How to Slipcover a Couch Beautifully
We definitely have paranormal activity in our home. Things move without explanation. Pillows that were strategically placed by me to look magazine pretty inevitably end up on the floor after I leave the room. Kid sized chairs levitate on their own and land on top of the couch.
And don’t even mention this pillow that has systematically lost all its buttons one-at-a-time!
When questioned, both boys emphatically shout “It wasn’t me!” Hmmph.
Well, if this continues I might have to call in an exorcist, because it is getting VERY annoying.
But, I know you don’t want to hear about my boring ghost stories. Instead I thought I’d share with you a great source for brand name (to remain un-named) slipcovers at a fraction of the cost! May I introduce to you UglySofa.com.
And let me tell you, the name is a misnomer, because this family-owned company is actually on a mission to give you a beautiful sofa! When UglySofa.com emailed me and said they wanted to send me a “brand name” slipcover to try out, I was skeptical. I mean – come on – how can you sell slipcovers from the famous PB&J (minus the J) at a fraction of the cost? I really doubted their authenticity. But, low and behold, a few days later my boxpleat slipcover arrived and when I opened it up, it truly was the brand they said it was and the quality was just as good as the slipcover I bought years ago from the store “that shall not be named.”
Slipcover a Couch Beautifully
I immediately ran over to pull back the worn red slipcover I’ve been using for as long as my oldest has been alive. WARNING: What you are about to see is a flashback to the 90’s. I admit, I did recover this sofa way back in my college years when hunter green was popular color. (I’m sad just wondering when blue-gray will be the “dated color”.) But, if you saw the granny fabric that lay beneath you’d be even more horrified.
Now don’t even ask me why we still have a sofa that is well over 20 years old. Someday we’ll get around to replacing it…until then I have my new slipcovered sofa! Isn’t she pretty?!
Have you ever purchased a slipcover because it looked beautiful in the catalog only to get it in the mail and you can’t for the life of you figure out how they got the slipcover to look so good?
That used to happen to me too, until I worked as a photo stylist for Plow & Hearth (one of my responsibilities as a graphic designer for their catalog). I learned how to install slipcovers so they look beautiful.
Here are a few easy tricks for installing a slipcover so it look less like a rumpled college frat house slipcover. Please excuse my “butt shots”. I’m still new to this little thing called vlogging!
Start out by getting the ginormous cover on.
Find the “Back” tag on your slipcover. (And don’t look at the famous PB & J (minus the J) tag. Ha, I made you look ;-).
Throw the “back” of the slipcover over the back of your sofa.
Locate the center of your slipcover and center it between the two arm rests.
Then line up the front skirt of your slipcover. I like to let the skirt puddle on the floor a little instead of kissing it.
Smooth out the fabric with your hands, and neatly tuck and fold under any excess fabric.
This is especially crucial on the arm rest, you want to disguise any excess fabric so the slipcover looks like it was custom made for your sofa.
Wrap the side panels around the side.
Locate the D- rings on the back of the slipcover.
Feed the straps from the side panels through the D-rings in the back of the slipcover, and loop back between the two rings.
Pull the straps until the slipcover is tight. Be sure to leave enough slack to be able to tighten the other side.
Tuck any excess fabric into the folds behind the side panels and the d-rings.
Once you have the slipcover positioned, folded and tucked the way you like, then insert several cardboard light-sabers shipping tubes into the crevices between your cushions.
These will secure and hold your slipcover in place.
And now, another little video on eliminating the wrinkles in your slipcover. I just used my hands and a squirt bottle filled with water. Be prepared as I almost cross the line. I admit it, sometimes I have the mind of a 7th grade boy.
I hope those videos were helpful for you! Do you like my new UglySofa.com slipcover?
The boxpleat slipcover has a nice relaxed weave, very similar to a grain cloth.
And the sides drape nicely over my sofa’s arm. The color I chose was ivory linen.
Love the shipping tube idea – will have to try that! I’ve tried upholstery pins, which help…but the areas around the cushions still come loose. Thanks for the new idea!
Lauren, I hope you find it better than the pins you were using.
I also had a horrible experience with uglysofa. After waiting over three weeks for my order, it arrived damaged. I emailed their company three times and never got a response. I finally made contact through their Facebook page, but the told me that I knowingly ordered damaged product and were really rude. They’ve been ignoring my emails ever since. Horrible customer service! DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY!
I’m so sorry that happened to you Amy. I am not affiliated with them. They were responsive when I ordered my slipcover. But, that was a year or so ago. Sounds like things have changed.
I had a very disappointing experience with Ugly soffa and wouln’t recommended to anybody. I bought two slipcovers fom them and was really excited until I’ve got the packages and attemp to put them on my sofas. I bought a slipcovef for my small sofa and one for my large sofa with separate slipcovers for the sofas’ T cushions. The separate slipcover fo the cushions of my large sofa is the wrong size, it just don’t fit. I cmoarec it with the one I’ve got for my small sofa and thy are the same size so clearly I had the wrong size for my large sofa. I have contacted several times about it and they never responded. So be aware, if you ever have a problem with your order and you are passed the 2 days ( yes, you only have 2 days!!) for returning merchandise, they will just ignore you. Their customer service is the worst!! Never ever order from here.
Well, THAT was the bargain of the year! I can’t thank you enough: Bought the same slipcover, followed all your directions: it’s brilliant for $30!
Good to buy a few twist pins: my sofa has squarish thin arms instead of the round fat arms that the slipcover was designed for and this still worked out brilliantly. Just keep folding excess fabric under into sharp corners and secure with a twist pin (I only needed 4).
Thank you so much! Posted my experience on Patternreview.com
Jane in NYC
Uglysofa.com charged my credit card and never delivered the slipcover. Emailed the company twice for order updates and got zero response. They have no contact phone number. I have no choice but to believe they are scam artists.
Seattle Girl,
I heard back from my contact at UglySofa.com. Can you give me the name your order was placed under and a city and state so she can search her database?
I’m sure it was an oversight. I’ll keep in touch.
Brittany
Thanks Brittany, I appreciate you contacting uglysofa.com. Once you did they emailed me promptly to say the slip cover was on back order. I ordered it 8/27 and heard back 9/12. They gave me a refund. Many thanks for your efforts!
Hello Brittany,
This was an awesome post! I learned the hardway of how to put on a slipcover. My burgundy floral, 30 year old sofa, loveseat and chair at the cottage have cream dropcloth S.C. and it took me a few times to get them situated properly. I will get some “dur-durs” (round tubes!) to help finish the look.
I do enjoy your blog!
Kind regards, Laura
I would love to have the Loosefit Square Cushion Tailored Slipcover Large Sofa in Natural Twill.
Shoot! Looks Like I missed out on this great give away! But I am IN LOVE with the Ivory Linen Box Pleat and am wondering if it’s thick enough to cover a really “bold” {read: scary, loud French Country floral ;} pattern that I inherited from my sister! I have ordered SO many slip covers that are too darn thin & flimsy and see-through!
Thx!
m ^..^
Wow – I love this site – I’m hoping for the large sofa box-pleat style. Hope I’m not too late in entering. Thanks and I always enjoy your blog 🙂
Followed you on Pinterest!
Followed you on twitter!
Separate Seat Square Cushion Slipcover Large Sofa in Natural Twill or maybe even Cranberry.
I asked my ugly couch and it told me that it would LOVE,LOVE to be covered in the Loosefit Square Cushion Boxpleat Slipcover in the Sage or Natural Twill.