One-Piece Slipcover Tutorial: Part 4

My original plan was to wrap up the tutorial with part 4 last Thursday, but obviously that didn't happen. I do apologize. My husband decided to take me on a road trip to the Hill Country, we left on Thursday, returned late afternoon on Monday, and so now it is Wednesday......where oh where does the time go?????

This was the stopping point in my last post. All that remains at this juncture is the pleated skirt and the ties. If you missed parts one through three, click on the following links:

• Part One

• Part Two

• Part Three

Using a measuring tape, to assure that all four sides were hanging equally, I trimmed the excess fabric around the sofa.

Next, I pinned and sewed the remaining custom piping to the raw edge of the slipcover.

I cut seven-inch strips of fabric and sewed them end to end to equal twice the circumference of the bottom of the slipcover. A good rule of thumb for a gather or a pleat is to measure two times "around". You may need to add some length depending on how tight your gathers are or how close together your pleats are. I arrived at seven inches as I knew I wanted about a three-inch pleat, so folded in half (to avoid hemming), that would give me a 3.5" pleat, a seam allowance of 1/2", leaves me with a three-inch pleat.

I folded the fabric over the cardboard.........

Slid the piece of cardboard out, and stitched across the raw edge. This forms the pleated skirt. I have a more in-depth tutorial in this post.

I pinned the raw edge of the pleated skirt to the wrong side of the slipcover.

I sewed the skirt to the slipcover, stitching right along the crevice of the piping. I always like to sew on the right side of the fabric for this step, it just helps me to avoid mistakes.

Somehow, I managed to delete the pictures that show how to make the ties, but you can read how I make them here.

I made four ties, two for each of the back corners.

Working off and on, it took me about a week to complete this project. Sewing takes patience, so I like to take my time. When I rush through, I end up making costly mistakes and I get burned out. I have really enjoyed this one-piece slipcover. I have not missed the hassle of removing, and washing the cushion covers separately......not to mention putting them back on!! I'm anxious to try the one-piece method on some wing back chairs.

I hope you have found this four-part tutorial helpful. PLEASE, if you have any questions, email me. My desire is always to inspire, and provide practical help. I truly believe we can achieve far more than we think we can, with a little help from friends!