Sofa Slipcover Instructions for Getting That Perfect Fit

Slip-covered Sofa’s are the way to go! Last week I posted about a solution for our boring beige couch in “An Honest Review of the Target Shabby Sofa Slipcover“. Since so many of you showed interest in that post, I decided to add to it by giving a tutorial on how to put a generic slipcover on any standard couch so that it looks like it was meant to be.

Now, it’s no secret that putting slipcovers on can be a huge pain, especially if the cover wasn’t specifically made for that couch. I’ve come up with a few tricks to ease the frustration and satisfy the perfectionist. I will note that these sofa slipcover instructions for getting that perfect fit are geared toward Target’s Shabby Slipcover (affiliate link), but the concepts will work for almost any couch and cover.

To start off you’ll want to make sure you have a freshly cleaned and ironed slipcover. No amount of stretching and pulling will smooth out those hard crease wrinkles. It’s worth taking the time to do.

Now, lay the slipcover out in a large area and figure out which way is up. It’s crazy how confusing these things can be, but take a deep breath and look for a ruffled bottom, the arms, seams, or whatever clues it lends as to how it’s supposed to go on.

Pull the cover over your sofa and adjust to get a rough fit.

We are going to concentrate on the arms first and this is what my first little trick is. Find the seam that marks the intersection of where the back and arm meet on the cover. Hold that out of the way and start tucking and adjusting the get the arm smooth.

Once you are satisfied, take that extra flap you were holding out and fold and tuck it in as well.

Do the same for the other side. At this point you can also tuck in anything else that needs it in the front.

Ok, the front looks pretty good, but back is still just hanging and unkempt.

Even if your couch is pushed against a wall, you won’t want to skip this step. We are going to use a similar method as on the arms. Start at the back corner of one side of the couch and find a seam or natural part where the material folds. Hold that out and push the extra underneath that flap. Make sure it’s nice and smooth. This creates a single fold where there otherwise would have been a bundled mess.

Find the straps that wrap around from the front and feed them through the D rings. Try to tighten them so they are even on both sides.

The cushions are easy to install: simple lay out the cover, insert them within like a fitted sheet, and tighten the straps. I love that I have a separate piece for this! It makes cleaning so much easier!

And that’s it! Getting that lovely slipcovered look can be affordable, as I talked about last week, and, now, easy with these sofa slipcover instructions for getting that perfect fit.

 

If you start off right, focus on the arms first, then go to the back, and finally fit the cushions within, you will wonder if your cover really wasn’t made specifically for your couch. And, if not, you’ll at least save yourself some frustration.

If you like helpful posts like this be sure to follow me on Pinterest where you’ll find great resources from this and other great blogs!

Oh, and here’s a question for all you design savvy readers. What can I do to defeat this sea of beige in our living room? Should I paint the walls?