Slipcovers with Canvas Drop Cloths

Recently, my friend Jenny splurged on some new living room furniture--a couch and loveseat in the shabby chic style. But she didn't like the way her old leather chairs looked with the new furniture. The leather chairs were too sleek, dark and streamlined in comparison.

Right after they bought the new furniture, in the way that life often goes, Jenny's husband was laid off from his job. Now on a tight budget, she knew home decor projects were low on the list of priorities--but she hated the disconnect between the leather chairs and the new furniture.

After doing a little online research, Jenny came across this blog, about making slipcovers with painting drop cloths. She spent about $25 total on 3 packages of drop cloths, then went through the laborious process of washing and bleaching (it needs to soak in your washer for about 6 hours).

I made the slipcovers for her, with matching piping and skirted bottoms, to match her new furniture. We were both very pleased with the result. They brighten up the whole room and match her new furniture much better than the leather.

The canvas was pretty easy to work with, but it is a fairly loose weave and therefore frays easily. I overlocked all the seams to keep the fraying in check. It will be interesting to see how well it holds up over time. Jenny has 3 kids and 2 dogs. Coupled with the fact that Jenny is a fastidious housekeeper, she will probably be washing these slipcovers on a regular basis. Because Jenny was on a tight budget, and also since she's a close friend of mine and I didn't charge her very much for my labor, it made sense for her situation. However, overall, unless it's a DIY job, I'd recommend that people spend the money on higher quality fabric. You could still keep your budget fairly low, probably less than $100, and get some heavy duty cotton twill or white denim that would last a lot longer--and save you money in the long run.