How to ReCover a Couch - After

And, drum roll please!

Ta-da!

Now add some throw pillows and drape a blanket -

Perfection. Well, almost. Nothing is perfect without my little helper. :)

Now, go and recover that ugly couch. Then come back and tell me all about it!

Links below to the rest of the tutorial!
BEFORE
STEP 1 
STEP 2
STEP 3
AFTER!

How to ReCover a Couch – Step 3

Now let’s cover the seat area.

Firstly, get a long piece of your fabric. If you have to join more than one piece I suggest making the seam(s) line up with the couch cushion(s). My couch has two cushions, so I would have made a seam dead center. If you want to get fancy you could even put in a pleat. Me, I’m not fancy. I just made sure I had a long piece.

Fold the end under itself by an inch or two so you don’t have a raw edge. You could sew it first (like a hem) if you wanted to, but the staples will keep it secure. Now line it up with that inside corner and staple along the inside (top) edge. Notice how this fabric piece overlaps that arm fabric? Nifty, I know. When you get to the further edge, again tuck under an inch or two.

fold the edge under and secure on the inside

Now flip that couch over, secure on the bottom side and trim the excess.

finished front edge, the stapling is done!

Cushions… I didn’t take any fun pictures of the cushions, sorry. It was late, and frankly there are much better tutorials out there than I could do. BECAUSE – I made the cushion covers just like a fitted sheet. “What?” you may be asking. Yes, I made fitted cushion covers with elastic and everything like a small fitted sheet. They come off easily for washing and were a heck of a lot easier than making a full pillowcase type cover. I suggest checking out this tutorial for fitted crib sheets at luvinthemommyhood that Dana from MADE did. (I seriously love both of their blogs, you should check them out!) Just adjust the measurements to the size of your couch cushions.

Or you can cover your cushions like you would a pillow cover, or put in a zipper, or any number of methods.

Links below to the rest of the tutorial!
BEFORE
STEP 1 
STEP 2
STEP 3
AFTER!

How to ReCover a Couch – Step 2

Ah, the arms. The arms took a good bit of thought and staring. (I do some of my best work after staring “vacantly” into space)

I wanted to do this with no sewing and no visible staples or tacks or anything like that. The couch has a rolled arm, so it wasn’t as easy as making some sort of standard gift package edge. I decided on a draped look that would show off the curve of the rolled arm.

Firstly, make sure that you have a lot of extra fabric overhang, you’ll need it.

Drape the fabric over the arm so that it is flush with the inside corner and hangs on the floor side by a few inches. Secure it with staples on the inside edge so it doesn’t move around. I also secured it on the floor side with a few staples so that it wouldn’t move around when I started pulling.

the arm is coming along...

Now, with those long front flaps o’ fabric – before you staple anything, play around with the fabric to see how you want it to drape. Think like you’re wrapping a really oddly shaped present.

Take the inside edge and pull it across to the outside, angling down a few inches. Keep the fabric taut and secure with staples. I secured directly under the roll of the arm into the frame. You may want to put a couple underneath the bottom as well.

inside edge is secured

Now take the outside edge and pull it across to the inside. Here you’re going to want to angle downward steeply, I tucked the fabric in on itself a bit to get a steeper, cleaner edge and a nice looking wrinkle. Pull the fabric all the way over to the seat area and secure on the inside. You’ll be putting more fabric over the front seat part, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. But perfection doesn’t hurt…

notice how the fabric goes across to the seat area

lots of staples - lots

Lastly, flip your couch over again and secure it all on the bottom of the frame.

Before you trim the excess you may want to tuck the extra under the couch and turn it upright again, just to make sure you really like that arm. Once you trim the extra fabric it’s a lot harder to change it. Needle nose pliers are super-handy at pulling staples.

Repeat with the other arm, and voila! We’re close to done!

Links below to the rest of the tutorial!
BEFORE
STEP 1 
STEP 2
STEP 3
AFTER!

How to ReCover a Couch – Step 1

Materials:

Staple gun and lots of staples

One large drop cloth (approx 10’x12’) and one long drop cloth (approx 4’x12’)

**Measure your couch before purchasing material – you might need more or less than I used

Fabric Scissors (or just good, sharp ones)

Needle Nose Pliers
Time, patience, and a sense of humor

I really liked the look of the unbleached drop cloths from the hardware store. It’s a sturdy weave, the cloths are large enough that I don’t have to piece anything together, it’s all cotton, and it goes with my decor. Well, it goes with my eventual decor. With my decor goals. I pre-washed the cloth and tumble dried so that it would be all pre-shrunk. Not that I’ll be tossing the couch through the wash, but it’s a good idea to pre-wash any fabric before using it.

First things first: Drape that fabric. I removed the cushions, then I fussed and tugged and tucked and rearranged the largest cloth across the couch so that the back edge fell on the floor by 2-3 inches (for tucking underneath) and was centered on the length, leaving about 10 inches coming up the arms.

Then I took a very deep breath and started stapling. I made sure that I knew exactly where the frame was so that I didn’t miss and try to secure fabric to fabric. I started in the center of the back cushion at the very base, almost inside the couch, making sure to smooth as I worked my way out toward the arms. When I got to the crease with the arms I tucked the fabric into the crease, put some staples in, and then turned the corner and continued stapling for the 10 or so inches that it ran onto the arms.

A tactical note: I originally had the bed part pulled out so I could reach in further… but then realized that I could reach in just fine with it folded up. I tend to put a staple every inch or so, but I wouldn’t go more than 2 inches between staples.

Then I went around to the back of the couch and flipped it over to reach the bottom (the part that touches the floor). I pulled the fabric tight and started stapling to the underside of the base of the frame. It’s important to keep a good tension on the fabric, if it’s too loose it’ll look bad and/or get really wrinkly.

Think of it as a really large present that you’re wrapping, and you don’t want the tape (staples) to show.

Once that was done I put the cushions back on and took a break. (like a two month break)

Links below to the rest of the tutorial!
BEFORE
STEP 1 
STEP 2
STEP 3
AFTER!

How to ReCover a Couch – Before

I was going to title this “How to Reupholster a Couch,” but I couldn’t pass up the play on words - How to recover a recovered couch. Get it? No? Ok, keep reading.

A year ago last October hubby and I got a couch off of FreeCycle, hence a recovered couch. (we ended up taking home a cockatiel too, but that’s another story)

It’s ugly, I know.

But, we don’t have a guest room or guest bed, so here’s why we got it:

Yup, a free, full-size sofabed. Awesome. And it’s relatively comfortable (for a sofabed) and didn’t smell funny and no major rips or tears. However, it’s ugly. Good lines, but the burgundy plaid was not only sooooo not my style, but it was also worn. If you look closely at the left arm you’ll notice where it was repaired with tape. Yup, tape. Not by me, btw, by the previous owner.

It was a no-brainer that it had to be recovered, and my first thought was a fitted slipcover like I did for the living room couch. BUT – then I’d have to take it off every time we want to use the bed part, and then my guests would be inundated with ugly. So, no. I thought of making a modified slipcover that had an opening for the bed to pop out of, but frankly that just got too complicated.

So I sucked it up, bought some unbleached cotton drop cloths, got out my trusty staple gun, and went to town. And it only took me seven months. Well, really, it took three sessions of 1-2 hours each, but finding those 1-2 hours when I didn’t have a little helper (and even sometimes when I did) and when I didn’t have something more important to do took a while. But it’s done now! Stay tuned for the tutorial...

Links below to the rest of the tutorial!
STEP 1 
STEP 2
STEP 3
AFTER!

Friday Flashback

Back to Normal, Mostly
Thrift Store Treasures
Thrift Store Treasurers Take Two
Ginger Beef in the Crock Pot

The ginger beef recipe was a good one. Nom.

And, I have an update for one of those thrift store treasures... I'll get to that later tho.

Frugal Luxuries: Storing Old Paint

As I mentioned yesterday, I love having a painted table because it's so easy to touch up. With painted kitchen cupboards, having touch up paint is absolutely invaluable. Seriously. Then there are the inevitable dings on walls, filling in nail holes... SO many uses for touch up paint.

You know what makes it even easier to touch up? Having the exact same paint color handy. If you have leftover paint you can store it in the can, sure, but if you have just a little bit in a giant gallon container it can be annoying, awkward, and a waste of space. Enter: Your friend, the jar.

For latex paint, a plastic jar is fine. For oil you should use a glass jar. Either way, make sure it has a tightly fitting lid. If the lid seems a little too loose, try putting a piece of plastic wrap in between the lid and the jar, the plastic wrap will help seal the grooves. I also highly recommend that you label the jar with the brand, color, sheen, interior/exterior, and the tint. That way if/when you run out you can get the same kind again.

Personally, I'm a fan of peanut butter jars. They clean up well, the lids go on tightly, and they stack. Reusing old materials, saving space, being organized, it's a win-win-win.