DIY Fabric Sofa

Main Cover

• 1

  Purchase an old sofa at a flea market or pick an old sofa from your home.

• 2

  Take the measurements of the following areas of your old sofa: body length, body width, arm length and arm width. Note: Body length equals the distance from the bottom of the sofa to the front where it meets the sofa seat. Body width equals the distance of the sofa seat from arm to arm. Arm length equals the distance from the bottom of the sofa arm to where the arm meets the seat. Arm width equals the distance from the start and end of the sofa arm.

• 3

  Add another 13 1/2 inches to your measurements for the hem and tuck-in allowance to the body length. Add the body width to the arm width, plus another 13 1/2 inches for the hem and tuck-in allowance. Cut the fabric according to these two final dimensions.

• 4

  Drape the fabric over the sofa according to your desired shape. Extra fabric should gather in the seat of the sofa. Use the scissors to cut away the corners of the fabric level with the floor.

• 5

  Take the fabric off of the sofa and turn under the hem by 5/8 inch. Pin, sew and press with the iron.

• 6

  Drape the fabric again on the sofa. Make sure the finished hems align with the floor. Tuck in the excess fabric into the sofa seat.

Over Layer

• 7

  Cut out one piece from the contrasting fabric that measures the body length and width, adding another 13 1/4 inches to the length and 1 1/4 to the width for hem and tuck-in allowance.

• 8

  Cut out another two pieces from the same contrasting fabric that measure the arm length and width, also adding 13 1/4 inches to the length and 1 1/4 to the width.

• 9

  Drape the body length over the sofa to determine where to attach the arm sections with the body section. Pin each arm section to either side of the body section. Take the fabric off the sofa and sew, leaving a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Press the seams open with an iron.

• 10

  Turn all unfinished edges of the over layer under 5/8 inch and pin. Press the hem with an iron and sew.

• 11

  Take the finished over layer and drape again over the sofa. Tuck the over layer into the cushion seat so that the hems align with the hem of the main layer.

• 12

  Cut the wooden dowels with a handsaw into three pieces. One piece must measure the length of the sofa seat. Two pieces must measure the width of the sofa seat. Stick the dowels into the sofa seat, over the two layers of fabric to hold in place.