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[SahmIam]

@Mominohio  You and I must be twins as it's the EXACT same situation in my house. The slipcovers work (though messy) and I accept that I simply have to tuck them in whenever I see them so they stay neat. They look great when that happens!

[151949]

When I was using slipcovers I cut swimming noodles to slip in the ends and the back - it helped a lot to hold them in place.

[Mominohio]

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@151949 wrote:

When I was using slipcovers I cut swimming noodles to slip in the ends and the back - it helped a lot to hold them in place.

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@151949

great idea! I noticed Sure Fit sells a 'device' to do this, and it is a crazy price for what it does. I was thinking of what I could use in place of that, and thanks to your post, I now know!

[151949]

I also washed mine in hot water and vinegar before I put them on my powder blue sofa the first time. I had navy slipcovers and just wanted to be extra certain they would not bleed navy on the powder blue. They never did, but I always did that first wash to be certain.

[VanSleepy]

You can also roll up a magazine to whatever diameter works and put rubber bands around it.  (Then when company comes over, they have some reading material, too haha)

[ID2]

I would just spring for a new couch. You may think your old couch is just perfect and feels good. That's what I thought. When we moved last year we gave a lot of our furniture to one of our kids, one being our beloved couch. My new couch now beats the feel of my old one by miles! Old upholstered furniture isn't only worn but very bad on your back. Buy new. 

[Mominohio]

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@VanSleepy wrote:

You can also roll up a magazine to whatever diameter works and put rubber bands around it.  (Then when company comes over, they have some reading material, too haha)

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@VanSleepy

Great idea. Free is always good! I have magazines and rubberbands, and that will now be my first attempt for keeping the covers in place. Thanks for the idea!

[Mominohio]

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@ID2 wrote:

I would just spring for a new couch. You may think your old couch is just perfect and feels good. That's what I thought. When we moved last year we gave a lot of our furniture to one of our kids, one being our beloved couch. My new couch now beats the feel of my old one by miles! Old upholstered furniture isn't only worn but very bad on your back. Buy new. 

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Eventually I will, but I won't consider a sofa that will cost less than $1500-$2000 based on my 'window shopping' and what I like. I just don't want to put the cart before the horse, and make that kind of investment until the rest of the room is ready (window needs replaced first, and that is $3000 alone). Paint and flooring are going to be replaced too, and those colors need to be decided upon before I choose upholstery colors. I plan on replacing the two chairs in that room as well, and I plan on looking for those to be coordinating pieces to the sofa, so that is even more choices to consider, but not before the structural things get addressed (I want crown moulding installed in there too!).

This is simply a temporary "fix" to try and make the room come more in line with what I'm aiming for with the 'remodel' and eliminate a no longer desired color and pattern in the room. My idea for the last couple of years has been to go very neutral with browns/tans/taupe/creams/ivory kind of colors for my upholstery in that room, and while my chairs already fall into that category (as does the very old carpet) changing the sofa this inexpensively will let me see if all that 'plain' is really what I'm looking for. 

I could be surprised and find it all too dull, and I'd rather figure that out with a slip cover debacle than buy a sofa I end up hating!

[violann]

I've never used slipcovers but my mom and aunts, all far more fastidious as housekeepers/homemakers than I, all did.

The slipcovers were sometimes made "skin" tight with big zippers that hurt your hands on the backs of the furniture, and sometimes tightish in "one size fits all" elasticized fabric. There were ng straight pins to hold the OSFA covers in place.

At the time, they were always used to "keep the furniture nice", but the actual furniture was never revealed, which I always thought was kind of funny.

I can remember some furniture being discarded for other reasons that was in absolutely perfect condition as far as the upholstery went, but the frame broken or a leg falling off.

Although the slipcovered furniture sometimes looked very nice and usually looked at least OK, I can't remember any that was really chosen to make a room look better.

By the way, you folks who can make slipcovers are REALLY talented!

[SahmIam]

My in-laws us the noodles to hold theirs in place and it works like a charm.

However, on MY sofa, loveseat and club chair; they did NOT work. My furniture is contemporary oversize leather while theirs are traditional and fabric. This may play a role in keeping those noodles in place. It also was uncomfortable because you could feel them when you sat back; you can not at my in-laws (they've been using them for years).