on slipcover making

When I originally posted about slipcovering my sofa, Lilian, as well as some others, had questions about the process.  I've procrastinated with my answer because I'm not sure I can do a good job of explaining...but I will try.  I am self-taught at slipcover making, and so there are probably better methods and tutorials out there.  It just requires some determination and a lot of patience...you can do it, I know, and each slipcover you attempt will seem easier.  The book I learned from is called Simple Upholstery & Slipcovers: Great New Looks For Every Room and is very helpful.  

Here's a brief overview of how I go about it:
1.  First I roughly cut out the pieces of fabric I will need, adding tuck-in allowances where ever the cover will be tucked in, ie. between the inner back and inner arms and 
between the inner back and the deck/platform {the whiter piece of fabric} and between the inner arms and the deck piece.  {Since  my fabric is solid and the sofa symmetrical, I place the fabric wrong side out--pinning right sides together.
2.  I start working from the center of the sofa by first placing and pinning together the outer back, the inner back, the deck, and the front lower edge.  I like to get these pieces all sewn together first, then I refit them back on the sofa.
3.  Now, I fit the outer arms to the outer back {this is where I put my zippers} and also to the inner arms.  The inner arms get pinned to the inner back and the deck.  The arm fronts are added between the outer and inner arms.  
4.  If adding a skirt, that would be done last.
5.  At this point, I undo the pins at each back corner where my zippers will go and carefully remove the whole cover.  This is where it all gets cumbersome as you start sewing these remaining seams.  You can see that for the arm fronts, I used a blue washable pencil to mark my seam lines.  Once I've marked all my seam lines, I remove the pins and replace them perpendicular to the seam lines.
6.  Once I sew all the seams, except for the two zipper seams, I refit the cover and check for any problems.  Many a time I find some, and do some seam ripping, repinning, and resewing!
If all looks good, I repin and mark my zipper seams, then unpin and remove the cover.  I add the zippers and sew up the bottom hem.  

For the seat cushion(s), I just measure the cushion top/bottom and add a 1/2 seam allowance to all four sides.  For the boxing strip, I measure the width x the perimeter of the cushion, adding a seam allowances accordingly.  I add a zipper to the back section of the boxing strip.

This is a simple overview, but I hope it helps a little.

More slipcover posts here:

loveseat slipcover from old linen tablecloths

slipcovered chairs & sofa

antique chair covers