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SOFA CITY MAKEOVER

15 April 2013 by

Jason picked out a very comfortable sofa for our apartment, and he did it as a bachelor. It’s good for lounging, and when we remove the pillows it’s as wide as a twin bed (for guests!). It’s even got sleek lines, and no extraneous “design details.” But it’s tan. I was overjoyed when he spilled soy sauce on it one night, because I officially had license to recover it.

rainbow pillows, made by Julianne

All these fabrics were freeeeeeeee. The gorgeous hand-woven top was a gift from my step-sister-in-law Ilaan. The green velvet piping and fuchsia were just taking up space in my fabric cabinet (and were free remnants from my days at Fabric Planet). I probably payed for the cording inside the piping, so this cost maybe $2.

handmade pillow, made by Julianne

I know from experience that getting a large cushion into a cover is a pain in the ass, and even if you only have to do it once why even bother? So I made this cover like a fitted sheet, but instead of elastic at the bottom edge I used a drawstring so that it can’t come loose. The underside of the cushion is still the tan microsuede, and that’s fine. Since this type of cover is easier to remove and replace, I’m more likely to wash it when it gets dirty, and it used half the fabric since I only covered one side.

rainbow pillows, made by Julianne rainbow pillows, made by Julianne

The back pillows are covered in an aqua linen that showed up one day, I honestly have no idea where 5 yards of bright linen comes from but I’m not questioning it (I also used this fabric for Jason’s wedding shirt). I did buy the yellow pompom trim from Joann’s, so the pillows cost $4. The long zippers were also in my stash, which is why they are baby pink. But who cares?

I left the back pillows in their original cases, because I should probably not throw them out and where would I store them? At some point I should re-wrap the pillows (foam cores covered in batting and filling) because they get awfully saggy after a couple days.

handmade pillow, made by Julianne

We’ve also covered the sofa with some pretty rad pillows. These two covers were handmade in Hungary and cost about $20 each. Adding to the sentimentality, the pillows themselves were given by Medora when she left for her first backpacking adventure.

handmade pillow, made by Julianne

This gorgeous printed cotton came from our friends’ honeymoon in Malaysia. The fringe and invisible zipper were from my stash. I’m pretty sure this is the nicest body pillow on the west side.

pillow, made by Julianne pillow, made by Julianne

This pillow was also a stash-buster. I bought the fabric in New Orleans in 2006; the pattern reminds me of Mardi Gras beads. Fun story: I was on the phone with a friend who left from El Segundo to come to our house in Mar Vista, and during his transit time I made the pillow from start to finish. About 20 minutes. So this pillow is the “Cosmo’s coming over!” pillow.

rainbow pillow, made by Julianne rainbow pillow, made by Juliannerainbow pillow, made by Julianne

My wonderful round rainbow tuffet was made in New Orleans in 2007 using scraps as well. It’s firm and great for sitting on the floor.

sheet, made by Julianne sheet, made by Julianne

I also made a fitted sheet for when guests sleep over. The blue seersucker came from my grandma’s fabric stash, although I think I bought it for her years ago.

So now you’ve seen my couch! It’s great for lounging, and napping, and has played host to many friends and wonderful conversations. I can’t tell you how gratifying and meaningful it is when Jason’s old friends come into our home and remark on how cozy and beautiful our apartment is looking nowadays (not that Jason didn’t have the apartment looking nice on his own, but he’s given me free reign to add my own sense of style).

handmade pillow, made by Julianne

It’s so welcoming to open our front door to this comfortable rainbow!

8 Responses to SOFA CITY MAKEOVER

    • Julianne Post author

      Thanks! I love my tuffet to death. This one is stuffed with polyfill, which works pretty well. At some point I’ll be making another one, and I’ve been saving scraps of fabric to stuff it. I cut the scraps into smaller pieces (about 2×2″) so that this recycled filling won’t be lumpy (it IS heavy though!). I will probably mix it with polyfill, and line the fabric cover with batting for structure and softness.

      Thanks for the compliment!

  1. Ms. McCall

    I think I have the same couch! Is it IKEA? You have done an amazing job de-IKEAing it, if it is. All those colours would be awful in my hands, but they look lovely and balanced somehow. Well done!

    • Julianne Post author

      I have no idea where the couch came from, but my Mr. isn’t very fond of Ikea (and is never willing to take me shopping there). Our home has a ton of colors, and I think what helps keep it from getting too out of hand is that we add them slowly. Those pillows appeared gradually over 3 years, and the cover is recent. It’s overwhelming to first-time guests to be blasted by all the colors, but we are used to it!

  2. Amy

    My sofa is looking tired and beat up (microfiber + big dogs = drool stained seating) so I know it’s time to undertake slipcover project for it. I’ve been trying to work out in my head how to address the seating cushions and was thinking of making it like a fitted sheet, but was worried it would shift around and end up looking sloppy. Using a drawstring is GENIUS! Why hadn’t I thought of that? Awesome tip! Thank you

    • Julianne Post author

      The drawstring has a cord stop. I would recommend a thick-ish cotton cord so that the stop can really bite into it and a little rough so that the cord won’t slip through. I’ve had to re-adjust the cover about every 6 weeks, which is great. Good luck with your project!

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