Furniture Slipcovers Blog: GetSlipcovers.com

I remember writing all about the annual Ugly Couch Contest on this blog last year.  Well, it’s that time again as Sure Fit recently announced details of this year’s contest.  As before, they are asking contestants to send them photos of their ugly couches.

If your sofa or loveseat has hideous upholstery, garish colors, dirty stains or tears in the fabric, then you could be in with a chance of winning.  The grand prize is a makeover for your living room by designer Kim Myles, from HGTV’s Myles of Style, as well as your choice of 10 Sure Fit products.

You can enter online on the Sure Fit website or send your original pictures to their mailing address.  The closing date for entries is 30th September.  The whole point of this competition is to show the nation how Sure Fit slipcovers can transform even the ugliest couch into a stylish piece of furniture.

20 semi-finalists will be chosen and from 13th October the public can place their votes for the ugliest couch on the website.  Each semi-finalist will receive a slipcover of their choice for getting so far and for living with such an ugly couch.  The overall winner will be announced on 15th November.

It’s typical isn’t it?  The one day I decide to wash my sofa slipcovers, our friend Rob calls in to visit with his two dogs – and of course they make a beeline for my uncovered and thus unprotected sofas!  To make things worse, we’ve had a lot of rain recently.  Although it was a sunny afternoon, there were still big puddles everywhere.  So now my upholstery is covered in muddy paw prints and doggy hairs, and smells of wet dog!

I think I’m going to have to do some serious scrubbing to get the fabric clean and fresh-smelling again.  I don’t know how people with pets live without slipcovers on their furniture.  It must be a lot of hassle to keep their seats clean.  Normally it wouldn’t bother me if the dogs jumped up on the couch, as I’d just throw the dirty slipcover in the washing machine after they’d left.

That’ll teach me to leave my furniture slipcover-less!  I have several spare sofa covers, so in future I shall make sure I put them on when I wash the other ones!   And if you’ve got a dog or cat, I’d say you can save yourself a lot of stress by investing in some pet friendly slipcovers.

I talk about Sure Fit slipcovers a lot and feature many of them on GetSlipcovers.com.  Sure Fit is a well-known brand in the US and the company has been successfully selling ready-made furniture covers for many years.  Anyway, I thought I’d let you know that they have recently revamped their website to make shopping for slipcovers online easier, quicker and even inspirational!

Now you have the opportunity to register your details so if you come back to the website to buy something else in the future, your account history is already available.  You can save time by not having to enter everything again, just your email address and password.

The site also has a very useful section called "Easy Fit Center", which is packed with fitting tips, including interactive demos, which I think are really cool.  There are demos for all different shaped seats, like recliners and wing chairs.  There’s also a neat function where you can magnify the pictures for a closer look and spin them round for a 360 degree view.  This page also offers lots of useful information about ordering, such as measuring instructions, shipping details and information on the returns policy.

Another change is the new Advanced Search feature, which I think is great.  Often when you’re buying a new slipcover you’ll have a picture in your mind of what you’re looking for, such as a stripy pattern or a stretch fabric.  Now you can narrow down your search by price, color, fabric and pattern.  So you can save time and avoid browsing through covers that don’t meet your requirements.  You can play around with this feature to look at all sorts of combinations.

Alternatively, there are now drop-down menus on each page allowing you to specify what order you view the slipcovers, such as by price, color, fabric or pattern.  The slipcovers that most closely fit your criteria will be shown first.

Finally, one last addition I like is being able to "shop by room" and see pictures of rooms decorated by theme, so if you’re stuck for makeover ideas you can check out this section and get inspiration for your own home. 

One question I get asked quite frequently is "where can I get a slipcover for my reclining sofa?".  I didn’t realize so many people have a recliner function on their sofas and loveseats.  Anyway, I’ve done some research into this, and I have to say I haven’t actually found anywhere that makes covers for this type of furniture.

Sure Fit have some great covers for recliner chairs, but not for anything larger.  There is however a solution of sorts.  One friend I spoke to about this told me that because she’s got three cats, her main concern is keeping her upholstery nice for when she has company.  What she decided to do was to get a regular sofa slipcover, which fits fine when the couch is in an upright position.  This does mean she can’t use the recliner while the cover’s on, but she simply removes it when she’s expecting guests so that the recliner can be used.  (And of course she makes sure the cats are safely out of harms way)!

So, if you’ve got a recliner in your loveseat or sofa, this is one way of using a slipcover on it.  But if you’ve got any better ideas, or know anywhere that sells ready made slipcovers for this type of seat, please let me know!

I’ve spotted another offer on Sure Fit slipcovers.  This one expires Monday 18th August, so you haven’t got long to order!  Anyway, the offer is a 25% off sale on all their Soft Suede Slipcovers.

This is a popular slipcover fabric because it has the soft, luxurious feel of suede and sophisticated looks of the real thing – but is much cheaper!  Especially with a 25% discount.

As well as the low price, another reason to like faux suede slipcovers is that they’re machine washable.  Just be sure to use the cold water cycle and a gentle spin setting.  They’re actually made from 100% polyester and can be tumble dried on a low heat too.  This fabric keeps its shape well so there’s no need to try to iron it.

The slipcovers in this range come in the regular sizes, for sofas, loveseats and chairs.  There’s a choice of 6 or 7 different colors.  There are also matching pillows.  Because these covers come in solid colors, they’re really versatile.  You could use them on their own or pair them with patterned slipcovers.  At only $37.50 for a loveseat slipcover, I think this sale is well worth looking into!

I can hardly believe we’re in August already – this year’s certainly flying by.  I guess it’s time to start planning ahead for the Fall.  If getting new slipcovers for your furniture has been on your to-do list for a while, now is a good time to take action.  I say this because Sure Fit have recently launched their new Fall Catalog, with 24 pages of different slipcovers to choose from.  It’s available to browse online as a PDF file, which I like as paper catalogs tend to get lost in piles of clutter in my house!

There are some nice new slipcover fabrics available that have caught my eye.  I particularly like the Stretch Royal range and think this will be a big hit with customers looking for a smart, fitted look for their furniture.  This fabric has a stylish diamond pattern and soft texture.  It contains 4% Spandex, which helps it fit tightly.  It comes in 4 solid colors – chocolate, sage, wine and gold.  It also comes in several different sizes for armchairs, loveseats, sofas, recliner chairs and wing chairs.  This is great if you’ve got a mix of seats that you want to coordinate.

Another thing I should tell you about is that for the month of August only, Sure Fit are running a Free Shipping promotion on all orders of $100 and over.  To qualify for this offer, you’ll need to use promo code ASA2 when you order online.

I went to see my auntie yesterday, who I don’t get to see very often as she lives quite far away.  It was a long, hot 4-hour drive.  But the welcome was worth the journey.  Auntie Jane had tea and homemade cake ready for my arrival and we sat out in her beautiful garden enjoying the sunshine. 

Later on, in the evening, we retired to the living room, which is full of my auntie’s knick-knacks and family photos.  She also has a really old wing chair and battered old ottoman, which it’s clear to see is the most used furniture in the room!  The fabric is really faded from years of sunlight, and it’s worn away in patches, such as on the arms and on the top of the ottoman where she likes to rest her feet.

I commented on how comfortable the chair was.  She agreed and said that although it looked tatty she couldn’t ever think of replacing it, it was just too comfortable.  She said she’d looked into getting the chair and the ottoman re-upholstered in matching fabric, but it was too expensive for her.

I suggested she look online at some ready made slipcovers to see if there are any matching ottoman and wing chair covers she likes, as they’ll be much cheaper than re-upholstery.  She said she’d like to get a fabric with a floral pattern similar to the original fabric.  Anyway, we had a look and this is what we found:

Sure Fit have a good selection of slipcovers for wingback chairs, with lots of pretty floral patterns, with straight, pleated and ruffled skirts.  However, they currently have only two ottoman covers that are available in the same fabric as their wing slipcovers, the Stretch Pique and Cotton Duck, which are both solid colors.  We then looked at Slipcover Shop, who have a smaller range of wing chair covers, but do offer ottoman covers in a wider variety of fabrics.

Auntie decided that she definitely wanted a floral slipcover for her chair.  As we couldn’t find any floral ottoman covers to match, she thought the best option would be to buy one in a plain, solid color to coordinate with the floral fabric.  I’ll let you know how she gets on!

I haven’t written a blog post for a while because I’ve been away on vacation.  It seems this summer is flying by!  It’s almost time to start thinking about getting ready for the fall.  I like to change my home’s décor a little bit each season, so I’ll soon be getting out my fall sofa slipcovers and putting my summer ones away for another year.

If you’re like me and enjoy changing the look of your furniture every now and again, you might be interested to hear about the latest promotion from Sure Fit.  If you order your new furniture slipcovers online and spend $100 or more, you can get a 15% discount.  You’ll need coupon code ASJ5 and you’ve got until the end of the month to get your order in – this promo expires 31st July.

Here are details of more discounted slipcovers.  This particular promotion is with Sure Fit, who are offering 15% off all slipcovers made from their cotton duck fabric.  Slipcovers made from this fabric are available for nearly all types of furniture, including wing chairs, ottomans, dining room and folding chairs.  So, you could give your entire home a makeover if you wanted!

Because it’s made from 100% cotton, this material is very durable and fully machine washable.  It’s one of Sure Fit’s "pet friendly" fabrics and will keep its color and shape even with regular washing.  It’s a great choice for families with young kids or pet owners, whose couches get a lot of use and abuse.  The cotton duck slipcover has a classic style, and as it’s available in a choice of 9 different colors, can be used in virtually any color scheme. 

This is a versatile slipcover fabric for all seasons.  There are also coordinating 17" box pillows if you want to complete the look.  The 15% off sale runs until the end of June (Monday 30th) if you want to take advantage of these savings.

If you’d like to have a go at making your own slipcovers, a good place to find suitable fabric is Homespun Fabrics.  This company has been supplying double 118" wide seamless fabrics for over 50 years – since 1951.  The fabrics are great for furniture covers as they are extremely durable, fully washable and non-toxic.  There are several comments from satisfied customers on the website, including one lady whose slipcover made from their fabric has lasted 25 years!