DIY No Sew Farmhouse Style Slipcovers

Hello friends!

So today I want to share with you something I've been wanting to share for a while now, which are my DIY no sew slipcovers! A few weeks ago I completely deep cleaned our house and I had our living room totally torn apart. Usually this type of cleaning includes shampooing the carpet, wiping down the walls and baseboards, washing the curtains; etc. This also includes cleaning the couch. Usually this is something I would dread because of taking all the cushion covers off, and having to put them back on. Such a PAIN. But ever since I made these slip covers, its so easy to clean that I can do it every week if I choose instead of monthly!

For a while I was looking into purchasing custom made slipcovers. Although they look beautiful, that price was a little too heavy on my wallet. Finding a slipcover for a large sectional is not cheap that's for sure! If I had a small love seat or 3 cushion couch, sure. But I couldn't afford dropping double the amount of money on a slip cover than what I paid for the couch for (yikes!). So instead I had to think of an alternative, which was to make my own slipcovers. But how do you do that when you're no sewing expert?

Originally my plan was to have Cody's Nana help me sew up some slipcovers made out of drop cloths. Canvas drop cloths are the perfect farmhouse texture. If you don't already know, canvas drop cloths are the new DIY Farmhouse living room essential. They can easy be used to make curtains, pillows, and slip covers. The material is durable, machine washable, and can easily be bleached white. The best part is they are SO affordable. That's a win in my book. So why didn't I just sew them? Well for me it wasn't so easy from having a large sectional that's not re-arrangeable. Most tutorials will show you to layout your pieces of fabric on the couch and sew them together. Once finished, flip it inside-out and you have your slip cover (this way the stitched seams are on the inside). However, my measurements wouldn't match up this way due to my couch sections not being the same shape and length. 

As you can tell in the picture above, our couch is getting pretty ugly. Not only is all the fabric getting snagged, but the fabric and color just isn't our style anymore. It's such a large piece of furniture that it's hard to ignore. I mean it kind of does take up our ENTIRE living room. I was getting really impatient. I couldn't figure out a way to sew a slipcover and I definitely didn't have $2,000 for a custom made one. So I decided to just lay my drop cloths on top and try to shape them to the couch the best I could. 

The first thing I did was measure the sections of my couch and chase. I measured

L x W x H roughly. For my couch I had to get 4 separate drop cloths.

(2) 6'x9'

(2) 9'x 12'

^click measurements above for link^

This project is all about the measurements and the tucks. After washing them first (they're a little stiff straight from the packaging), I laid out my pieces over the couch as I wanted them. I adjusted them as I needed to give me the adequate length for when I tuck them in. The easiest thing is to work one section at a time. If you have a sectional like me, you want to try to only have 1 drop cloth for each section. Trying to make 1 drop cloth work for multiple sections will leave you with an awkward corner which is hard to work it and doesn't look good (trust me I tried). 

This is the section I always lay first because its easy. I drape the whole cloth over the front of the couch and let the top of it reach to the top of the cushions. The width of the cloth fits this section perfectly, as it covers the whole side and meets just past the seam of the section. 

>>Side note<<

The first time you do this will take you a while. It probably took me about 2 hours my first time trying to lay everything out and figuring out how my pieces fit. Trust me- the more you do it the faster it gets because you realize exactly where your pieces need to be. Now I can put it all back together in 20-30 mins. 

After I drape it to where I need it, I start tucking. I start by tucking the seam of the couch first. Next, I'll start tucking under the cushion backs. By doing this I only take the length from the bottom since I have the top of my cloth where I want it. 

Now that I've tucked the cloth under the cushion backs, you can see that it shortened the length in the front to where I need it to be (this will still be shortened more later when I tuck under the cushions). 

The next piece I work on is my large section. This one sometime takes me a little longer because the arm is a little challenging to work around. Like I said before though, the more you do it you know exactly where your fabric needs to be. I repeat the same process with this section. Drape it, tuck the seam, tuck the cushion backs, & lastly tuck the corner and the arm. Once I have this piece all tucked I lay down my back piece to cover the back of the couch, and finally tuck the bottom edges and corners up under the cushions until the fabric comes off the floor.

Don't forget to run your fabric the whole way down through the seam of your couch sections so it comes the whole way to the floor in the corners. 

Once you work with it a little and make all your edges straight and your fabric tight, that's it! How easy right?

These slipcovers have made it so incredibly easy and convenient for washing! I wish I would've gotten these sooner! They'll keep your couch looking brand new as they protect the original fabric. The other great thing, is that if they get permanently stained, torn, or ruined in anyway, you can always get another at your local hardware store for cheap!

Another tip I have, is to mark your tags with which piece it is. That way each time you take them off to wash, its not a guessing game which piece goes with which couch/ section. 

With only $60 I completely gave my couch a modern farmhouse upgrade while still preserving the original fabric. The canvas fabric is also super soft and comfy. We love it, including the dogs! (yes it's dog proof!) It's extremely convenient for washing, and easily replaceable if ruined. 

I hope you guys have enjoyed this easy step by step DIY! I love projects like this that can make such a large impact on the look and style of a room. Until the next time folks! Thanks for reading FFCo. Blog today!

Sincerely,

>> Lauren FFCo. <<