Last week, I shared about the hand-me-down recliner I slipcovered. You can read about that HERE. A couple of weeks after I finished sewing the slipcover, I made a cover for the matching ottoman. I’ve shared here many times over the years that I don’t particularly enjoy sewing, but I continue to do it because I enjoy the results. I enjoy the freedom it gives me to accept free furniture or pick up cheap pieces with good bones but dated or tired upholstery. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed being able to shrug off spills and dirt that come with having boys and a dog because I know I can make it look new again.
If I didn’t have sewing experience in my toolbox, I wouldn’t have accepted a burgundy chair no matter how comfortable it is. As I admitted in the last post, this was a tricky job, and I made it even harder by picking a fabric with a striped pattern. It isn’t perfect, but it fits my aesthetic now, and it’s kept a comfortable chair with a lot of life left out of a landfill.
If you haven’t made a slipcover before, an ottoman or footstool is a great place to start, since it doesn’t take much fabric and the sewing is mostly straight lines. You can find an ottoman slipcover tutorial HERE if you want to give it a try.
In hindsight, it would’ve been better to use a solid colored fabric or at least a pattern that was more forgiving than stripes, but I fell in love with this woven striped fabric and took the plunge. As with all things that stretch my abilities, I learned a lot and will be more confident working with stripes next time.
I’ll be sharing some more changes in this room soon! We’re getting a different slipcover for the sofa, which will be perfect for the cooler months. I’ve always loved the idea of changing out slipcovers with the seasons, and now I’ll be able to do just that!
