Sometimes old furniture or car seats spoil the interior with their pretty shabby look. It is not always desirable to throw them away, or it is simply not possible to buy new furniture due to the high cost. The best way out in this situation is to sew covers for a comfortable sofa, armchair or seat. This will not only give new life to furniture, but also save a significant amount of money.
Where to start sewing cases?
Updating old furniture with new covers is within the power of anyone who has a sewing machine at hand and basic knowledge of sewing. For work you will also need:
- cutting scissors;
- pins;
- strong threads;
- crayon or special pencil;
- various items for decoration (optional).
First you need to choose the right fabric. The choice in this case will depend on several factors, the main of which will be wear resistance. If the furniture is not often used and performs rather a decorative function, then covers for itcan be made from velor, tapestry or flock. In large families with small children or pets, it is better to make furniture covers from very durable, wear-resistant and wrinkle-resistant fabrics. Relax or jacquard is best in this case. Their cost is much higher, but they will last much longer.
Sewing car covers should be made from specially designed fabrics. It is best to use automotive jacquard, flock or vinyl leather for this. These materials are highly wear resistant. They easily tolerate oil pollution, frequent washing or cleaning.
We select fabric by color
The next step is to choose the color of the material from which the covers will be sewn. Furniture should harmoniously fit into the interior, so it is better that its tones are combined with the colors of the walls or are the most suitable in style.
If the interior of the room is made in the same colors and lacks zest, then it is better to choose a bright fabric for furniture that will refresh the atmosphere favorably.
Sewing covers for the car is made from a fabric selected according to the same principle. The color of the material used should fit into the interior without spoiling its interior. Sometimes the bright colors of seat covers can brighten up the atmosphere in your car, so you might want to opt for fabrics in bright, rich colors.
Building a Pattern
Pattern for tailoringfurniture covers can be done in two ways. The first is suitable for experienced sewing craftsmen who know how to build patterns according to the measurements taken. To do this, you will need to measure the furniture and, according to the data obtained, build a pattern, taking into account seam allowances and hem edges.
People who are not experts in sewing, it is better to use another method. To build a pattern, they will need greenhouse film. It must be applied to all parts of the furniture, whether it be a back, armrest or something else, and outlined in places of the intended seams. After that, the details drawn on the film must be cut out, and the pattern is ready.
Sewing chair covers is the easiest, and it is better for people inexperienced in the manufacture of such products to start with it. After the first satisfactory result, you can proceed to more complex work: sew a cover for a sofa or easy chair.
Preparing fabric for cutting
To ensure that the new covers do not deform during use or after washing, the fabric from which they will be sewn must be subjected to a special treatment. To do this, it needs to be washed, ironed, dried, and only then taken for a cut.
But it should be borne in mind that such processing is contraindicated for some materials. If the tailoring of car seat covers will be made of vinyl leather, then it is better not to heat treat. Temperatures that are too high can damage this material.
How to cut the details correctly?
Transferring the pattern to the fabric when sewing furniture covers,some subtleties must be taken into account. Seam allowances are better to do more than when sewing clothes. Ideally, they should be at least 7 cm. To eliminate errors when cutting, you need to put a pattern on the fabric, outline it and add the size of allowances around the entire perimeter. If, when building a pattern, the size of the allowances was taken into account, then you only need to transfer the pattern to the material.
If furniture covers are sewn from fabric with a pattern, then the pattern details must be laid out so that after stitching it matches. Otherwise, the cover will not look very nice, and all your work will be in vain. To avoid such a nuisance, it is better to use a material with a simple pattern that does not require a strict match, or a solid color for sewing covers.
How to sew covers for upholstered furniture?
In order for the cover to look beautiful on furniture, it must fit well against it. This is difficult to achieve, but still possible. Before sewing, the pattern details must be fastened directly on the sofa (armchair, chair), having previously laid them out in their places. In places of stitching, they need to be fastened with pins. By sewing furniture covers in this way, you can make products that fit perfectly in size.
After fastening the parts, the cover must be carefully removed from the furniture and stitched with a bright thread. To be sure, after sweeping it can be tried on and, if necessary, corrected. After that, sew all the seams on the sewingtypewriter.
The finished cover must be ironed, seams steamed and only then put on furniture.
Don't be upset if the sewing of covers with your own hands failed a little. With a little imagination, mistakes can always be hidden with decorative elements. Uneven seams can be hidden behind beautiful lace, satin ribbons or fringes. If the errors are too large, and the cover turned out to be small, you can increase it with various inserts, beautifully arranging it.
Sewing car covers
Car covers are sewn together by a different method. Fastening them on the seat is rather inconvenient, so after cutting all the details are swept along the drawn lines. After that, a sample is made. If the cover fits well on the seat, it can be stitched. Otherwise, it is necessary to correct the mistakes made. After sewing all the seams with the machine, you need to sew a “zipper”, elastic bands or Velcro into the cover. The finished product must be ironed if the material can withstand high temperatures. Products made of leatherette or other materials that are contraindicated in exposure to high temperatures do not need to be ironed.
Sewing covers is a very interesting and useful activity. It allows you to spend time usefully, transform your apartment or car and save money. If the covers turn out to be very beautiful, then tailoring them can become an additional or even main income for you. A successful product will always catch the eye of guests or passengers who may want to order for their furniture.beautiful covers.
