Thanks to my Slip Covers Class, No More Eyesore!

This chair is in my oldest child’s room.  She has since gone off to college (sniff!), and now when we have guests, they get to sleep in her room–surrounded by her books and her hot pink four-poster bed.  Years and years ago, when her whole room was done in lilac and pink (so, like, twelve years ago), I got this chair off Freecycle so our girl could have a reading chair, and made a linen-blend slip cover for it–complete with contrast piping in a floral print.  It has had a good, long, hard life with lots of play and stories and phone calls made in its arms.  And the years show:

slip cover chair before 1

That enormous rip wasn’t our fault, that was the damage caused by movers who were still hauling our stuff hours after dark and in the rain.  They were grumpy, and the chair paid the price.  Bygones, though, because thanks to my Slip Covers e-course, this chair has a new life!

*Updated to add: I don’t think any of us really appreciated how tragic and disgusting this chair had become.  My oldest kept her clean-but-unfolded laundry here the last two years, and this is a tucked-away corner of the house that doesn’t get much foot traffic.  Having said that, thanks for being kind and not pointing fingers at the family with the horrifying chair!

Obviously, it couldn’t go back to what it was before the slip cover:

slip cover chair before 2

Although I did make 25 cents when I cleaned out the cushions (I think my face here is asking, “What is all this garbage??”).

A new slip cover was in order, and Amy Butler fabric purchased 2+ years ago for just this room saved the day.  The finished result:

slip covered chair 3

slip covered chair after 2

slip covered chair after 1

Totally renewed.  I love that the piping matches (so much more grown-up).  I love that the print matches across sections.  I love that the color works so well with these walls (the ONLY walls in the entire house we didn’t paint when we moved in).  And I love that it only took four hours sewing time from start to finish (not including the video and images I shot for my class).  Come on down, house guests!  The chair’s not scary anymore!

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  • Kim
    October 19, 2013 at 11:22 am

    DAYUM that is a good lookin’ slipcover! WOW!

    • Deborah
      October 19, 2013 at 4:51 pm

      Haha! Karen shouted at me on the FB, asking where it was hiding when y’all were here yesterday–tucked away in a corner of the guest room. Will have to let you sit in it next time you’re here!