That turned out really great! I am getting ready to start my first slipcover project soon, and I only hope mine turns out as nice as yours!!!

I don't know if you've ever been to Miss Mustard Seed's blog, but she just finished a 5 or 6 part video series walking through how she creates a slipcover. I've got through 1 (piping) and 2 (starting to cut the fabric). She seems really thorough, so I want to make sure I watch the rest before I start!

Can't wait to see the finished ottoman - great job!

You did a GREAT job!!! Love that chair and the ottoman fabric!

Wow you really did a great job Bestyears. I did an ottoman similar to yours for a client awhile back. I didn't do the tucking in which it looks like you'll be doing. Here's the before and after I took with an old cell phone. Not the best pix but you get the idea...
{{!gwi}}

Great job.

It looks great - I can't believe it's your first one!

I'd like to start sewing again and would love to learn how to do this. How do you make a pattern out of bubble wrap?

Amazing job!

OMG! Wowsee, wow, wow, wow Wubbzy!

Wow! you did an excellent job. I always say that slipcovering is much harder to do than upholstering.
You should be proud!

Oh, you are all so sweet -thank you for the compliments! I mainly wanted to share this because I've always been so intimidated by slipcovers, and now wish I had tackled this years ago.

noellabelle -thank you for the link. I've always LOVED Ms. Mustard Seed's blog, but hadn't watched the videos. I did last night. She makes it look so simple to do without a pattern of any kind...

justgotabeme -nice! Love the corner pleats!

juddgirl2 -here's how I did the bubblewrap. I bought a roll at Office Depot, for something like $10-12. For the true square or rectangular sections on the chair, you don't need to make a template. Simply measure, add one inch to the width and length, and then cut the shape. But for pieces like the front of the arm for example.... I just cut a piece of bubble wrap a couple of inches bigger than the arm front section, and then pinned that piece to the section. Just stick the pins straight in, don't pin in the normal in than back out way. Then simply cut the bubble wrap right along the outside edge of the section. Unpin the bubble wrap, lay it on the fabric (straight to the grain, meaning parallel to one of the edges). Pin it to the fabric, and then take a ruler and every few inches or so, make a dot 1/2 inch away from the edge of the bubble wrap edge. Cut out, using the dots as your guideline. This should give you a 1/2 inch border of fabric extending all the way around your bubblewrap template. If you are using fabric like I did, where there is not right side, you can cut both arms together, using a double layer of fabric. If you are using fabric like on my ottoman, you will need to cut one with the bubbles up, and the other with the bubbles down.

General recommendations:

Start with cheap fabric -maybe a painter's canvas dropcloth.
Wash and dry your fabric first. Cut the piece into 6-7 yard sections to wash. Although cutting templates seems a bit more time-consuming, in the end I'm not sure it is. You get identical pieces for both sides of the furniture, so there is no going back later trying to make them symmetrical.
Sew in 1/4 inch seams, and then after trying on for fit, zigzag all your seams.

Thank you all again so much!

Wow! That looks terrific! I'd never have guessed it was your first slipcover project. Great job! Thanks for the tips, too.

You did an amazing job! Your post couldn't have come at a better time. A good friend gave me her sewing machine and I am determined to make slipcovers for everything I possibly can (dining chairs and couch). Thanks for sharing and being an inspiration! Just one question...was the pleated skirt difficult?

megpie,
The pleated skirt is not at all difficult. Here's how you do it: Cut the piece of fabric the total length you want plus an extra 4-6 inches. Cut the width of the fabric the size of the skirt plus 1 1/2 inches. Here's one big time-saver: First thing you do is hem the piece!!! I fold up 1/2 inch, press, then fold that up 1/2 inch, press and stitch. Okay, now for the pleats. Mine are about 4 inches from the knife edge of one pleat to the knife edge of the next. Just lay your piece of fabric out on the ironing board, start a few inches in from the right edge, and fold a pleat so that it is 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch deep (the part folded under). Press. Now move down the fabric, about 4 1/2" from that pressed crease. Grab a 1/2" section, fold and press again. Repeat until you reach the end. It takes time, but it is not difficult. And voila that's it! I machine-basted through all my pleats, at about the halfway mark, the whole length, just to keep the pleats in shape while I messed with everything. I stitched the pleated skirt to the seat in a 1/2 inch seam, and zigzagged the seam edge afterwards.

If I were you, I'd start with the dining chairs. That's what I did a few months ago, and took some lessons from that to this chair. I posted about that project too, but just looked for it and couldn't find it -sorry! But email me if you want, and I'll send you pictures.

Thank you BestYears. They are actually not real pleats it's just an extra hemmed piece of fabric between sewn to lay behind the opening between the flaps. They lay much flatter than pleats would at corners.

Oh! Thanks for that tip justgotabme -maybe I'll try that on my ottoman.

Thanks so much for the bubblewrap explanation. I can't wait to try it out!

Wonderful job!!

You're welcome Bestyears.

Thank you bestyears! I think I remember that post. It will take me a bit to get started. I'll check back with you soon and thank you so much for the instructions.

That is a fantastic job! I don't even sew buttons but I can appreciate the talent that you have. Great job. c

Bestyears:you did a great job!I have slipcovered a few pieces. I only make a pattern for the arm of the chair. For the rest of the project I secure the fabric with "T" pins found at the fabric store. Your best decision was the fabric choice. If you have to pattern match or keep stripes straight, it gets more complicated. As for the sofa, it's just a longer version of the chair. The hardest part is managing the fabric. Keep your machine close to your project! Good luck.

Fabulous work!

ratherbesewing -yes, I completely agree. The fabric was only $5/yard, so I wasn't as nervous as I'd be with $20/yard fabric. And not only was there no pattern to match up, there was no rightside/wrongside to contend with. And yes, my machine was about 10 feet away at all times, LOL. stinky-gardener, thankyou!