How Much Fabric Will I Need to Cover a Double Recliner Couch?

Identification

• A slipcover fits over the couch back and arms to maintain the shape of the couch, with excess material tucked into the crack between the seat cushions and couch back. Proper measuring means you will get a desired fit, without wasting money on buying too much fabric. A double recliner couch does not require more fabric than a standard couch cover, instead you make slits similar to a kick pleat to allow the footrest to raise while the backrest reclines.

Measuring

• Get an accurate measurement of the double recliner couch by measuring the length and width of the body, and then the length and width of the arm rest. Increase the body width by 12 inches to accommodate the seams, tucking around the seat cushions and the front bottom arm area. Increase the body length by 12 inches to accommodate seams and adjustments you may need to make around the foot rest. This additional length also provides some looseness so that when you tuck in around the seat cushions, the reclined backrest does not put strain on the cover. Increase both arm measurements by 2 inches to accommodate seams.

Pieces

• A slipcover has three main pieces; the body piece and two arm pieces. The body piece fits over the main portion of the couch from the front floor to the rear floor and across the width of the cushion area. Each arm piece fits onto the body piece at each end, before sewing up the edge seams to complete the cover.

Calculations

• Calculate the amount of fabric you need for the cover by dividing the fabric width and length for one yard into the total measured size of each piece of the cover. One yard of fabric is 36 inches. The width of decorator fabric is 60 inches, which works better than the standard 44-inch wide bolts of fabric that require piecing the body cover to get the correct size.

Considerations

• Consider getting your fabric from a store that offers the wide-width decorator fabrics instead of standard sewing fabric. The width of decorator fabric is usually large enough for the body piece of the cover and tends to be more durable than clothing fabric. Decorator fabric is commonly used for re-upholstery projects and drapery and gives you many options for colors and print designs. Add 1 yard to the total amount of fabric calculated so you have a little extra for adjustments.