With rising household bills and general living costs, buying new furniture is beyond many family budgets. However, this doesn't mean you have to put up with that shabby old couch or ugly armchair. Why not use some cheap slipcovers to give your living room furniture a makeover?
Pre-made sofa slipcovers are available for around $60, which is a small price to pay to give your room a stylish new image, especially when compared to the hundreds of dollars a new sofa would cost. Custom made slipcovers cost a bit more, as they are made to measure, but are still worth it to add a new lease of life to a well-used piece of furniture.
Slipcovers for Odd Shapes
If you've got a seat that's an unusual shape or size, you may not be able to find a ready made slipcover that fits neatly, in which case having one
custom made is your best option. For example, sectional sofas are notoriously difficult to slipcover as they come in so many variations. If your sectional has arms at both outside ends, it's possible you could get away with using two ready made sofa or loveseat covers, treating each section separately and tucking the spare arm fabric out of the way where the two sections meet. But if one or both of your sections has no arm on the outer end, you may need to have an armless slipcover custom made to fit.
Slipcover Ingenuity
Having said that, many fitting problems can be overcome with a little ingenuity. As there's no standard size for furniture, it's common for mass-produced 'one-size-fits-all' slipcovers to be slightly too large and loose-fitting. This is easily resolved by tucking the spare fabric into the cracks around the seat until you get a smooth and secure fit. Using a wooden spoon to do this makes it easier on your fingers. A good way to make sure the cover doesn't become untucked is to insert a rolled up magazine, secured with rubber bands, into each crevice to hold the fabric in place.
Sometimes, after washing or if a slipcover has been stored folded up in a closet, there may be a few unsightly creases in the fabric. These can be smoothed out gently by hand, spraying the creases first with a plant mister to dampen them. 
With a sofa bed, there's no need to look for a specially designed cover, as you can simply use a regular sofa slipcover and just remove it when you need to fold out the bed. If you use a slipcover with a straight skirt, you can lift up the skirt to open out the bed without removing the entire cover.
Slipcover Trick
Another handy trick is to use foam batting, or even an old towel or blanket, to wrap around wooden arms. Because ready made covers are designed for cushioned arms, they will be baggy and loose if the wood isn't padded with something. By wrapping the arms up sufficiently you can ensure your slipcover fits like a glove. If your furniture also has wooden legs, this isn't an issue as they can easily be concealed by using a cover with a straight or pleated skirt.
To conclude, slipcovers are great for giving tired-looking furniture a budget makeover, for minimal effort and expense. If at first glance you think a slipcover won't fit your awkward shaped furniture, don't be deterred. With some crafty thinking it's possible to get slipcovers to fit most styles of furniture.
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