Slipcovering Furniture for the First Time

I have redone quite a bit of furniture over the past couple of years, but am a newbie when it comes to slipcovering furniture.  Yes, I made new slipcovers for the Paint-Dipped Camping Stools I refurbished last year, but since those were a simple rectangle with ties, I’m not really counting them.  I’m talking the real deal, custom-fit slipcovers here, made to wrap every curve and angle just so…

And with that, here I go.

I found a neat barrel chair at our local Habitat Restore last summer for a steal.  It’s old and not in the best shape and since it’s got that nice 70s pleather covering, I wasn’t sure that reupholstering would be the way to go.  Thus, I decided to venture into slipcovering.  This is the progress so far.  I’m using some white cotton twill that I had on hand to cover the front seat and seatback and hope to use a stained Shabby Chic tablecloth to cover the back of the chair and the trim.  The tablecloth has a nice crochet edge detail, so I’m hoping to be able to use it as the finished edge all the way around.

Ambitious, I know… but if all else fails, I figure I can always find more fabric, right?

I must’ve watched Miss Mustard Seed’s Slipcover series a million times before I attempted to do this.  There are other tutorials available as well; here are a few more I thought were good:

She Endeavors

Blue Roof Cabin

Custom Slipcovers by Shelley

Honeybear Lane

Progress has been painfully slow around here since my unexpected surgery last month, but I’m happy to report that I’m fully recovered and ready to get back to my project list.  First up is this chair… right after I get back from the beach, that is, since we’re heading out on our annual summer family beach trip next week.  I’m looking forward to some sand and sun – you can keep up with the fun if you follow me on Instagram!

So tell me… have you been brave enough to charter the waters of slipcovering?