite covered professionally years ago cost a fortune. As much as a new one.

    • Thanks so much, Gilly! It feels like a whole new set as well. I’m very pleased with the results…don’t know why I waited so long, except maybe because of those boys of mine. 🙂

  61. Wow! You did a fantastic job with this slip cover! My mom and I made one for my old couch which was just a regular couch and that was hard enough… I’m not sure I could do a sectional… at least I’m not sure if I’d have the patience anyway!

    Tania

  62. No one that has done this project has said that they’ve loved it. I have been wanting to do mine for quite a long time and have just bought the fabric. I have to admit that I got cold feet once I had my ticket to pay and was next in line at the checkout. I had to call my mom so she could talk me into going through with it. I know what I’m in for, but I hope I have the satisfying results that anyone else that has accomplished this has had. I’m planning small steps and know that it definitely can’t turn out worse then the ugly monster we have put up with for so long. I’ll be quite happy if it turns out as beautiful as yours!! 😉

    • Thank you, Michele! It is a lot of work, but well worth it in the end! I’m already feeling better about it now that it’s been a couple of weeks. Good luck, my friend! XO

  63. Just catching up with my e-mails and had to tell you, I’m impressed with your attempt at slipcovers. I sew and I know it is difficult to take this on, but you did a great job!

  64. This is TRULY amazing!! I want to slipcover my couch so bad. I think you have just inspired me to give it a try. I want to use a dropcloth. My couch is an olive green right now but, like you, want to brighten up my space. Thanks so much for sharing. Everytime I visit your blog I find something totally inspiring that I want to make. You are very creative!

    • Thank you, Michelle! My thought before starting was this…even if my slipcover job doesn’t turn out perfectly, it will be better than it is now! So I say go for it! I took step by step photos as I went and I just edited them for my tutorial. There are so many I may need to break it into two posts, but after you see how it came together, I’m sure you will feel even more confident! I truly appreciate the positive feedback! XOXO

  65. Oh wow!!!! I just found you this morning on pinterest, and I am so excited! You are very much my style!! The slip cover looks amazing, so professional!! I recovered mine last year, and they did update the space (I’m going for French country using whites and neutrals), but it was my first slipcover job, and they are not “professional” looking. I also did not add the piping, and wow, what a difference it makes!!! This post has inspired me to try again!!! Thank you so much! P.S. Subscribed as well!! Don’t want to miss a post!

    • Yay!! I’m so glad you found me too, Heather! I also considered not adding the piping, but in the end I’m glad I did. Maybe you can use your current cover to create a new one? Thanks so much for choosing to follow along with me! 🙂

  66. Hi,
    I have been following your instructions on making your slipcovers!! Very impressed! I have two large wicker chairs which need new covers to the cushions and back cushions and am hoping to make them as professional as yours! I did notice you have a lovely cutting board with lots of details for measurements etc. Could you give me an idea of the size and where you purchased it from. I do however, live in the UK so I guess will have to source somewhere here who sells them. Thank you so much. Diane

    • That is wonderful! I hope things are going well so far! My cutting mat was actually a lucky yard sale find. It is by Quilting Mate and it is 23″ x 23″. You should be able to find this or one similar at any fabric or craft supply shop. Good luck!

  67. WOW!! Is there anything you can’t do? I know this is an old post but I’m pretty new to your blog… just asked you about the chalk paint process earlier today and you so quickly responded and pointed me towards a post you had already created on that.. so thank you kindly. I just discovered your blog a couple days ago and just can’t get my fill. You are a true inspiration and I love everything you do. You’re home is incredible.. I should be so lucky to be able to decorate like you!! It will take me days to get thru your blog and read and drool over it all but I am sooo looking forward to it.

    • Aww you are SO sweet, DeAnna, thank you! I am so thrilled to hear you are enjoying my blog so far. It’s a labor of love for sure, and I hope it leaves you feeling inspired! XOXO

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