All About Slipcover Construction & Fit
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Choosing a slipcover for your furniture can be confusing. Beyond selecting the right color you'll need to decide what type of construction you want.

You may have noticed that, when you look past the the color and fabric, slipcovers are not all alike. Some slipcovers are so well fitted that they look like the original upholstery and some are so loose fitting they look like sheets. The difference is in the construction.

Slipcovers can be created using three different construction methods.

Ready - Made Slipcovers - The most common, is mass-market construction using generic patterns. In order to fit as many furniture sizes and types as possible, these patterns are designed to fit a size range rather than a specific length, width and height. Also they're designed to fit the most common style of furniture. If your furniture is not this style, the cover won't work.

Some manufacturers have switched to stretch fabrics or custom sizing the generic pattern to a specific length and width (semi-custom) to help reduce the amount of tucking and tying necessary with standard ready-made slipcovers. These techniques, however, don't eliminate the furniture style problem.

Custom Tailored Slipcovers - The best possible fit, of course, comes from having your slipcovers custom tailored to the size and shape of your furniture. Besides a great fit, custom tailored slipcovers also include separate cushion and pillow covers, zippered closures, covered cord accents and your choice of skirt finishes - features not available with ready-made or semi-custom fit slipcovers. Custom tailored slipcovers can be made using two different methods - pin-to-fit and patterned.

Upholstery Shop Pin-to-Fit Method - Using this method requires that your furniture be moved to the shop for fitting. This can take up to eight weeks or more depending on the shop. The pin-to-fit method is derived from re-upholstery techniques in which the fabric is stretched and stapled to the furniture. To construct a slipcover, using this method, the fabric is draped over the furniture and cut directly on the furniture. The different sections are then pinned together and sewn. The slipcover is then put back on the furniture for additional fitting, which may require pulling and nipping the fabric here and there to achieve the desired the result. This may take several attempts. The upside of this method is that experienced professionals can produce slipcovers with a great fit. However, on the down side, because each section was fitted individually, the slipcover is not symmetrical, one side may fit better than the other. Also, the seams are not uniform and the fabric is not square. Seams that are too narrow will fray and come apart when cleaned. Fabric that is not squared will not lay correctly after it's cleaned.

Todo es Patterned Method - This method is similar to having a shirt or suit made by a tailor. The furniture is measured and a pattern is drafted allowing for adequate seam allowance and a little extra for fabric tightening after cleaning. The pattern is then laid out on the fabric and cut. Using this method both sides of the slipcover are identical, the seams are uniform and the fabric isn't pulled out of shape. Another benefit of using this method is that your furniture stays in your home while the slipcover is made and if you want a new slipcover later on, your pattern is on file.