How to Keep Slipcovers From Shifting

Slipcovers let you change the look of a couch or a chair or cover up unsightly upholstery. They are convenient and inexpensive, but slipcovers have one main disadvantage: They tend to shift, causing bunching and uneven hems. A common complaint of slipcover owners is that they spend too much time tucking them back in. Keep in mind that although a slipcover will never be as maintenance free (fit-wise) as the actual upholstery, you can employ simple tricks to keep it cover in place.

Quilt batting
Foam tube or rolled up magazines
Non-skid rug padding
Sturdy ribbon, 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide
Upholstery pins
Sewing machine

Instructions

- 1
  If your cover is slipping off of the arms, they may too thin or narrow. Wrap the arms in quilt batting and secure the slipcover with straight upholstery T pins. Aside from giving your slipcover a wider base, the batting has a rough surface that helps the slipcover stay in place.
- 2
  Tuck short lengths of foam tube or rolled magazines secured with rubber bands into the spaces between the back and sides of the cushion and the main body of the furniture.
- 3
  Purchase enough non-skid rug padding to cover the seat cushion. Place the padding on the cushion, under the slip cover. Purchase a piece long enough to tuck a little into the back of the cushion and hang over the front of the cushion. This method works particularly well on a piece of furniture where the original upholstery is slick, such as leather.
- 4
  Using upholstery pins, anchor the slipcover to the padding of the furniture. Do not use this method on leather upholstery.
- 5
  If you have a loose slipcover and are handy with a sewing machine, sew sturdy ribbons onto the sides of the slipcover. When tightly tied, these additions help secure the slipcover to the frame of the furniture.

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