Cover it up!

I love the linen cover on this chair
but wanted to protect it from our spills
when we ate. So I had the white slipcover made.


sofa in livingroom

This ottoman was given to me by my mother-in-law and I love it, but didn't love it's orange velvet from the 70's

love the roses on this fabric and love the butter yellow color

I love slipcovers because... they extend the life of my furniture, it's cheaper than buying new, you can cover up a multitude of sins, (like the ugly orange velvet on that ottoman), I don't have to worry about the grandchildren feeling bad if they get them dirty, and I'll be really truthful, I really like a change in my surroundings once in awhile. I buy almost all my furniture second hand. It saves me so much money. Some of my most beloved pieces were even free. But believe me when I tell you most of them were in really bad shape when I got them. I love taking an ugly duckling and making a swan out of it. I find it satisfying. I sometimes make my own slipcovers but the ones above were made by women who are more talented at sewing then I am. Someday I will show you some I did myself. Maybe. They certainly don't look like these. When I have a slipcover made I usually take a picture of an idea I like and tweak a little until its just what I want and then Bette does the rest. She is a miracle worker. She doesn't take that long either. The woman I used to make the cream sofa slip had the sofa for 6 weeks and it was hard to be without it that long. I buy all my fabric at a discount fabric outlet called Home Decorator Fabrics in Boise. They have a huge selection of decorator mill ends, rolls and rolls of them. All cottons and linens are $5.99 to $6.99 a yard. Most of the time I wait for something to go on clearance for $3.00, because I'm cheap like that. I take the fabric home and wash it in hot water and then dry it in the dryer. I do this 3 times so I'm assured of it not shrinking once it is made into the cover. After it is on the furniture if it does need washing, I wash in warm or cold water depending on the need. I have a dog who loves to be on a couple of the pieces so they are washed more frequently. I'll have to do another post to show you some of the other pieces I have around the house. For a small house I sure can cram a lot into it.