Couch Reupholstery Project

I've been super busy getting ready for Christmas, so I haven't posted anything in awhile. I actually have some down time this morning(I should be doing laundry and cleaning, but I just wanted to veg a bit). Someone contacted me about my couch reupholstery project that I did a few years back, so I thought I would post a tutorial. Blogs are easy for sharing info along these lines. So if you are in the mood to redo your couch, here is a look at what I did.

Before

We had this great couch that we got from my inlaws that I really like, but the fabric was worn, and the colors didn't go with my decor. I had a slipcover on it, but over time it got worn out, and never fit right to begin with, so I started looking at other options. After Googling around on the internet, I came across the idea to reupholster. I wanted to stay in a budget, which is hard to do buying upholstery fabric. I figured I would need about 17 yards to do the job(an overestimate, but better over than under), and so I went to a great local place that has discounted fabrics fairly regularly(Fabric Depot in Portland). I found a pretty good deal(less than $3 a yard) on this fabric that matches my house better and I liked the feel and thought it would wear fairly well.

Then the fun began. So to reupholster, basically you strip off the old pieces, use them for a pattern to cut out new ones, and then staple the new ones back in place. My couch was a hide-a-bed, so it made it a lot simpler because their was no springs or anything to deal with. There was very little sewing involved, mainly just the cushions and some other minor detail parts. You will need lots of staples in your staple gun, though. It was not an easy project, but something I really wanted to see if I could pull off. Now I can say I've done it.

My completely finished couch.

So here are my pics(please ignore the messy backgrounds) and a few links if you are interested. This project does not require that you are a genius, just be brave and don't give up. :) Happy reupholstering!

After I took out the hide-a-bed

Start taking off pieces(keep track of where they belong though).
Generally, put pieces back on in reverse order that they were removed.

Bare-bones couch. I opted not to replace any of the padding, but it would be very easy to do.

Start stapling pieces back on. Your old pieces are the pattern. Make sure to pull the fabric as tight as you can when stapling so it won't sag over time.

Getting closer

It looked so nice once I got the back covered!


Here it is, all done minus the cushions. I actually left it in this condition for awhile before I got around to doing them.

Links:

• To get an idea of yardage(although I ended up needing way less, although probably because it was a hide-a-bed)
• An article I found about do-it-yourself upholstery that was very inspiring.
  
• A good tutorial.
• Another tutorial.
  
• I couldn't find the original tutorial that I saw, but a Google search will have lots of links. :)