Tuesday 20 May 2008

Upholstery for the lazy girl!

When decorating, always keep in mind that no-one's going to see the bottom/back/inside. This is only one small step up from wrapping a loose piece of cloth over a cushion, but it does keep the cover tidy and in place.

So: lay that piece of grey denim you're never going to make a skirt from, face up on the floor. Put the cushion more or less in the middle. (Please excuse the blurry photos, but it was the middle of the night.) Oh yes - zig-zag around all raw edges first.

Fold the corners up more or less like this.

Pin them.
Turn the cushion over to check that everything's neat.

Whip the 'cover' off.

Draw a straight line from the pinned corners to the edge.

(And then it was morning, and the light changed completely!)

Sew along the line, and cut off what you won't need. Probably a good idea to check that your seam's in the right place before cutting, though.

Put the cover back on the cushion.


Fold the corners, then fold the sides up. Adjust the folds so that the edges don't quite meet.

Mark button positions with pins...

... and sew buttons on.


Cut 4 lengths of thickish thread, about 20 - 30 cm long, double each piece up and knot the ends together. Put the loop around a button.

Wind the other end round and round both buttons, pulling them closer together.

All done.

Voila! Hey presto! Siedaar! etc. A zipless cover you can take off to wash, but don't have to tidy every morning.

38 comments:

painted fish studio said...

fabulous tutorial, perfect for a lazy girl like me!

Cristina Salgueiro said...

That is wonderfull. But we, because we know how to do it, always tend to go under to see if it is perfect! But fells good to be lazy :)

Sonya said...

Now that is clever! No to zippers and fussy piping.

janine de waal said...

I like your thinking! Minimum effort for maximum effect! ; )

Heloise said...

Nice idea and colours!

Lori said...

Oh what a great idea!! I have been wanting to make some slip covers for my couch cushions but have been too lazy to do the whole zippered cover! Thanks!

Denise Kiggan said...

Such a great idea. I've had fabric cut out to cover some cushions for a few years. This would be so much quicker!

Tina said...

Buttons ... what a great idea. So easy too.

greetingarts said...

One man's lazy is another man's genius. Sorry, can't write more, I gotta go cover some cushions that my kids have all but destroyed! Thanks a ton for a great idea.

Erin said...

what a good idea, as a fellow lazy girl, i'd like to say nice job.

Dana Watsham said...

Good idea.

Not to mention that the bench/sofa is utterly gorgeous ....

Anonymous said...

Sweeeet!!

Sorka said...

oh cool!! I like it!

Dana said...

Nice... I'm wondering if these would work with Kitchen or dining chairs... I've recovered my kitchen chairs 3 times in the past four years. It would be so nice to have something that would be easily removed so it could be washed...

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure you are a genius!

Anonymous said...

I thought I knew all the tricks but this is a great idea. Will definitely do this 4 my caravan.

Unknown said...

WOW, Not just for a lazy quick change but for us that the $$ are short to have a real job done. Thanks for the great idea.

Unknown said...

now that's pretty cool.

Unknown said...

Love it

Marlene said...

Genious!!!!

Joan Stallard said...

I was looking for a solution to cover old, thick, deck chair cushions while keeping the durable netting on the underbelly that makes the rainwater drain out of the wet cushions. This solution, besides being easy is really the best solution I could imagine. I finally bought some great outdoor fabrics and now I'm ready to go. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

love this idea! do you think this would work for cushions used on a daily basis? like sofa cushions?

Jesse said...

Absolutely. You do have to untie and straighten them every now and again, but not every day.

Eddie Sue said...

I think this is a cool idea and easy too. Suggestion: What about using a covered-elastic ponytail holder to go around the buttons (little girl size) instead of thread?

Unknown said...

Thank you so much! I have a sofa with velvet cord, and quake when I think it will get ruined, now I cam cover the cushions easily..this is great idea. I also like Eddie's idea of using pony-tail elastics to hold onto the buttons..you are genius.!

Ine Blusera said...

Las imágenes muy ilustrativas. Insisto sería importante tener la posibilidad de incorporar la traducción en castellano/español. Gracias!. Inés Aregentina

Unknown said...

Great idea, thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

As I was reading this and then most of the comments, I had an idea for people like us who have furniture where the back shows from certain angles. Why not cut a rectangle piece of fabric to fit the center section in the back and also secure it with buttons? Our outdoor furniture is old - my husband gave it to his Mom as a gift and when she passed away, he got the lounge chair. It's in two pieces but is 5" longer then the ones available today. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do because the original cover has mold that won't come off. This is an excellent idea!

Jesse said...

Good idea!

Curiouser49 said...

Brillant! You can change them over and over and never have the same couch!

Lazy Gardens said...

Brilliant - I am stealing this (and pinned it). It's so much easier than velcro or zippers for cushions that need frequent cleaning.

I have one long-ish cushion, and will put a button pair or two in the middle to keep it in place.

InGodITrust said...

Love this idea, Thanks!!

Susan said...

WOW I've been looking high and low for an easy way to cover my cushions with denim without fuss or muss-- Thanks So much!!

Susan said...

As I said above I love this--my only problem is how much extra fabric do you use on the back (not including the depth)--this is a first time project so this would help immensely. thank you

mariuccia rollo said...

fantastico

niketopoulos said...

U R a genius. I'm so lazy, I want you to make mine...!!

Reads too much said...

Love, love Your idea!
I’m so lazy, I will use safety pins instead of sewing buttons! Buttons are cute but you can’t see them and safety pins are sooo much easier 😆

Joanne Cogswell said...

I’m thinking forget about the buttons, put in two buttonholes and use those hair ties with the balls on end...balls (beads) go thru the holes and then wrap around. If buttonholes are too much, cut a slit and use glu or fraycheck to strengthen it.