My Mom’s style is totally shabby chic and with that comes lots and lots of white. Well white fabrics in the home need to washable especially when you have a large family. For Mom the solution has always been slip covers on all the furniture, no not your grandma’s plastic ones, but custom-made fitted slip covers. Her’s are loose-fitting linen slip covers in all white (that can be washed and bleached.)This is where I got my start making slip covers, sewing for my family and friends. But soon I became a convert and started making lots of slip covers for myself. My style of slip cover is a little different from my Mom’s. I love color and slip covers make it so easy to add bold a bold punch of color that I can change out whenever I want. I also like my slip covers to “FIT,” shabby chic slip covers tend to be a little looser (usually because they are made out of linen which tends to stretch.) I personally like my slip covers to look like upholstery.
So whether you like them loose or tight, white or bold here are some great reasons to give slip covers a try:
- They are WASHABLE! That means if you have kids or pets spills and stains on the slip cover can go right into the washing machine. The couch can’t! The slipcovers above are made from light weight muslin slip which is easy to wash and very inexpensive.
- They can change with the season. And, no I don’t mean putting Christmas fabric on you sofa in December, But warm which shades for the winter and pale beach colors for the summer are definitely doable.
- They can make the old new again. A quality piece of furniture can last for many, many years but the fabric you picked out in 1983 may not stand the test of time. You can keep your quality furniture looking fresh with a fresh modern slip cover.
My $25 thrift store chair gets a whole new look.
- They will make you bold. Fabrics are trendy and committing to the latest bold print of the season on a piece of upholstered furniture can be risky. A slip cover lets you have the latest look without having to overcome your fear of commitment. You can even mix and match prints like I I did on the chairs below.
- You can use them on anything. Don’t feel like you can only use slip covers on upholstery. Try them on headboards, dining chairs, coffee tables, any where you have something to hide or want to add a little color. This pretty headboard slipcover I made out of a vintage monogrammed sheet.
