Turning aggravating blankets into a custom slipcover

My parents gave us their old love seat. It was comfortable and gave us extra seating. Unfortunately it didn't match with the rest of our living room. It was also such a light color that it was bound to look disgusting in no time. Three little kids and all.

We decided to buy a couple of tan blankets to throw over it, but that didn't work either. The kids would jump all over the love seat and the blankets would slip and bunch, so we were constantly having to adjust them. Putting them on was like making a bed. So aggravating!

Today I decided to do something about it.

I started by taking one blanket and lining the hemmed edge up along the floor. I did this on all the bottom edges of the cover. That way there was nothing to hem! I cut enough to cover the seat and the lower front of the love seat.

Then I cut a piece for the part you lean back against when you sit down.


Then I cut a piece for the back and one piece for each of the arm rest fronts.


I pinned right sides together and sewed together these two pieces to meet in the crack of the love seat.


Next I put what I had so far back on the love seat and pinned the arm rest fronts on. Pinning while the pieces were on the love seat was clearly the way to go. I could tell just where I wanted to sew, pin it, and then take it up to the sewing machine.


I flipped the back part up over the rest, pinned right sides together and took that upstairs to sew it. Then I put it back on and looked at what I had so far.


I knew the next thing would be the tricky part. Armrests. Curves and corners coming together! To make sure I didn't screw up my limited supply of fabric, I pinned some before I started cutting.


I pinned and cut and pinned and cut and pinned, until I had all of it coming together. I wasn't always able to pin right sides together, so I just pinned it the best I could and straightened the rest out once I got to it on the machine. I cut a little extra to tuck down into this area. I think I'll call it the armpit.

Once I had sewn all this part together, I was not at all sure it was going to work. It seemed like a jumbled mess at the sewing machine and I only knew what to do with it all because of the pins. So I brought it back downstairs, pulled it onto the love seat, and...

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!
















Then I did the other side, which was a little easier the second time around. Done! That is so much better.

Ivey and Suzi came home from Grandma and Grandpa's house and right away Ivey tried out the new cover by jumping on it with her shoes. It still does wrinkle and bunch, but it's a lot easier to pull it back into place now! My mom was impressed. She said I have some Mammie in me (her grandmother). As a child my mom would point out a dress she liked in the store, and Mammie would sketch it off and sew it for her when they got home. I can't currently do that, as much as I would love to. I do have some hope though, because Mammie was a grandmother when she did that and I am only 27 (well, next month I will be). I've got time to develop my skills.