Comments on: whiptips: making cushion covers

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:38:38 +0000

Hi – before you say no to a zipper, which is really a ot better because they stay put and don’t get imbedded with the usual sofa crumbs and threads – please check out the tutorial at this site:

http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/

I HATED zipper-sewing – but I followed this set of instructions and the result was terrific. The tut is for sewing a zipper into a pillow, but exactly the same principle can be followed for sewing a zip into one side of your “box”.

Good luck!!

By: Regina

Regina — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:20:51 +0000

I have made cushions both with and without a zipper (zippers are really not that hard – just a straight seam!) – but for sofa cushions I like to make my box and put the cushion in, then sew it closed so it looks finished all the way around – that way I can rotate the cushions to even out the wear and get the covers to last longer. For your first one I would not recommend anything with a directional pattern like stripes -they can get tricky. If you can find some bargain fabric, make one to try out the technique before spending the money on more expensive fabrics. Good luck!!!

By: Cat

Cat — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:26:40 +0000

JCaroline has a GREAT tutorial for upholstering that’s quite simple, and worked for me. It took me about 10 hours to do it, but it was worth it.

I believe all you need is a sewing machine, some zippers (you could salvage them from the old cushions), fabric, and a staple gun…

By: Janet McKinney

Janet McKinney — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 05:54:26 +0000

Sarah
I have recovered cushions for sofas a number of times. It is a great way to freshen up an old sofa.
Yes – essentially you make a box, and put the foam into the square. For the opening – you could of course use velcro – I would place this at the back of the cushion. Put it in the centre of the back side section of the box.
Alternatively, I have actually just made the box, put in the foam, and then hand stitched the opening closed. If you make this so it can be undone when you want to remove the cushion overs and wash them.
Otherwise, spray them with something like Scotchguard to make the stain not stick on the cushion.
You can unpick the present cushion covers and use that as a pattern for your new cover if you wanted. Although, if the original cover is in reasonable good condition, I leave them on to provide an extra layer of protection on the cushion.
Have fun – give it a go, and see what you can do
Janet McKinney