This sofa is identical to the red one in our family room. We bought them for our living room at a former house, which was huge and could easily handle the visual weight of two very large red sofas. Neither the living room or family room in this house can do that, so we have one sofa in each room.
The cotton damask upholstery on both of them is showing its age ... splitting and shattering in a couple of spots on the now-underside of the cushions and snagged and torn on the corners from Maggie's habit of sharpening her claws on them. The shape of the sofas is perfect for slipcovering and everything except the fabric is in great condition, which the main reason that I have held onto them for so long. Another reason is that I cannot in all good conscience spend $$$ on furniture to have it become another victim of Maggie and her claws. (I know that you are about to suggest ways to train Maggie or to encourage her to scratch elsewhere. Take my word for it, I've tried it all. She is now 12 years old, and I accept that there are things about her that I cannot change. Her scratching is one of them.)
Anyway, back to the slipcover plan ...
Sunday morning, bright and early, I broke out my supplies and got started. For the rest of the day, while watching football games on TV, I pinned and snipped and sewed. I had help while I worked. Ruby used her head to hold down the fabric, while I was pin-fitting the box-edge of the cushion.
Dorothy is always involved in any sort of crafty project. She gets right into the middle of things ... very serious about her job as Quality Control Supervisor.
At the end of the day, I had finished exactly ONE cushion. It took a while for me to cut and sew all the cording that I needed, and to figure out the pattern to accurately fit the cushion's odd shape. I am extremely pleased with how this turned out. I tried it onto the family room sofa to step back and admire my handiwork, and because the light in there was better for taking a picture of it.
Do you see all the cat scratching on the arm of the sofa?
I am resigned to the fact that finishing the rest of the slipcover is going to be a slow process. I learned to sew when I was 12, and I have made just about everything you can think of in that time ... except for a slipcover. I'm learning and figuring this out as I go, which takes a lot longer. I will work on it whenever I'm stuck inside, and I will be pleased to show the finished result to you when it finally happens. In the meantime, don't hold your breath.
